Water, Snow, and Fire: The Elements of Kathy’s Journey-(Part 3:3) What Happens When Recognition Meets Humility on the Mountain?

When someone dedicates decades to emergency services, the impact ripples outward in ways they may never fully witness. Kathy's story exemplifies this powerful truth as she shares her remarkable journey through the National Ski Patrol system. We continue with Kathy in Part 3...

The PNWD History Project:  Shirley Cummings, the official history project coordinator, (& all around fabulous lady), has been on a mission: Collect and assemble an archive of stories and pictures from the different ski patrols within the Pacific Northwest Division. Hence, Patroller Chats was born! 

Chapters

• 1:58 Kathy's Remarkable Awards and Recognition
• 7:50 Burnout, Retention and Patrol Longevity
• 16:49 Service and Safety: The NSP Creed
• 21:12 Assessing Accident Patterns on the Mountain
• 23:52 Reuniting After 21 Years: A Life Saved

Transcript

Jodie: 0:59

Kathy, we're going to morph into another section. Not only have you been in the ski patrol system for a few decades here and been able to see so much. Let's give some kudos to yourself. And no one that I know of goes into the ski patrol saying I want to get an award. That's not why we're here in any sense or fashion, but dang it. Recognition needs recognition and you have put an amazing amount of time and different things. You have just a few awards underneath your belt and you probably deserve 100 more, but let's talk about them a little bit, if you don't mind. You have, first off, what is your national appointment number?

Kathy Alexander: 1:45

7907.

Jodie: 1:47

And this is something that Murphy and I keep forgetting to tell people because we get laughing so hard because we're like oh so there is this sort of common thing and I don't know if it's just PNWD or if this is everywhere in the NSP system but it is sort of the unwritten rule If you have a national appointment or a leadership accommodation award, that if you don't speak up your number right off, then you owe a beverage of choice to the person that has challenged you for this. So we have gotten one.

Kathy Alexander: 2:19

So so far we still, we still do that, we still do that, and I know a couple of ski patrollers that have actually written their number on the back of a glove.

Jodie: 2:32

No.

Kathy Alexander: 2:32

So that when somebody asks them, they just look down and go there it is.

Jodie: 2:37

That's actually a smart idea, yeah, because they never remember and you don't have to say something like that and it. But it is a very, very coveted it's award, it's very, and you received that in what year?

Kathy Alexander: 2:53

Nineteen, ninety four.

Jodie: 2:54

Nineteen, ninety four, and you had only so. You were a go getter from the very start of going into the ski patrol, and that is awesome. That is an amazing work. Tell us a little bit about some into the ski patrol, and that is awesome. That is an amazing work. Tell us a little bit about some of the other ones.

Kathy Alexander: 3:07

Well, that was the first award I got and I was the first paid patroller and the first female on the Mount Boucher patrols, because in those days the paid and volunteer were one patrol and I was very, very honored. And I remember it was at the Sun River Resort at our spring banquet, and they started talking about this person and I went oh okay, they've done a lot of stuff. It wasn't until they called my name that I realized it was me. And they still go through that tradition, like we do at the PNW Division Convention. You line up according to your numbers and then you get congratulated all the way down the line of your new number.

Kathy Alexander: 3:48

I was very, very honored. I remember calling my mom and crying. I just got you know and my family knew I was into all this outdoor stuff. But you know, until you actually you know I told my mom first, until you actually you know I told my mom first that same year. Well, the next year I was recognized nationally as the gold medal star for instructor, national Instructor of the Year, and then I got at Arapahoe Basin at a National Instructor Convention and it was for instructor of anything. Now, you know, some divisions now have they recognize the OEC instructor and an overall instructor. This was just from the nation and that was an honor, and also to get it in front of people from all over the nation was a very, very honor and actually I got another gold medal star and it was the National Pro-Patroller of the Year 95 and 96.

Kathy Alexander: 4:50

Wow, yeah. And my next star and I can't remember what I got this for. I have to go back through records I did get a yellow merit star in 1998. So I remember people. You know there's one who says, oh, I have three or four stars, and I said, well, I have three.

