3/2/14 to 3/8/14 – There is a certain special trip ski patroller’s can work to experience and it is called an ‘exchange.’  The basic idea is that one ski area will trade two of its patrollers with another ski area’s patrollers for a few days.  As a visiting patroller your goal is to keep up (on the hill and apres ski…), work as hard as they’ll let you, and ski as hard as you can.  The awesome opportunity of these exchanges is that visiting patrollers get to ski some of the best terrain in great conditions with awesome guides for relatively cheap.  Also, you have to party… a whole lot…

Trevor and I got the unbelievable opportunity to exchange with the young and legendary Revelstoke patrol.  This HUGE mountain opened its doors in 2007 and has been causing stirs within the industry ever since.  Its simplistic 4 lift system accesses a staggering 5,600′ of skiing and thins (non-existent) crowds faster than one can imagine.  The patrol of this mountain was cherry-picked from surrounding BC and Alberta ski areas and is both young and proud of the mountain they call home.

Beyond that, the Canadians know how to party… and did not let us off with a casual exchange where well-slept skiers cruised groomers and mellow powder fields.  Instead, they offered up daily avalanche mitigation work, nightly partying or activities (such as ice hockey), and even a day of heli-skiing with Selkirk-Tangiers!  The exchange was a week I’ll never forget and the boys up there are characters who I would love to see and ski with again!  Here are a few photos from the trip (note: too much great skiing to slow down and take good ski photos)… Enjoy!