Susan and Steve Albert

On Friday, Jan. 24, a successful and well-attended fundraiser was held at the Twisted Raven in Wilmington to benefit the Whiteface Volunteer Ski Patrol, the highly trained people, who with the regular ski patrol, are out on the fabled ski center working long hours to keep the skiing public safe.

The fundraiser, the first of its kind, was organized by Susan Albert, whose brother Steven, a member of the Volunteer Ski Patrol, suffered a tragic accident 40 years ago during an early morning run at the mountain that led to his death.

I knew Steven well. He, his sisters Kathy and Susan, and parents Joan and Stan Weinstein, were regular guests at our ski lodge, the Sun and Ski on Wilmington Road in Lake Placid. The Weinsteins were more than guests. They became good friends, and we often skied together at the mountain.

Steven became an excellent skier and, in time, wanted to give back to the ski center that he and his family enjoyed, and did so by becoming a volunteer member of the ski patrol. In many respects, the inspiration was the 1980 Winter Olympics, which needed ski patrol volunteers, which Steven did, resulting in his joining the Whiteface Volunteer Ski Patrol the following year.

“The benefit has been a labor of love commemorating my late brother’s ski accident in December of 1984 while he was volunteering for the Whiteface Ski Patrol,” said Susan Albert. “Steven joined the ski patrol because he loved skiing and wanted to do something good while doing something he loved. I think he started skiing when he was six or seven, and I, two years later. Now, we are up to our fourth-generation skiing at Whiteface. The ski patrol is the folks who make skiing safe so that others can do what they love to do all winter long.”

Steven Weinstein

Whether volunteer or regular, all ski patrol members take the same core training and are out on the mountain in all kinds of weather. The Steven Weinstein Memorial Benefit was organized to raise funds for scholarships for current and future volunteer ski patrollers pursuing EMT, OEC and advanced training and certification.

“Steven was a very enthusiastic and dedicated skier,” said Chris Wikoff. “When young, he received an award from the head ski instructor at Whiteface Cal Cantrell for being the most improved student skier.”

According to Bob Zande, who leads the Whiteface Volunteer Ski Patrol, being an excellent skier is the first requirement for anyone wishing to join the regular or volunteer ski patrol. First, they partner applicants with a ski patroller who will determine how well they can ski and whether they can handle all the trails and challenges the mountain has to offer.

“We need to see if your skilling ability is the best,” said Zande. “You need to be an expert skier, some candidates we have to tell them to come back in a couple years. Once approved, you take the OEC, Outside Emergency Care course, offered by the National Ski Patrol; it’s about 80 hours, 11 days, 11 weeks, whatever. You learn how to treat injuries on the hill, anything from a tweaked knee to trauma injuries. If you pass that course, you take a written test and then six stations of finding and treating the injury.”

Once the candidate has completed the OEC training, the Whiteface Ski Patrol familiarizes them with the mountain, the trails, equipment, and the watch stations, and from there, they become patrollers. However, their training is far from over. There is Outdoor Emergency Transport (OET) training, toboggan training, learning how to safely bring down an injured skier from the most treacherous places on the mountain, and EMT training.

Patrollers Kyle Beach and Bob Zande

“I’ve been an EMT for seven years,” said Kyle Beach. “Being a ski patroller meshes my two loves of medicine and being outside into one job. We come in at 7:30, get our assignment from the board, and after a meeting with our patrol director, we ride up the lift to our assigned sector and do our first laps by 8:30, so the lifts can open.”

Ski patrollers check all ropes, closures, signs, trails, and ski conditions several times a day and report their findings by radio and on paper as they watch and, at times, interact with the public as needed. At day’s end, they check all trails, making sure no skiers remain on the mountain and that all ski patrol equipment is cleared off the hill. Ski patrollers’ day ends 4:15 to 4:30.

The fundraiser is critical as training fees can run up to $1,000 or more, and the ski patrol would like to have as many as possible take advanced EMT training. This past weekend, advanced avalanche training was held at Whiteface for DEC rangers and ski patrol members.

“Having our patrol community and others in outdoor recreation come together to help support the next generation of patrollers means a lot,” said Whiteface patroller Ethan Cobb. “It’s also good timing as we have patrollers who have been here two, three, and four decades and have a lot of wisdom and experiences to pass on. This fund will help us attract new young people who want to help and are eager to learn.”

“Fundraising programs like the Weinstein are critical because we don’t get funding from the state, the ski area, or the National Ski Patrol,” said instructor Chuck Boyd. “We have to raise a lot of our own funding to cover the cost of the training, which is constantly increasing. We, as trainers, feel it’s essential that the public knows what patrollers do to keep the public safe. Keep in mind that there are no ambulances on top of the mountain. The patroller has to carry everything on their back to help them keep a person alive, keep them breathing, and stop any bleeding. You come on to a bad accident, often by yourself. The person might be off trail, down a ravine, and you have to get to them and rig up a rope rescue system; it’s a lot more than being able to show up with an ambulance; when you’re on the hill, everything has to be brought to you.”

Patroller Ethan Cobb

“The turnout was beyond my wildest imagination, said Susan Weinstein Albert. “It was great. I am so grateful for all the volunteers, the people and businesses who contributed to the silent auction, and those who came.”

People wishing to contribute can mail checks to the Steven Weinstein Memorial Scholarship, c/o Mark Kaiser, Treasurer, P.O. Box 1674, Plattsburgh, NY 12901.

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)

DEC and Ski Patrol Members participating in the Avalanche Safely Class on the mountain.

DEC and Ski Patrol Members participating in the Avalanche Safely Class on the inside.