Jodie: 5:13

But you don't just have three stars, kathy, you have gold merit stars. Now, gold merit stars are the top. You can't go any higher than a gold star, and that is. You have won outside the whole, all the nation, as all the divisions, and that's an awesome honor, awesome honor. You got an MSA Meritorious Service Award.

Kathy Alexander: 5:42

Yes, and that was in 19, 2016 I keep, I keep looking 2016, and I also got the patrol across. What was that? And that was that was in 16 as well, from saniyam pass, and that was the year I had breast cancer. Oh and yeah, that's right. Yeah, so I was in and out of patrolling just because of my surgeries.

Jodie: 6:06

That's amazing.

Kathy Alexander: 6:08

Yeah, so that was the patrol across. The one award that I recently was awarded in 23 meant an awful lot because the National Ski Patrol in the Pacific Northwest Division I don't remember them giving out very many of these and I remember a few people in our patrol and around the division. They're given at the convention so they're recognized by everybody in our division was the Distinguished Service Award.

Jodie: 6:36

Yes.

Kathy Alexander: 6:37

In 2023.

Jodie: 6:39

I remember that. That, oh, what an honor. That is amazing.

Kathy Alexander: 6:44

And sitting at the table with two people that received that honor and they were starting to read all the accomplishments and they didn't say she or he, it was just this patroller, this patroller. And they got down the list and they kept talking and talking and somebody at the table looked at me and said is that you? And I said, oh, they've done the same thing I have. And then they called my name. So I was very never.

Kathy Alexander: 7:09

And that's what's so interesting about all these you never expect a badge. And I call it a badge because some people want they do things, because they want a badge Right and they want to look good. And this is I've never done that. To be honored like this and receive an award for something that to me, it's like it's part of the job. And you hate to say, like when people say thank you for doing that, and I go, oh, it's just the job, it isn't just the job, it's the service, it's your giving back and honoring and teaching and doing things. And that's why I take a look at all these honors and it is a tremendous honor to receive all these awards and be recognized.

Jodie: 7:51

Absolutely. You know it is something and get in here a little closer. This is something that is so true, whether you say it's, whether it's the badge, it's, it's the award. Like we have said, no one goes. Ninety nine percent of the people don't go in saying that they want a badge, they want to get this or want to get that, and it brings back the whole thing of of what the NSP Creed, national Ski Patrol's Creed of 1938 is service and safety. National Ski Patrol's creed of 1938 is service and safety.

Jodie: 8:28

And it is so nice that you, like you said, we have all these amazing opportunities to be able to, to also learn new things, but also return it and share it with new people, et cetera, and also different places, and and you learn how one place works, a different, and it's it's that back and forth of giving and it's the wonderful part of being a volunteer and it's just, it's amazing. Speaking of volunteer, what would you, if you had thoughts of new people coming in? I'm going to I'm actually breaking this down into you have any thoughts, words of wisdom, pearls for a new person considering joining the patrol or getting started, or maybe midway, that now that you can say OK, I've sat here for a few years and been able to sort of see changes, pros and cons et cetera. But what would you offer on various stages of entering NSP?

Kathy Alexander: 9:22

I think I would first find out what their goals are Good point and what they expect from Ski Patrol. What do they expect If they're coming up to Hoodoo? And they've skied there since they were six years old and they've always looked up to Ski Patrol and they thought this is cool, I wear a jacket, I get to ride a snowmobile, I can pull a sled, I get to ride a snowmobile, I can pull a sled Just to find out. You know why they chose Ski Patrol to be a service organization that they'd like to join, and what do they expect to get out of it? Do they want more education? Do they just want a season pass for their family to ski for free? And then, depending on what they ask, to let them know.

Kathy Alexander: 10:09

We just don't go up on those bluebird days. It could be raining, it could be dumping, it could be a whiteout, and we're expected it's your duty day and we're expected to be out there. The public are out there skiing in the same conditions we are. So sometimes they think, oh well, I've only been up there on the nice days and not realize. You know, or not realize whoa this first aid class is. How many chapters in our books, online reading. How much hands-on do I need to do? What is my research? Do I have to go to that refresher every year? I take my CPR skills every year. I have to show an instructor every year.

