Ski patrol rescue members are a little like an insurance policy: You really don’t give them much thought until you need them, and then you’re glad to have them.

Local Ski Patrol members were in their element Saturday — minus the snow — at Turner Mountain Ski Area as they performed lift-chair rescues.

“It’s good training,” said Ski Patrol member Michelle Carlson. “The training really builds our confidence in the event anything happens up there on the hill. We then can respond well-trained and confidently.”

Carlson explained the Ski Patrol was performing new rescues this season, saying “we are evacuating a ‘sit ski,’ since we have a disabled skier who is a regular at the hill.”

Carlson said the patrol also will be employing ascenders for the first time this season.

The Turner Mountain Ski Patrol is made up of about 30 volunteers.  It is the Ski Patrol’s responsibility to promote safety and accident prevention for skiers within the boundaries of Turner Mountain Ski Area.  

Services include providing competent emergency care within the boundaries of the Turner Mountain Ski area. The Ski Patrol has been a part of Turner Mountain Ski Area for 52 years.  

Patrollers are competent skiers and boarders trained in mountain rescue including lift evacuation. 

In the rare event of a lift malfunction such as a cable derailment, ski patrollers carry enough rope to rappel from the chair lift so they can then gather customer rescue ropes to lower customers from the chairlift safely to the ground, as they did Saturday.

This skill requires annual training and on Saturday, a nice cool August day provided the perfect temperatures for which to practice evacuation techniques.  

Patrollers also train in the use of rescue toboggans, first aid, tree-well extrication, lift operations and snowmobiles.  

In addition, Ski Patrol members maintain the boundary and hazard markers, tower pads, sweep the mountain at the end of each ski day to assure all skiers and boarders are off the mountain.

The Turner Mountain Ski Patrol is run by the Turner Mountain Ski Patrol Board of Directors (BOD), who are Mike Giesey, patrol representative, John Head, vice-representative and Saturday Patrol Leader, Lynn Hagarty treasurer, Karen Alexander secretary, Bill Pepper/Kate Maffei Sunday patrol leaders. 

For more information on the local ski patrol, contact Giesey at 295-3058.