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WWW.BLACKTIESKIS.COM | 406-995 - 3372 | BIGSKY@BLACKTIESKIS.COM
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Titilah explained that guest ser-
vices/relations is a big part of his job.
From giving directions to skiers on
the hill and monitoring the safety of
high flow traffic areas to waiting for
dispatch to radio in an incident, each
day on the mountain is different but
all are busy.
When an injury occurs on the
mountain, a call is first sent to
dispatch. From there dispatch sends
out a "10-50 code" to the patroller's
radios indicating that a skier needs
assistance. Titilah explained that the
closest patroller radios back that they
will respond to the location. Upon
reaching the downed skier, Titilah
performs an assessment to deter-
mine the extent of the injury and
what the following steps should be.
If necessary, a toboggan and other
equipment is brought to the scene
and the skier is safely packaged and
brought down the mountain.
How exactly does Titilah himself
remain calm in such moments? He
shared that besides being part of
his training, he learned a lot about
remaining calm from observing
senior patrollers.
"I take pride in reassuring and
calming injured guests when things
get excited," said Titilah. "We're
here to ensure the safety of everyone
and being agitated on the scene isn't
good for anyone."
During a typical season at Big
Sky, hundreds of EMS responses
occur—making Titilah's and the
other patroller's role so crucial.
At 3:30 p.m. each day Big Sky's
periphery lifts close while all others
close around 4 p.m. Titilah and the
other patrollers ride the last chair
on every lift on the hill and work on
trail closures by helping guests back
to the base area and looking for
any hazards. Once every patroller is
present and accounted for, Titilah's
day finally ends around 5:30 p.m.
In beginning his 14th ski season
at Big Sky, Titilah admits loving
what he does today just as much as
on his first day on the job. "I realized
that this could be an actual career,"
said Titilah. "I fell in love with it….
It's exciting and easy to call the
mountain home."
Ross' day ends after
all hazards are checked.
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Watch the Elk Mountain
Ski Patrol in action.
www.distinctlymontana.com/skipatrol181
DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL
