How to Survive a Holiday Fling by Isabel Jolie

Author:Isabel Jolie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Isabel Jolie

nineteen

Kate

May 21

* * *

Matt Marrero, the expert Bill Woodland connected me with, hops on his snowmobile, guns the engine, and grins as he offers a friendly, “Hop on.”

Matt’s forty-three years old and has been a patroller for an astounding fifteen years. If he didn’t wear his age like a badge of pride, I’d assume he was in his early thirties. There’s some gray sprouting through his thick dark beard, and I noticed on the drive out to the backcountry the lines along the corners of his eyes are deep. But his selection of blaring alternative bands, the tattoos on his fingers, and his near-constant smile and bounce set him solidly in the realm of twenty-something snowboarder.

On the ride out to the backcountry, I learn he’s a divorced father of two, and given his abundant youthfulness and zeal, it’s an unexpected reveal. He’s what I imagine an older version of Hudson will be like—an energetic kid trapped in an adult body.

Yesterday, we got a late-season dump. Matt called and said he was going out to Togwotee Pass and asked if I wanted to join him. Said there are some steep inclines I’m not familiar with that will be good practice. Said he’d get in the toboggan and let me have a go at assessing the situation and figuring out how to best get a patient—Matt, in this case—down to the base.

The snowmobile engine, combined with my piggyback position, makes conversation difficult, so I hold on to Matt’s waist and revel in the fresh snow. Winter Storm Wyatt provided a late-season burst of winter that delivered one last fantastic dump. Reports said as much as five feet of snow dropped in parts of the Tetons, but in Jackson, we received closer to a foot.

The clean air bears a tingling mix of fresh snow and pine. Tree limbs bow down, heavy with the weight of late-season snow. The temps will rise as the day progresses, and that snow will drip, eventually forming rivulets below the draining snowpack.

When I asked Matt what his favorite part of being a patroller was, he beamed. “Hands down, the awareness runs.”

That’s what I imagine will be my favorite part, too. Many people think of ski patrol as the folks who scout the mountain searching for speeders. But it’s so much more. They’re like the firefighters on the mountain. They have to be prepared for all emergencies. And when an emergency occurs, whether it’s a dangler from the ski lift or an injury in an almost impossible-to-reach location, they have to respond quickly. In a place like Jackson, where temperatures can easily exacerbate shock symptoms, life-saving care may depend on speed.

Saving a life can be stressful. But the awareness run is part of the prevention. Early in the morning, before the run is open, patrollers check for hazards. This includes some boring duties, like checking signs and fencing. Of course, checking fencing reminds me of Oliver checking his fence.

Oliver likes the solitary ride around his property, scouting for potential dangers to his herd.

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