Area skiers concerned for safety after Wachusett Mountain Ski Area ends Ranger program
Shaun Sutner | Telegram & Gazette | December 6, 2022
PRINCETON — Wachusett Mountain Ski Area ended its volunteer Ranger program at the start of the ski and snowboard season last month in an unexpected move that could have safety consequences on the mountain’s busy slopes, at least in the short term.
The ski area apparently was forced into ending or suspending the program due to an investigation by the state attorney general’s office into whether treating the Rangers as volunteers violates state labor laws.
A spokeswoman for the AG’s office declined to comment on whether the office is investigating Wachusett.
The case could have national ramifications in the ski industry, where more than 600 ski areas across the country use volunteer ski patrollers under the umbrella of the nonprofit National Ski Patrol, as well as volunteers similar to Rangers.
While a Wachusett spokesman said safety won’t be compromised and the area will take steps to adjust for the absence of Rangers depending on the AG investigation, some skiers fear the worst.
“It’s a bad situation especially for families in the Worcester area with children in ski programs,” said Nancy George of Beverly, a frequent Wachusett skier whose adult children skied there when they were growing up. “If I had kids in programs now, I’d pull them out.”
Wachusett spokesman Chris Stimpson said the ski area won’t allow safety on the slopes to be harmed, but the fate of the investigation will determine whether the Ranger program returns to its previous status.
“The focus for us is safety,” Stimpson said. “Whatever the outcome of the investigation our focus is on safety. We want to continue to provide the services to ensure safety.”
Among Wachusett’s options are adding more patrollers, assigning patrollers to tasks that were performed by Rangers or even paying patrollers, he said.
While Rangers were called volunteers, they, like ski patrollers still do, received unlimited ski passes for themselves and a family member, representing about a $1,600 value.
In Wachusett’s case, the area’s reliance on volunteer ski patrollers appears to be protected by language in its 1981 lease with the state stating:
“The Lessee shall maintain an adequate ski patrol organization. The patrolmen shall meet the qualifications of the National Ski Patrol Association or Professional Ski Patrol Association and may be either paid or volunteer.”
The approximately 50 Wachusett Rangers for many years complemented and worked closely with the also volunteer-staffed ski patrol at Wachusett by alerting the patrol to accidents potentially requiring medical response or emergency transport to the First Aid center.
On a typical weekday night, eight or more Rangers were on duty combing the ski area‘s 26 trails and performing another important aspect of their jobs – enforcing speed and safety rules on the hill.
For that enforcement role, Rangers sometimes took on the reputation as the “cops” of the ski area to the annoyance of some youthful and other skiers and riders.
But they were seen just as much as essential to maintaining order at peak times such as weekday late afternoons and early evenings when many school groups were out night skiing and riding and visibility was less ideal than during the day.
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