Kathy Alexander: 10:52

So the expectations. I think that's what I think a new person, or even midway, because they may have been interviewed and said oh yes, we'd like to have you on our patrol and start taking the OEC class or ski with us for 10 days and see what you like and everything. But I think to find out and let them know this is what it entails. And yes, there are many days. Yes, we are a family. Yes, we check up on each other. Yes, we have some fun days. You know, I want to incorporate the Saturday night potlucks and do a theme thing to encourage more people to either stay or contribute and then go home early. You know that kind of thing. So there is some fun time. It's not all pulling sleds and going out there in the ugly weather.

Jodie: 11:41

We do have some fun times too. That's awesome. What about encouraging people to stick around now that they've had that training? Let's say they're sort of where some people call a seven-year itch or going. Well, I'm not sure Do I still want what would be some?

Kathy Alexander: 12:00

thoughts or your own thoughts on that. I think what they'd have to do is take a look at their home life. They might be single, they might have family, they might have kids, little kids, and the wife doesn't like being home every weekend while you go out skiing because she thinks you're just skiing and having fun. She doesn't realize that you're working and jobs. People tend to stay on a job so many years and move on. Not too many people get that gold chain watch after 50 years of being in a company, so people are more mobile. But I think to encourage them that if you do leave because you have to move or you're going to grad school or whatever, that there are ski areas in that new area and if you want to continue your ski patrol career, I call it, go in and check it out.

Kathy Alexander: 12:54

And then there are people that just have burnout. But they do burnout regardless of where they are. And then health-wise, you know, at Baxter I had many people when they weren't the medical field wasn't too giving new knees. When people needed them 30 and 40 years ago they kind of were crippled and used two ski poles just to walk down the street and get in and out of their car Now with medical stuff. They have a new hip and they're skiing the next year.

Jodie: 13:24

Yep.

Kathy Alexander: 13:25

A knee replacement in 2007 and I'm still skiing. So medical advances make it kind of nice for people to age and still be able to do stuff and then maybe now with the alumni, encourage them to stay in for alumni. And some alumni are still pretty active with their patrol. They may not go up on duty days but if they're an instructor they still help out, maybe OEC refreshers or when they're doing OET training or maybe they're teaching in an avalanche class. So some folks kind of go away fully and other people are still involved somehow.

Jodie: 14:33

Right, and it doesn't mean that people can't turn around and come back, you know, take a break and then maybe coming back and seeing what's happening or, like you said, with different life changes, et cetera. But something that we ask of everybody and this is near and dear to my heart and obviously it's going to be for you but when you hear the word, I should say, when you hear this phrase, what does it sort of mean to you in the past? Or NSPs at and coming into the future? And that is our creed of 1938 service and safety. How have you seen that sort of change over the years and any thoughts on that?

Kathy Alexander: 15:15

I haven't seen it change much because we're still serving the skiing public or year-round there's some year-round resorts with bike patrols and stuff and the safety aspect has always been there. If I'm not safe and I feel uncomfortable I have refused to get on a chairlift one day because the weather at the top was so bad and people couldn't see and as the risk manager I made a comment and said I think this chair should shut down because I don't feel safe and if I'm not safe, I'm not serving the public safely.

Jodie: 15:57

Right.

Kathy Alexander: 15:58

I think with our safety programs we came out with the skiers code of responsibility. It's changed recently, always made it known to folks. It's always, I think, it ticket windows. It's posted so people are aware of it, whether they read it or not. If they still get some tickets, have responsibility code on the back. Teach it in the ski classes.

Kathy Alexander: 16:24

I love writing lists. At Hoodoo Ski Area Kids ride with me. There's preteens and they want to know. They think it is so cool to ride with a ski patroller and I always talk. I'm not the ski patroller who looks straight ahead and ignores people on the lift. If they want to talk, I'll talk to them. So when kids say to me and I go okay, here's a question for you. You're skiing and somebody falls right in front of you, what do you do? And the kids go, oh well, I try to stop or I go around them. They're the downhill person, you don't have eyes in back of their head, so you need to stop or you run them over. Then you might get hurt too. So I always like to talk, you know, on the to people or in the lodge with safety programs.

