Ski/Snowboard Skills Assessment Criteria

Mount Washington volunteer ski patrol members are expected to ski at “strong intermediate” level or higher. A strong intermediate level is defined as: 

• Balanced over the middle of the ski at all times.

• Maintaining a strong parallel stance on all but double black runs, bumps, and ungroomed snow.

• Able to ski quickly and in control at all times on all marked runs, regardless of skiing surface. Well within comfort zone on all marked runs.

• Able to ski comfortably and safely and in control in trees and on ungroomed snow of black diamond steepness.

• Comfortable in bumps at all levels of difficulty.

It is important to note that being ‘comfortable’, ‘in control’ and ‘within comfort zone’ do not imply that the skier must ski parallel all the time. A strong basic swing (stem christie) is an excellent method of dealing with steep, icy or otherwise difficult terrain and is not necessarily a sign of a weak or nervous skier.

Considering this, the patroller should ask themselves the question, not whether they themselves can ski a particular slope but would they be happy assisting a member of the public who had got into difficulties on a particular slope?