On Saturday, I had the honor and privilege to ski with the Windham Mountain Safety Patrol. It was great fun, and very educational.
Oftentimes, we take for granted signage, safety and all the things the Safety Patrol takes care of just for us. Did you know that the Ski & Safety Patrollers are volunteers? They are.
These men and women are up on the mountain at 7am, opening trails, making sure things are marked, and taped off. They check for exposed pipes and cover them, tape off closed trails, and make sure everything is safe.
It's pretty easy to take what they do for 
granted. Until now, I never really noticed how many Safety Patrollers are out there, making sure we're having a great day.
I got to go out on a few rounds with with Gene and Herb, checking the slopes, keeping kids out of the woods and making sure signage is in place.
Later that morning, I spent some time with Mary Ann and Rena, helping people get off the D Lift. With so many beginners learning to use the lift, we were pretty busy picking people up, 
helping people reconnect with their lost skis, and handing out gift certificates for free lessons, 15% off safety gear, free hot chocolate and other gifts to do-gooders and newbies in need.
I gotta say, what a great bunch of people! Why do they volunteer? Because they love the sport, they care about helping people and want to help take care of the mountain. Pretty cool and very noble. So the next time you see them out there in their red jackets, keeping us safe, say THANK YOU! They are out there for you.
