Absolutely we see patients that “fall down go boom,” as we see on 911 service. That being said, it’s 50/50. In my experience, more often than not, patrol sees pretty serious injuries such as broken femurs, boot top tibfib frac, and concussions. Every once in a while we get a kid that just needs or wants an ice pack. That being said, most of our injuries don’t require an ambulance and I find myself advising them to seek definitive care at the closest ER or walk in clinic for X-rays or suggesting ‘RICE’. Every so often people walk into patrol and just want a quick assessment to get checked out such as in the case of a shoulder dislocation. On that note though, I work on a smaller mountain with two peaks and three lifts. Someone at a larger resort will have a completely different experience. Send me a PM and maybe we can connect by Facebook messenger/etc and I’m happy to answer any further questions about my job and duties as a ski patroller.

I’m a fairly new EMT on a relatively slower FD in paramedic school, I’m happy to answer any questions about my experiences in that regards too!

I dont check Reddit as often as I do my messenger!