Recruiting 2026/27
Application and Open House 2026/27
The 2026/27 Ski Patrol Season will begin at the Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1091 Coronation Avenue, Kelowna Sep 10, 2026 at 6pm. This is an informative evening during which all patrol members will be briefed on the upcoming patrol season, the many changes that have been implemented and current expectations for the 2026/27 season.
At the open house we will be presenting specific information about the first aid training course, ongoing on-snow training and what patrolling is all about. . After the presentation, veteran patrollers and returning recruits will be on-hand to answer questions new recruits may have about their patrolling experience.
The final deadline to apply for the 2026/27 training course and patrol season is the open house but we have limited recruit spaces so you may wish to apply online now. All new recruit applications will require an interview before being accepted.
Before you proceed to apply lets explore some of the expectations and the commitment that you will be making to ensure this is the right opportunity for you.
There is an annual cost to join the CSP. Our zone dues are $350 for new recruits and $325 for returning patrollers for the 2026/27 patrol season.
There is a significant training commitment required. New Recruits will be required to complete a substantial online course complete with manual. While you are proceeding through the course material we will be holding 10 weeks worth of twice weekly practical sessions that you need to attend fully prepared. These sessions are not the first aid course but provide you with the opportunity to put what you have learned online into actual practice. It is essential you attend these sessions having already completed the online material.
Mid way through the first aid program will be a mandatory lift evacuation training session held at Big White Ski Resort. This session includes two cycles of lift evacuation, one in which you will be rescued from the lift by your fellow patrollers and one in which you will rescue them. Once the lift evacuation itself is complete we will proceed to outdoor first aid scenarios that will challenge your problem solving skills by introducing some of many outdoor variables you will encounter while patrolling. You may encounter streams, tall grasses, trees, logs, bushes, mud or even snow which may complicate what you have been learning about advanced first aid. Once the sun sets we will have a social evening with a BBQ at the ‘hut’ at Big White. Sunday morning will include a detailed review of Big White specific rescue gear and a physical tour of the infirmary and hut building itself.
Advanced First Aid requires the full completion of the online course materials and your 10 weeks of twice weekly practical sessions. You will need to complete an online written exam, demonstrate all the individual first aid skills you have learned, complete our Health Care Provider CPR/AED course and written exam, complete a full patient assessment and finally a full patient diagnostic exam in which you will be presented with a full first aid scenario.
Those recruits who are successfully certified in Advanced First Aid may be invited to our On Snow training program introductory weekends being held Dec 5/6 and Dec 12/13 2026. During these mandatory weekends we will assess your skiing or riding skills to ensure they are strong enough for you to safely patrol at Big White Ski Resort. You will also be introduced to many aspects of ski patrolling at Big White Ski Resort including opening duties, risk management duties, closing and sweep duties. Use of the rescue toboggan will also be introduced during these weekends.
Full certification for patrolling at Big White Ski Resort will require a minimum of 22 shifts. This will normally take you part way into your 3rd patrol season. Full certification also requires completion of a minimum number fully supervised first aid responses, either training scenarios or potentially real patient experiences and full completion of a toboggan training passport which will log your toboggan handling skills across all terrain (green, blue, black, off piste and the cliff bowl) in all snow conditions (soft snow, hard packed snow and freeze/thaw cycles).
We will complete an in person interview with each new recruit candidate, prior to accepting your application, to ensure an appropriate fit between your expectations and the requirements needed to safely patrol at Big White.
If you have any questions, send them to recruiting@cspoz.ca and we’ll get them answered asap.
Classes are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm starting Sep 15, 2026. Classes are held at the Ukrainian Catholic Church 1091 Coronation Ave, Kelowna.
In-class practical sessions start with a quick review of the assigned reading and online training after which we will put the material into practice. These sessions are meant to provide patrollers with hands on experience of the weekly topic and everyone must attend the class fully prepared by having already completed the appropriate online work and reading. Lack of appropriate preparation may lead to an unsuccessful attempt at the Advanced First Aid course or Recertification.
If you have current first aid training (OFA3, Wilderness First Aid, Medical Doctors, Paramedics, Fire fighters, EMR, Nurses, etc) please contact our VP Education at education@cspoz.ca to discuss your pathway to patrolling this season.
All returning patrollers will be expected to attend at least 1 weekly class in order to meet the required annual recertification hours as set out by the Canadian Ski Patrol. Practical skill assessments/exams may be challenged during these sessions if patrollers believe they are ready to successfully demonstrate the appropriate skills at a satisfactory standard. Otherwise, exams may be conducted with the recruit class in November.
Lift Evacuation Training and On-hill Scenarios
The lift evacuation and onhill scenario training is Oct 17 and Oct 18, 2026. Lift evacuation training consists of two evacuations – one where you are being evacuated off the lift and one where you are evacuating your fellow patrollers from the lift.
The remainder of the day is filled with patient assessment, diagnostic and treatment scenarios in the great outdoors. Long grass, creeks, water logged terrain, sticks, twigs, logs and uneven ground add a new dimension to performing first aid and will challenge your problem solving skills. All patrollers will be participating in these outdoor first aid scenarios together, working as a team just as do throughout the season.
We will end the day with a BBQ and social evening where recruits and returning patrollers will have the opportunity to meet and visit in a social setting. Recruits will be invited to stay overnight at the Ski Patrol Hut and we will continue our training with a review of Big White specific gear and protocols on Sunday morning. Training will end at lunch time Sunday.
On-Snow Training
The next phase of becoming a patroller is the on-snow training which takes place over two consecutive weekends after the hill opens officially; tentatively Dec 5 & 6 and Dec 12 & 13. We will have a lot to cover in these four days so please make yourselves available.
All patrollers will also be required to complete mandatory companion rescue transceiver searches monthly throughout the ski season.
In season training will continue in order to maintain your first aid skills.
Start Patrolling!
You’ve passed all your exams!
Certifying patrollers will be teamed up with a senior volunteer patroller or paid staff member for your first 22 shifts. You will gain experience over this period of time which will help you to learn and retain the vast array of skills and knowledge required to patrol independently at Big White. Patrollers may apply for independent patrolling status upon completion of their full certification program, the toboggan experience passport and the first aid experience passport. Applications will be reviewed by your pod leader, the VP Education for CSP Ogopogo Zone, VP Operations for CSP Ogopogo Zone and the Big White Ski Resort CSP Liaison.
