Alpine roster system 2018-19

There has been a lot of discussion behind the scenes with the CSP executive to find the optimal rostering system to meet the CSP commitment at Mount Sima. However, there can be as much talk as we want, the best way to come up with something is to hear from all the alpine patrollers. Your feedback will greatly help in finding a system which will work for most of us.

Options to consider

There are 47 Alpine or Dual patrollers out of which 19 are rookies. Each year, a few patrollers cannot attend the whole season due to unexpected family commitments, injuries or the need to move outside of the territory.

3 Teams

The teams alternate on each weekend day per the table below.

Each team is appointed one team leader to communicate with the team and ensure adequate coverage for the team day. One instructor is appointed to each team while keeping in mind it might be hard for them to be there every team day because of other commitment.

How the 3 team system is scheduled
How the 3 team system is scheduled

4 Teams

The idea with 4 teams is to make the schedule more predictable and consistent. With this system, patrollers know they will be at the hill once every 2 weeks on a specific day, either Saturday or Sunday. Just like the 3 Teams system, each team would have a Team Leader to manage communication and foster team spirit.

Everyone in the team would be expected to come on their their team day. A small number of “unavailable” days would be allowed for emergencies or health related issues without penalty. To meet the 10-days commitment, one would have to patrol on a weekday or holiday.

Considering the number of Alpine patrollers and the irregular work schedule of some, there would be roughly 10 patrollers per team at the start of the season. The number is expected to get slightly lower as the season progresses reaching the maximum of 8 patrollers per day.

SIGNUP AHEAD OF TIME

With this system, the roster would be open and patrollers would signup in advance for the days they want to patrol. They would chose at least 10 patrol days spreading them throughout the season. Each patrol day would be capped to a certain number of volunteers per category (fully certified, rookies, instructors) and only the days when one is signed up for would count toward the commitment. If a patroller cannot make one of their commited day, they are responsible for finding someone to cover for them.

Questions and answers

Contact Red Tim if you have other questions and he will add them to the list.

An alpine patroller is expected to be present for at least 10 days during the season.

To qualify, one must

  • Have registered on the website at least 24 hours ahead of time for a shift
  • Be present for morning briefing and evening sweep
  • Be willing to assist with a variety of tasks at the hill: top hut, small fencing projects, participate in trainings

A minimum of 3-4 patrollers (2 returning patrollers and 1-2 new patrollers) are required on weekends and holidays. The roster should include at most 8 patrollers of any kind.

The team system was reintroduced in 20177-18 following a poll amongst patrollers on how to improve their experience with CSP. One common topic was that people wanted to feel more like they are part of a family. The team system was a great option to build stronger relationships as well as to make sure each shift was fully staffed.

There has been mixed results in regards of the team system. Some teams performed well whereas others encountered issues. The two main issues were divergence in overall patrollers’ availability between the teams and confusion on what was expected of the team leaders.

It really depends on which roster system is chosen. In the case of a 3-team system, each team should have more patrollers than the allowed amount. This means that some patroller could be absent for a team day.

If we opt for the 4 team system,  

The team leader is responsible for regular check-in with team members to ensure the team is functioning well. They are a mentor to new patrollers on the hill and serve as a role model during shadowing. Moreover, the team leader keeps track of the attendance and report any issues to the patrol leader. In the absence of the patrol leader, the Team Leader will coordinate with Pro Patrol to cover the hills needs.

Shadowing is the action of following and assisting a returning patroller throughout the day for learning purposes.

It helps better understand the hill and procedures as well as build confidence in one’s abilities.

Shadowing is required for all rookie patroller as long as they are in training at Mt. Sima. Once they are fully certified with their On Snow checklist, they may start patrolling on their own.

If the Signup ahead of time system is chosen, patrollers will be required to signup in the category corresponding to their current status (Fully certified or in-training) through the Yukon Ski Patrol website.

There will be 2 or 3 windows when shifts will open up during to allow people to signup in the appropriate category after being fully on-snow certified.

Your turn

Thank you for filling this quick questionnaire about your preferences, availability/schedule and if you are interested in providing extra help. It will help us come with the system that suits the most patrollers.

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