North Absaroka Ski Patrol

Keeping Sleeping Giant Safe since 1967

Want to join the Ski Patrol?

Join the North Absaroka Ski Patrol! Weekly classes in Outdoor Emergency Care begin with an informational session on Thursday, November 3. Learn comprehensive first aid from National Ski Patrol certified instructors. First meeting will discuss benefits to patrollers. Cost to enroll in this class, including 900-page textbook, is funded in large part by generous donors to North Absaroka Ski Patrol! Thank you!

Don't miss this opportunity to patrol as a volunteer or join the paid crew (depends on scheduling and successful completion of candidacy requirements). Once you've completed the Outdoor Emergency Care course, you'll feel more prepared in any outdoor situation, summer or winter, to handle a medical emergency. Enrollment is open to anyone 15 or over.

Note: While it's clearly more fun to ski or snowboard, you don't have to be an expert in either! The patrol will work with anyone to develop solid skills, and our lodge has an aid room that serves walk-in guests too! Come see what it's all about!

Date: November 3, 2016
Time: 5:30 PM
Where: West Park Hospital's "Sunlight Room"
More info: Contact James Patrick at (307) 250-0679, or on the NASP's Facebook page

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Cody’s local North Absaroka Ski Patrol named Outstanding Small Alpine Patrol in Northern Division; Patroller Joel Hunt wins Rising Star Award

Joel Hunt with his Rising Star Award

Former Patrol Director Kenny Gasch, holding the award

(Cody, Wyo.) – 2014-2015 - Our local ski patrol – North Absaroka Ski Patrol, which serves Sleeping Giant Ski Area – has been named Outstanding Small Alpine Patrol in the Northern Division by the National Ski Patrol at this year’s annual awards banquet.

Now, the North Absaroka Ski Patrol will move on to be placed in a pool with the other Outstanding Small Patrol winners from each of the country’s divisions, vying for Outstanding Small Alpine Patrol in the Nation.

Joel Hunt of the North Absaroka Ski Patrol was also individually awarded the Rising Star Award by the National Ski Patrol at the 2015 banquet. The excellence of patrollers like Joe is what helped the North Absaroka Patrol to shine above all the other northern small patrols.

“The reason I really felt we earned this was that within this last year, we had six OEC (Outdoor Emergency Care) patrolers – six people on our patrol who stepped it up and become instructors,” said former Patrol Director Kenny Gasch, who nominated our local Patrol for the award. “And then we have people like Joel Hunt, who I nominated for Rising Star, and he is OET (Outdoor Emergency Transportation) certified.

The list goes on when it comes to the impressive resumé of our North Absaroka ski patrolers. “We have a Nurse Practitioner on the patrol, we have two other registered nurses, and we have Erin Billen – Director of ER Services in Powell – as our certified medical physician to oversee medicinal protocol,” said Gasch.

So many on the patrol had taken the time to train above and beyond the requirements of an average patroller. “Also at the time, we had three certified CPR instructors and seven members who had completed their Level 1 Avalanche Course and two who had completed Level 2,” Gasch said. “And I’m currently working on my Avalanche Instructors certification.”

Taking on that extra mile for trainings and certifications, as well as continuing to ensure the longevity of the patrol, made for a winning Small Patrol. “We’ve added a number of new members and have some new fresh blood – young blood,” said Gasch. “So that’s good for our future. Really it’s all about the stuff you do beyond patrolling – and we see so many people from our patrol stepping up at all different levels to help continue training and improving.”

Gasch feels the outlook for North Absaroka Patrol is bright, and he’s very proud of how far they’ve already come.

“I’m most proud of how, in an average season before I became Director, we had 62 incidents in the year before I took over,” Gasch said. “When I took over, we reduced the number of incidents — by just being proactive – every year. All the way down to last year, when we had 29 incidents. So we’ve cut them in half.”