Seasonal Ski Patroller
Ski resorts nationwide (independent and corporate)
Pays you
$19–$22/hr
Aggregator data puts US ski patrol around $20.46/hr average with most between $20.19 and $21.88; EMT-designated patrol roles average about $20.78 with a wider $16.35-$22.12 band — treat as approximate rather than verified employer figures. THE DEDUCTION QUESTION IS THE WHOLE STORY IN SKI TOWNS. Where an employer offers subsidized staff housing it is typically deducted from pay at a fixed rate; where it does not, market rent in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming resort towns will consume most of a patroller's wage, and a $22/hr job with no housing nets far less than an $18/hr job with a bed included. A season pass is included everywhere and is a genuine several-thousand-dollar in-kind benefit. Overtime exists on storm days but the season is short. Not reliably sourceable and entirely dependent on whether the resort provides housing. Ask for the housing deduction figure before comparing two offers on hourly rate.
$600–$2,500 upfront to start
Winter-season patrolling — medical response, hazard marking, avalanche mitigation — at a ski area, requiring EMT or Outdoor Emergency Care certification obtained before you are hired. It pays noticeably better than other resort-season roles but has a real credential barrier.
- Term
- 4 mo–6 mo
- Housing
- Not provided
- Airfare
- Not covered
- Selectivity
- Selective
- Age
- 18+
- Citizenship
- Any citizenship
Deadlines
- 2027-28 winter seasonopensRolling / no fixed deadline
Patrol hiring runs roughly August through October for a late-November start, earlier than general resort hiring because certifications must be verified. Because OEC and EMT courses take a full semester, a candidate needs to start the certification about a year before the season they want to work.
Verified 8/26/2026 · www.nsp.org