Jodie: 17:16

Yeah, and you and I are totally 100% on this. It is so valuable of taking that opportunity on a chairlift and you know it's just pointing out, hey, do you see that guy? What would you do? And it's like you said, they respect, they look up. And here is an opportunity.

Jodie: 17:34

You talk about recruitment, retention, instill into a young man's, a young woman's thought processes, one of safety. Two, you never know, they may ever want to continue on into the youth adult program of ski patrol, or we in the PNWD have spy listed as, but it's also just, it's, it's helping someone and you don't want other people to get injured. You had mentioned in fact, that brought back another question I had. You had said that there was, you know, a lot of cases where you were like 25 in a day or whatever so many, or you had to get the sled back up. Do you think that it was different ways of equipment skiing or how people were going faster, any thoughts of, or just new people? This is something that actually, from COVID was mentioned, that you had. When COVID you had a lot of brand new people getting out to ski so they could get out and so you had different injuries and stuff like that. But going back in the time where you mentioned about Mount Bachelor, any thoughts of maybe why things were as busy, or or?

Kathy Alexander: 18:43

not, I think it was numbers. On the Hill, when you have 11,000 skiers and a day and 10 got hurt, that's a small percent, right? I did as risk manager to um charts of. So many were beginners, they were on beginner runs and these were the injuries they, you know, were they on rentals? Were they on their own equipment or borrowed equipment, which is, yeah, we don't see much of that anymore, but every now and then. Oh yeah, he just had it in his garage and I don't have to pay for rentals. I just use these 49 year old skis with these old boots, year old skis with these old boots. But I think it's numbers. And when a small ski area, I remember a couple of days this year we went woohoo, we didn't have any accidents, nobody even walked inside for a bandaid. This is a good day.

Kathy Alexander: 19:43

Now somebody might've gone home with a twisted knee and thought I don't want ski patrol. I got myself down, I'm just going to go home, put some ice on it, take some ibuprofen and I'll be fine. So there are going to be a percentage of people that we don't see, but for the most part, people realize that, being a safety rescue organization as well, you don't I've convinced people to come in a sled. If you fall again, you may hurt the other knee. Now you have two bum knees. Or I had somebody who insisted on skiing down with a dislocated shoulder and she got halfway down and looked at me and said I can't do this, I'm hurting too much. Yeah, I can put it in a sling and put you in a sled and get you down a lot faster. You know we call for the ambulance so you can get pain meds and go to the hospital and have this reduced. So I think the numbers are going to depend on your area.

Kathy Alexander: 20:33

If you have a lot of accidents and you're a very small area, then you tend to wonder what's causing this. Is it, you know, like we have a train park? If everybody's getting hurt on the same jump and five or six people got hurt, do we close that off for now, not let anybody else use it? They can use the rest of the park. Then we take a look at it. Do we need to redesign this? Do we need to chop it down with a groomer at night and start all over, or just eliminate this totally? You have to take a look at the analysis of what's going on with accidents and then decide you know, if we had thousands of accidents a day, then you go. My goodness, you know what's going on here. Something's going on and they're all getting hurt on the same, you know run. Well, maybe we need to close this one.

Jodie: 21:24

Yep, well, I got to tell you, kathy, this has been such a pleasure and an honor to be able to talk to you and learn so much more. I mean there's a lot that I didn't realize that we were just total parallel with et cetera and different experiences, but oh my goodness, all this other stuff. It has just been amazing and I so appreciate your dedication to National Ski Patrol, the fire department, the lifeguarding. I mean you have got your community of service beyond after working, et cetera. I just it has been a privilege and an honor to know you and work side by side with you and I can't thank you enough for sharing the history of so much and this has really helped. I really really appreciate it.

