Last week I accepted a job for the upcoming winter at Megeve! Probably as different a resort as possible from last winter at La Romme, but just the oposite side of the same mountain, les Aravis.
This winter I will not be a lifty, a mechanic, an electrician. I will be a full time patroler and part time info post.
My mornings will start earlier and my days will finish later, but the drive will be shorter.
I will have to ski many runs to open them and at the end of day close them. Many more signs to put up and take down.
I will probably have to do more than 5 rescues in a season, wont be surprised if I end up doing more than 5 a week.
Lunch is provided and if I'm not to busy I get an hour to eat it. No more packed lunch on the go!
There will be co workers and Colleagues to learn from, not make it up as I go along.
There are procedures, plans and preparednes, not just thrown the keys and told best of luck.
New uniform of many parts not just a used Jacket with a name on it.
Why did I get the job, they wanted an experienced person with real English skils (They only have one other real english speaker on the whole operations staff). As a bonus I'm happy to do high wire rescue (aparently the majority of staff are terrified of it?)
Am I looking forward to it, hell yes. Any terpedation, yup they grilled me for 10 min about where my rugby loyalties lie....and I don't even have a telly!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Impressive. Best of luck!
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Congratulations, hopefully I’ll here a English accent in the megeve uniform & say hello , rather than you asking me if it hurts
Excellent, congratulations Totally different from last season but no doubt as rewarding.
Looking forward to the reports again, when you can
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Well played @Idris,
After all it is free
After all it is free
Fantastic
Have a great season
So as they knew you were Pays de Galles it was sealed
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Congratulations, we will be out in March so thanks for looking after it. Any news on if they are expecting a busy season?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Well done! Looking forward to the always interesting reports from the other side on the resort fence.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Idris, nice one! Well done. Although Romme is quite special
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Looking forward to tales of the season, both highs and lows, and details of working with the helicopters.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Idris, congratulations.
as someone who had to call on the services of the Megeve patrollers a few years ago, my daughter twisted her knee and had to be "bloodwaggoned" off the mountain to st gervais, i can say the patroller was amazing and she put my daughter at ease laughing and joking with her and all of us.
i visited the resort a few weeks later with a work colleauge, and saw her on the slopes, when i stopped to thank her, she remembered my daughter and asked how she was doing and passed on her good wishes.
suffice to say her English was exceptional compared to my "allo, allo" french
i have always been in awe of all the patrollers wherever i have skied.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Sounds great and it's a ski area I love, so that's great to hear. Congrats.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
That’s the dream. Have a great season.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
No Style wrote:
Congratulations, we will be out in March so thanks for looking after it. Any news on if they are expecting a busy season?
Yes. Advance booking are busy. Last winter Combloux (which is mostly french Tourists) had its busiest season ever. If the summer is anythig to go by, then busy but messy.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Idris, best of luck for a great season!
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
BobinCH wrote:
@Idris, best of luck for a great season!
+1
That's great. Hope to see you on the mountain sometime. And not because you are putting me in a blood wagon!
Last week I accepted a job for the upcoming winter at Megeve! Probably as different a resort as possible from last winter at La Romme, but just the oposite side of the same mountain, les Aravis.
This winter I will not be a lifty, a mechanic, an electrician. I will be a full time patroler and part time info post.
My mornings will start earlier and my days will finish later, but the drive will be shorter.
I will have to ski many runs to open them and at the end of day close them. Many more signs to put up and take down.
I will probably have to do more than 5 rescues in a season, wont be surprised if I end up doing more than 5 a week.
Lunch is provided and if I'm not to busy I get an hour to eat it. No more packed lunch on the go!
There will be co workers and Colleagues to learn from, not make it up as I go along.
There are procedures, plans and preparednes, not just thrown the keys and told best of luck.
New uniform of many parts not just a used Jacket with a name on it.
Why did I get the job, they wanted an experienced person with real English skils (They only have one other real english speaker on the whole operations staff). As a bonus I'm happy to do high wire rescue (aparently the majority of staff are terrified of it?)
