One of the most important things a Ski Patroller will do is transport a patient from the scene of the accident to the aid room using a toboggan. This is known as Outdoor Emergency Transportation (OET). While initially intimidating, especially the first time one looks down the top pitch of one our double black diamond runs with a loaded toboggan, once mastered it is one of the funnest things a ski patroller will do (Ed - in the opinion of our chief OET Instructor!). Training takes place over 7 or 8 consecutive Saturdays and is pretty fast paced. We try to maximize the time each trainee gets to run the toboggan. We start out with basic skiing going through short, medium, and long radius turns; and then snow plowing, side slipping, and doing the falling leaf. Each of these have a specific use for a ski patroller. We then get to work with the toboggans starting with free running and then transporting other trainees. After about 3 weeks of gradually increasing difficulty, we move to the double black diamond runs (known as out fab four) where we spend the rest of the sessions perfecting the technic of finessing the toboggan through the moguls at a safe and steady pace. Then we test each trainee on both skiing ability and toboggan skills. Once one passes, they are now an Alpine Patroller.