I’m in my 8th season patrolling at Canyons/Park City and my 11th season overall. Before moving to Utah I researched 11 ski patrols in 5 western states and through that effort I found Canyons to have the best comprehensive employment package.
We all do this job for similar reasons – skiing pow, working outside, throwing avalanche shots, enjoying our hilarious coworkers – and after hearing from patrollers across the country, I think those attributes of the job hold true no matter where you work. What can be different, I found, is the kind of compensation package a ski area offers you. I was looking for a patrol that could make this more of a sustainable career. Have you ever been called a ski bum? Though I smile at that nickname, I know the truth is that I’m a professional with a specialized skill set who works hard for her paycheck.
After working at Canyons and talking to patrollers who had been here for 10+ years I learned that their union had won them many of the improved employment perks and benefits that other patrols were lacking. As a result I joined the union so I too could have a voice in shaping our future employment benefits.
In my time at Canyons I’ve enjoyed amicable interactions with my supervisors and I’ve never felt that I couldn’t deal with them directly to resolve operational issues. I know that my supervisor does not have the power to increase my equipment allowance or change the accessibility of educational opportunities.
Those decisions are made in Broomfield, CO. Only through joining together as a collective body of hardworking employees do we gain the power to negotiate with Broomfield. We have an amazing opportunity before us.
Alone we are powerless. Together we affect change.
– Kirah Solomon, Park City