Abstract:

Objective: To understand the general information of patrol practitioners before the implementation of the new occupational policy of "ski patrol" in China. Methods: From November 2024 to March 2025, electronic survey questionnaires were distributed to those personnel engaged in snow rescue in selected ski resorts with chair-lift or Gondola-lift in North, Northeast and Northwest of China. The questionnaire covers a total of 41 questions from five aspects: personal basic information, occupational status, skiing skills, rescue skills training, and rescue skills mastery. Results: In this study, 207 questionnaires were collected from 15 different ski resorts in 5 provinces including Beijing, Hebei, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jilin, and Liaoning. The survey revealed that patrollers were predominantly young males (92.3%), with an average age of (26.2±7.5) years. 52.2% of the respondents had a high school or equivalent education, and 37.2% had a bachelor' s degree or above, and engaged in snow rescue operations for 2 (1, 5) years. During the non-snow season, 61.4% of people worked full-time or part-time in outdoor rescue related work (including rescue training). In the next 3－5 years, 62.8% of people were still willing to work as ski rangers, 53.1% were interested in working as ski instructors, and only 10.1% were considering leaving the skiing field. In the study, 82.1% of the respondents were proficient in skiing on the highest level slopes of the ski resort, and 71.5% were proficient in skiing on ungroomed slopes (including but not limited to powder, mogul, forest, etc.). and 76.3% had received training in towing rescue sleds (Toboggan), and most of them could tow toboggan on intermediate and advanced slopes at ski resorts. More than half (59.4%) of the respondents worked at ski resorts that organized snow rescue training for more than 3 days per year. And 77.3% of the respondents had received training from medical staff, 85.5% had been trained by emergency response instructors, 84.1% had received training from senior ski patrols, 58.5% had received training from ski doctors with experience in event support, and 58.9% had received training from instructors from international ski patrols organizations. In terms of rescue skills, the proportion of personnel trained and proficient in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemostasis and bandaging, and treatment of limb injuries was the highest, while the proportion of personnel capable of assessing and treating chest, abdominal, spinal, and pelvic injuries, as well as airway management, was relatively low. 30.4% of the respondents had participated in national or higher-level snow event rescue operations. Conclusion: Ski patrollers are primarily young males, and their education level needs to be improved. Although the self-evaluation of skiing ability, towing toboggan ability, and rescue ability are relatively high, more accurate skill assessment, qualification recognition, and further training and assessment are still needed through the new occupational system.

Key words: Ski patrol, Snow rescue, Skiing skill, Rescue training