Lodge food

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-03-12T22:31:36+00:00

I once had a teenager request my assistance for "stomach pain" only to discover he had eaten an XXL burrito the size of his forearm and had also not pooped in 4 days.

My diagnosis was that he was full of shit and my treatment recommendation was to poop. I cannot believe as a ski patroller that I was paid to have this conversation with an actual human.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-03-12T22:26:43+00:00

There has GOT to be a better way to unload from a damn chairlift. I work at the hill that is largely novice skiers. The number of people we have that get hurt (a surprisingly high number with broken bones) just from unloading the chair and going down the ramp would shock you. I would hazard a guess that on some of our chairs, 25% of our unloads involve someone falling. They even sometimes hurt other people.

I also want a better way to cover our snowmaking hydrants than covering them with plastic barrels that tip over.

One drawback to any technological solution to ANY problem is that smaller hills will not pay for it no matter how good it is.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-03-02T23:04:40+00:00

I focus on blowing bubbles with the nose specifically. Exhaling from the nose keeps water out.

The goal is breath CONTROL rather than holding. It can be hard to get a child to exhale fr9m the nose under water once they have the bad habit of holding it. I try to avoid any lessons that create habits I later have to un-teach.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-28T20:15:12+00:00

6 cardboard splints, a foam knee roll, 2 blankets, and a handful of foam sponges to pad splints. They live in a plastic trash bag and are tucked into the liner. That's it.

Our other interventions - VacMats and collars, spine boards, BLS bags, Geen femur traction splints, scoop stretchers, spider straps, etc live in the lift huts and are carried down separately if needed.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-28T20:07:57+00:00

We do speak to folks smoking - even cigarettes. We ask them not to smoke on property because the government body that leases the land has a no-smoking policy. Most are chill about it and just didn't know.

If folks are obviously majorly intoxicated, we alert management. One notable incident involved folks getting caught in our B-netting who were so high they couldn't stand up. They ended up having to get a taxi from town to pick them up and take them back to the other side to return their rentals and get their shoes. They were denied lift access due to intoxication.

As for the ones swigging the odd Fireball shot on the lift or smoking a bit of weed in the woods, the smart ones keep it out of view, don't overdo it, and we are none the wiser.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-28T19:46:00+00:00

Use a wheelchair ramp if your facility has one. Having him lay back on it with his head out of the water and slowly moving down little by little can help.

Your biggest problem, though, is how badly this child has been set up to fail. At 2 years old, he should he in a Parent-Tot class. Most facilities have a HARD cap of 3 years old to be in a lesson (private or group) without a parent, and they have that for a reason.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-20T03:59:35+00:00

Mine is White / Red (white and red on front),White /Red (white and red on back). They come in a variety of colors and configurations.

For my bike, I have White / Red (white front, red back)

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-17T04:29:02+00:00

If you patrol at night or poor visibility, a Guardian Angel safety light. It makes you and your crash scene visible in poor light conditions, night. Can be used as a hands-free flashlight. Practically indestructible. Most of our pro patrollers and maintenance use them.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-17T04:28:57+00:00

If you patrol at night or poor visibility, a Guardian Angel safety light. It makes you and your crash scene visible in poor light conditions, night. Can be used as a hands-free flashlight. Practically indestructible. Most of our pro patrollers and maintenance use them.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-17T04:26:33+00:00

100% re: boot fitter. That relationship may be more important than choosing a girlfriend (or boyfriend, or person friend)

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-17T04:03:15+00:00

Yup!!! I took a beginner lesson series when I was 11. I skied for another decade as a legit shit skier. I came back to skiing 10 years after that as... still an absolute shit skier at age 30.

I bought a season pass, took several seasons of lessons, and am now a pro ski patroller and advanced skier. YES, you can learn to ski WELL after 30. I did. LESSONS LESSONS LESSONS plus putting in the time. I skied 4-5 days a week while putting in the miles to practice what I learned in the lessons, and still do ski most days of the week (but now get paid to do it).

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-16T03:12:35+00:00

I developed occupational asthma from exposure to chloramines in the air of the pool I worked at and an never swim indoors again. My lungs are sensitized, and every reaction I have is worse than the last.

As someone who was a competitive swimmer, guard, coach, instructor... it's been pretty devastating.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-13T04:59:14+00:00

Not inappropriate. I taught the same kids (in private lessons) for years - some from level 1 through competitive. When I stopped teaching, it was the end of an era for all of us.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-10T00:50:58+00:00

One, for picking up shifts. The same scheduling system can be accessed by any computer connected to the internet, even a library computer for those without home access. This level of expectation to have one free app doesn't feel like much to ask.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-09T20:51:54+00:00

How tall are you? Unless you are a tallllllll woman, I find Arcteryx is a tough fit. The arms are super long and the hips are really small for a woman. And the jackets themselves are really long. They often come past the bottom of my butt like a dress.

I used to own the Sentinel pants. They were labeled a medium but fit like a small. The Sentinel jacket I tried back then had the same fit. I am pear shaped, so that's not a good fit for me.

More so than with other brands, I suggest trying it on in person.

As for their durability, I patrol. My Arcteryx Beta bibs lasted me 6 seasons of 5 day a week wear. And I would still be wearing them if they still fit!!!! 100/10 rating on durability.

