A group of ski-patrol students has been based at Treble Cone skifield this week for a pre-season training camp, practising their emergency procedures and mountain first-aid skills.
The Tai Poutini Polytechnic students were undertaking a course of study as part of a ski patrol programme run by the Mountain Education Centre of New Zealand, programme tutor Karen Boserio said.
As part of a field trip to Treble Cone this week, students had practised their chairlift evacuation techniques, Ms Boserio said.
"The programme covers all areas of ski patrol and avalanche safety. This type of pre-season practice is essential groundwork for when the snow comes," she said.
Preparing for a variety of first-aid scenarios on the mountain and working closely with Treble Cone's patrol staff was a valuable learning experience for the students, she said.
The students were learning to identify the hazards that ski patrol would manage, before the snow arrived.
Basing the students on the mountain also taught them how to identify skifield terrain that might be at risk from avalanches, Ms Boserio said.
The students would next undertake four- to five-week work placements at ski areas around the country.
