They help keep skiers safe on our slopes

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/09/2010 (5725 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For 50 years, George Kryschuk has been patrolling the slopes in Manitoba, helping injured skiers and snowboarders. It was in 1961 when the now-73-year-old helped found the Manitoba division of the Canadian Ski Patrol System (CSPS) — a volunteer-run charitable group that promotes ski safety and provides first aid assistance at hills across the country.

Over the past five decades Kryschuk has served as not only a patroller, but also an instructor, an operations manager, a patrol leader and national officer with the organization. With Manitoba split into four geographic zones, he has also served as the president of the board of directors for the CSPS’s Red River zone (Winnipeg and area) as well as for the entire Manitoba division.

"I did it because I was seeing people who were injured on the hill," said Kryschuk of why he thought bringing the CSPS to Manitoba was important. "In those days there was really nobody to look after them."

While he first started out to aid injured skiers, he also spent many years testing ski bindings, which helped manufacturers create safer equipment, preventing injuries from happening in the first place. Richard Kerluck, who began as a CSPS volunteer in 1963, said while the number of injuries has come down over the years, volunteers with the CSPS now see very different types of injuries.

"When I first started, it was nothing to see four or five broken legs in one day. Now that snowboarding has come up and the equipment has gotten better, we get less broken legs but with snowboarders we’re getting broken arms and broken wrists. It has evolved," said Kerluck, who volunteered with the CSPS at the Vancouver Olympics, adding that the organization heavily advocates for the use of helmets by all those on the slopes.

Volunteer Andrea Mensforth patrols the slopes every winter weekend at Falcon Lake, as well as over the Christmas holiday season. She said the extensive training the CSPS provides is amazing and getting to put it to use is very satisfying.

"What is fulfilling for me is being able to help people when they really need the help and then having them come back to thank you afterwards," she said, adding that volunteers have used their skills not only on the slopes but also in other emergency situations such as car accidents, or in Kerluck’s case, even a plane crash.

"You do bring this into other parts of your life — the level of training is very much up there."

Gerry Desjardins was a retired paramedic six years ago when he assisted five injured skiers in one a day at the Falcon Lake Ski Hill. He decided shortly after to become an official CSPS volunteer, not only using his skills to help the injured but also passing them on to other volunteers as an instructor.

"This way, I get formal training (for helping on a ski hill) and the (CSPS) uniform," said Desjardins, adding volunteers from Manitoba can patrol at ski hills across the country. "We’re recognized all over Canada. There are over 5,000 of us across Canada who volunteer."

For more information, or to sign up to become a volunteer, please call 777-SNOW (7669).

 

If you know a special volunteer who strives to make their community a better place to live, please contact Erin Madden at erinmadden@shaw.ca.