Ski patrollers

By Bernhard Brender

It’s high ski season and with that ski patrollers are calling for your close attention!

If you are planning to visit a ski resort this winter season certified patrollers believe that there is no substitute for safety. ``Safety is always first on the slopes, on the road and at home, simply everywhere,” and prevention is better than the cure teaches the Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) Manual. You should be ready for the unknown, do the right thing first and always learn what you need to know before heading up the slopes.

Just as before playing most sports, stretch and warm-up as much as possible before you ski.

To prevent injuries on the slopes, a helmet can stop severe shock to the brain in the case of a fall. Being unprepared on the slopes endangers both you and other skiers or snowboarders.

Korea has some of the most modern and safest ski resorts in the world. The bottom line is the will to learn and make the mountain safer, making winter sports fun.

Accidents of course happen, even to professionals. You might just be too tired, too cold, too hot, or skiing too fast and that is why on all ski slopes you see people in bright red jackets with first aid bags on their shoulders ready to help when you are injured, like ski patrollers Stan Lobdell and Wayne Clark

Can you ski well? Do you know first aid? Would you like to help save lives? Or would you like to learn any of the above? If yes, then a ski patrol is your true calling and we are inviting you to join. People attracted to the ski patrol have a strong desire to help others and want to learn emergency skills.

Most of our patrollers have helped skiers in life-threatening situations and were able to bring them down in time to receive emergency care in less than 20 minutes. We aid the Korean first-response teams, to ensure the safety of all skiers, by constantly fostering new and updated skill guides, drills and scenarios.

Last but not least, learning CPR can save lives. If performed correctly, resuscitation can buy time until professional help arrives. I know for a fact that the Grand Hilton plus other hotels have an automated external defibrillator (AED) installed close to the front office for emergencies. Saving lives and giving blood to the Red Cross is the advice of patrollers for 2013.

I was fortunate enough to help a German colleague, based on my knowledge learned during 12 years as an active patroller in Korea. I gave him CPR at the hotel, The OEC Manual offers step by step instruction including how to check for responses after an accident, phoning 119 and using an AED

From Jan. 28th the Special Winter Olympics will be in Yeonpyeong and Alpensia Resort and would appreciate all support and looking towards the future, in 2018 PyeongChang will host the Winter Olympics.

The writer has been an active certified U.S. National Ski Patroller since 2001 and an honorary citizen of Seoul since 2005. He is currently general manager of the Grand Hilton Seoul, and can be reached at EunSuk.Yun@hilton.com.