Am I looking forward to it, hell yes. Any terpedation, yup they grilled me for 10 min about where my rugby loyalties lie....and I don't even have a telly!
I once saw a pisteur catch a helicopter ride purely so he could get to the restaurant for lunch without getting on the chairlift. We were getting on the chairlift, heli with rotors turning at the bottom, unloaded some gear, pisteur comes running over and jumps in, chairlift leaves, heli fires up, we get about 3rd of way up, heli takes off, over takes us about halfway up, manoeuvres to land, we’re about 3/4 up, lands, he jumps out, heli takes off, we dock, he skis off, we follow him wondering what was so important…. He skis straight in to resto for lunch…. Lunch, lunch was so important. Brilliant.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks for the update that it may be a busy season, I'm pleased as want the businesses to keep going. Have a great season.
After all it is free
After all it is free
A couple of days of corprate stuff and getting ready for the season.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Congratulations, it takes good skills and then you learn more skills on top! Hopefully, you get that heli ride.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
It's been over 2 months since I've updated this, sorry. In that time we got rained almost shut, got snowed on and 2 rounds of holidays (in the middle of the 2nd set).
Every morning I open runs, I am lucky we get a different circuit (we have 9) each day, some resorts you stick to one for the season. Sometimes it's so fresh you follow the piste bashers as they go home. Early season we see sunrise on the mountain.
Not all the runs can be accesed by gravity at the start of the day, so we call and uber and get a tow (these are lifties going first)
Sometmes reopening runs that have been shut for a while
Some morning there is a fair bit to fix
Mornings are usually quite in terms of rescues, so we spend time making sure things are right (in some parts of the ski world there is trail crew to do this, but here it's patrol). After the last big snowfall we had to find all the buiried safety mats and dig them up
Lunch is taken in shifts so there is always someone on call - NOW, not 5 min later after extracting yourself from a resturant. In Megeve we do eat quite well
Early afternoon is when we get most calls, I've been lead or solo on more than a dozen and aid to three times that number so far this season. A few scary ones but nothing that you can't recover from (eventually),a few anoying ones that you may not get called for in another country and whole bunch of knees!
I've only been on two heli assisted rescues so far, one was quite serious and both were in places that are hard to get out from with a person in a rescue sled.
Sometimes you end up in a corner thinking how am I going to get them out of here. When it's not a serious accident (or other mitigating circumstances) we can't just call for a heli. This one in a stream bed took a bit of thought and making a escape route on foot.
Once we've found you, stabilized you, then it's off by sled to the ambulance
At the end of the day we get to watch the sun go down from the top of the mountain
We each have a run or runs to close on the way home, sometimes they are a bit of a mess
And sometimes its nice
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Fri 24-02-23 15:46; edited 2 times in total
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Thanks for this glimpse into your days, @Idris,
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Great pics and narrative
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Great stuff, thanks for posting.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Awesome pics and insights, helps us appreciate all the efforts from those behind the scenes of a resort. So that we can enjoy the pistes. Thank you for your service!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Great post - thanks!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
What a great read, thank you.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Superb @Idris!
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I see there are no tomatoes or peppers in evidence
Great insight & hope not to see you except for in a bar in town where I’d happily buy you a beer.
I got rescued about 4 years ago from you guys and all I can remember is the reassurance that these guys know what they are doing.
Thank you
I echo the thanks and respect - and offer belated congratulations in being accepted by a rather elite group.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Top post Idris, thanks.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Fantastic inside info.
Most rescues are after lunch? How often do you feel alcohol plays a part? It certainly does on the roads.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
That's superb, I'm often out solo in the afternoon when my wife's had enough. Had many a chat with a Patrol guy on the lift. Always so modest and friendly in my experience.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Thanks Idris.
Hopefully there will be a lot more snow and you can tell tales of explosives and other boys toys!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
