A Fallen Pard
— Posted by Mark on January 6, 2010
Just finished snow blowing the drive at home after an 11 hour day. It was one of those annoying storms; windy with wet snow showers at the resort that didn't amount to much, and 4 inches at home.
I planned to post today about the ignorant, uneducated avalanche experts out there who continue to violate our closures and mock our program. There are still folks out there who think we close runs and bowls "to save them for ourselves" and just don't understand the consequences of going into such places. Just this morning I was skiing under the Crescent lift line with Joel and Jonathan to see if we could open it. With every turn we were hitting stumps and logs, literally risking limb to see if we could open yet another run for you, our skiing/riding public. Some yahoo on the chair rode over us and made some idiotic comment. People like that just don't get what we do as part of our job. What we do for them for relatively meager pay so they have somewhere to ski or ride. Again, I had planned to write about this today; then we found out about a tragedy at another resort that really put things into perspective, that really reminds us what can and does happen as part of our job.
This morning at 8:30 in Jackson Hole a veteran patroller, Mark Wolling was caught, buried, and injured in an avalanche while doing control work. I was able to find more details at the Jackson Hole Daily. Tonight "Big Wally" is in critical condition at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. Tonight I raise a pint to Mark. Our thoughts and best wishes are with him, his family, and our brothers and sisters at the JHMR Ski Patrol.
I was on volley patrol last year at another local resort and was skiing on my day off and had to listen to some guy complaining about a trail that didn't open till after 9:30 (he didn't know I was on patrol at that point). He was going on and on about how patrol is slow and should get to work earlier and quit goofing off. I was so mad. Patrol had been there since 5 am bombing the mtn to make it safe for that guy.
People have no idea how much work patrol does to keep the mtn safe. Keep up the great work.
406 replies:
Thanks for your kind words and story. It's good to know there are folks out there who appreciate our work.
— Posted by kt on January 8, 2010 9:46 AM MST
Pint Glass Raised.
406 replies:
Excellent Kid, thanks
— Posted by Hank on January 7, 2010 6:09 PM MST
Mark,
Thanks again for all the work you and the rest of our patrol guys and gals do here at PCMR. Having had the privilege to follow along on a morning or two, I'll vouch that snow safety work is definitely hard and often dangerous work that isn't anywhere near as glamorous as it sounds.
So sorry to hear about the incident in Jackson - I'll be sure to raise one for Wally tonight!
-Eric
406 replies:
Thanks Eric
— Posted by Eric Hoffman on January 7, 2010 5:21 PM MST
Thanks so much. As an everyday skier at JH I'm lying in my bed listening to the bombs and saying to myself that I would much rather have a beer with my buddies on patrol this afternoon than ski a certain trail.
I may be a powder junkie but think of the reality. These people die so we can have good recreation!?!?!?
Good vibrations to Wally. His big goofy grin is what I'll be skiing for today.
— Posted by TMO on January 7, 2010 8:05 AM MST
406,
Sorry to hear that about your friend. Thank you for that you your fellow patrollers do!
Chris
— Posted by Christopher Lawton on January 7, 2010 6:49 AM MST
Well said! & Thank You...We Appreciate everything All Of You Do for us!
406 replies:
Thanks for the good thoughts for Big Wally and great comments everyone.
— Posted by Val on January 7, 2010 12:28 AM MST