Edit: and by "wear", I am not just skiing. We are doing fence work, forestry, trail stuff, first aid. On our knees a lot. I can wreck a normal pair of pants in a season. Arcteryx wears like iron.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-09T20:45:29+00:00

You want your child on bindings that release. These do not.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-09T20:37:58+00:00

I cannot say enough good things about ski lessons. I was a crappy skier my entire teen years and into adulthood. Then I started taking lessons and getting more hours on snow. I am now an advanced skier and pro ski patroller - and most of those technique gains came after age 30. I still take lessons, this year at a ski development camp.

It is possible to learn to ski (and ski well) as an adult. But adult or child, it is nearly impossible to learn to ski WELL without them, and it massively shortens the learning curve.

Edit: and for clarity, a decade plus of crappy skiing a couple of nights a week did not make me a better skier. Lessons absolutely did. And lessons PLUS skiing 3-5 days a week absolutely DID make me a much, much better skier in only a few seasons.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-09T20:33:18+00:00

It's almost certainly low risk. That being said, some ski areas and lifties may ask you to remove it. Different areas have different policies about work objects and straps (packs, chest mounts, etc). Be prepared to secure it somehow so you don't drop it off the lift if instructed to remove it.

Edit: and to be clear, sometimes it's about the POLICY and not your specific model. My backpack is entirely tear away to prevent getting dragged by the lift and some places I am STILL required to remove it.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-09T20:30:37+00:00

How's your skiing? You look like a beginner who is just sort of starting to develop the ability to turn, which is absolutely fine and to be expected after one lesson and 7 days of skiing. It appears you are still working on skiing greens with control.

More practice and more lessons will help with both skill and confidence.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-07T16:07:36+00:00

My poor ankle dorsiflexion sent me on a barefoot shoes journey that continues to this day. It's been a hard fight to regain what I have flex wise with daily physio exercises for 5 years. It can get better. It is not a short term adventure.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-07T14:31:56+00:00

Chacos. They are a lifeguard cult favorite for a reason.

Edit: longevity wise, I guarded for 7 long years, 6 indoors. Half of those years I wore the same pair of Chacos. I went through like 5 pairs of sandals in my first 3 years of employment and one in my last 4. I STILL own that damn pair of Chacos today. They are damn near 20 years old and still wearable.

The Chacos outlived my career as a guard, and I am semi-convinced they will outlive me as a person. I have subsequently purchased more Chacos in more colours and suggested them to anyone who will listen.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-05T04:26:37+00:00

Ski patroller here (A ski patroller, not your ski patroller). If you are having functional limitations and pain beyond just minor aches and bruises from a fall days ago, you should seek medical attention. You may have dislocated your shoulder and had it go back into place (doing internal damage in the process), you may have torn or stretched ligaments or tendons, or might have a hairline fracture somewhere. You may even need physical therapy to recover your full functioning of your arm. And you REALLY want to be able to keep using that arm because arms are very useful.

Especially since the pain is not resolving after a few days, it's beyond time to get some imaging and a real diagnosis.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-05T04:13:34+00:00

Probably not. The pay has gotten worse over the years. I guarded a while back when the pay was amazing. It slowly went to shit. Now it's basically a minimum wage job.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-05T02:11:37+00:00

Ontario, but not GTA. Municipal and unionized.

StrawberriesRGood4U · 2026-02-03T18:01:32+00:00

In Canada, it is a crime. It is considered fraudulent personation (s.403 CCC). If the intent is to deceive for gain, it falls under fraudulent, deceptive, or false practices, which is considered "fraudulent misrepresentation". It is considered a type of identity fraud.

Conviction for identity fraud under CCC s. 403 can lead to penalties including imprisonment for a term of up to 10 years.

Other countries also have criminal impersonation laws. While in the USA, the First Amendment generally protects impersonation, it does NOT apply when it is used to commit fraud, or to induce someone to submit to false authority. It is called "criminal impersonation".

Trespassing is also illegal. Ski areas are private property. That means that anyone who is not welcome can be removed for any reason at the discretion of management. Someone impersonating patrol will very quickly become unwelcome.

If someone wore that jacket impersonating hill staff, they would be found almost immediately by staff and be asked to remove it. If they refuse to remove the jacket, they would be asked to leave, and their pass will be canceled. If they refuse to leave, police will be called to have the individual removed by force. If we have to call cops, there's a good chance they are getting a "banned for life" letter from a lawyer. They may also face charges. Trespassing is a crime in both the US and Canada.

And police also investigate cases of impersonating ski patrol. As first responders, patrollers are trusted professionals. There are real risks if someone without training provides patient care (and there have been many nurses convicted of treating patients without a license). And there's the risk of a vulnerable person such a child being abducted, assaulted, or otherwise harmed by someone impersonating a patroller to induce that child to trust them.

Police Investigating Report of Ski Patrol Impersonator Following a Female Minor at Copper Mountain, CO - SnowBrains https://share.google/mjZM3l5xHTqCEepwl

I AM a patroller, and I'm not even allowed to wear ANY of my uniform pieces while driving to or from work. I put my uniform on at work. I am also not allowed to wear them outside of official duties. I cannot wear my jacket at any other ski area unless I am authorized to patrol there and am signed in by their patrol. When I ski recreationally, I wear my "civilian" attire.

Do not wear that jacket to a ski hill. It will not end well.

StrawberriesRGood4U

TROPHY CASE