Kathy Alexander: 22:14

And thank you. Same to you. I just have one thing to add. I don't know if you wanted to use this, but oh, no, you go right ahead.

Kathy Alexander: 22:22

A few months ago, probably in late March, people started coming up to me. My neighbor across the street came up to me and said somebody's looking for you on Facebook and I said, well, I don't do Facebook, I don't do Instagram, you know, and that I'm private, you know. As I said, I don't boast about my accomplishments. It makes me feel good, but you know. And so the guy across the street said this and he showed me a picture of me in an American Red Cross newsletter being honored as a hero for saving somebody's life. And I thought, well, I've been on many scenes where people don't make it. I've been on many scenes which we did make a difference in their lives by taking care of them soon, and didn't have much information on how to get back in touch with this young guy. And I went online and found out. Originally he was from the west side of the mountains 21 years ago and he was injured the day before he was 15 years old. He was in the snow park, turing Park, on a snowboard and he got hurt and he wasn't feeling very good and that night he had skipped school. His parents were in California, so he skipped school on Thursday and Friday and a 16 year old drove him to Lapine where they knew another guy because they were on the wrestling team together and they stayed at his house, went skiing at bachelor on Friday His parents don't know where he is he ski and then on Saturday he goes up with them. So he didn't feel good that morning so he said I'm not going out. There was a teen room. We gave this room to the teens where they could have their own space and not bother the rest of the community in the ski area and we were supposed to check on them from time to time. So I went in and I saw this bundle of clothes and said, hey, underneath there, are you okay? And he said no, I keep passing out whenever I sit up. So I said okay, well, tell me what happened, are you hurt? And he showed me his side. So on his left side he had big bruise on his ribs and told me he had fallen the day before and I thought, okay, he's internally bleeding. This is not good. He had fallen the day before and I thought, okay, he's internally bleeding, this is not good. Called the patrol, which was next door in another building, had first aid gear brought over, oxygen, et cetera at a backboard, called for a helicopter, took his blood pressure and went okay, for a 15-year-old kid, this is not good. I knew that he needed to be in the hospital and he went down by helicopter. I found out that his parents were in California. He didn't know cell phones 21 years ago so we couldn't call parents and he didn't know what his grandmother's last name was. So we found it and called them.

Kathy Alexander: 25:16

I went to visit him in the hospital on Saturday night, after I flew him, and Sunday, because his parents didn't show up till Monday and he was alone in ICU and they decided that his spleen was bleeding but encapsulated. It was so swollen. It was not bleeding internally but it was giving him low blood pressure. He had mononucleosis, which is why his spleen was swollen from wrestling. They're on that mat together sweating and whatever, and his mother called Red Cross and said I want to honor her somehow. So I was honored that spring at a breakfast and given a little plaque.

Kathy Alexander: 25:54

So 21 years later I see he's trying to get in touch with me. So I went online and found out he lives two towns away from me. So I called his business because he didn't have his home phone and they said oh, he just sold the HVAC business to us in January. He doesn't work here anymore. And this was April. I said will you tell? If you hear from him? Tell him I need to get in touch with him. He's looking for me. I get a text message from him. He came to my house with his fiance. Now he has three children. She has three children. It's the Grady bunch. And he came to my house and we talked a little bit and then he arranged for Central Oregon Daily, a local TV station, to come out to Prineville and meet the two of us and do a story on us.

Kathy Alexander: 26:44

I have cried because a lot of times I would say most of the time in my career I never get a follow-up like this and to get a person who is now 36 years old. He spent eight years in the Navy trying to find himself. He had his own HVAC business. He's got three kids. Now he's a single parent raising them alone, has a fiance. They're getting married soon. I'll be there.

Kathy Alexander: 27:12

That is so cool, yeah, so I text him every week to find out how he's doing. He hadn't seen his mother and father in six years. They didn't like what he was doing in his home life and his divorce and he invited them over on Mother's Day and Father's Day from the Valley and they are now back together too. I encouraged it. I said you know it's short life. He and I have a connection now and I so appreciate him. It's kind of like having a son. I don't have kids. I have dogs. Yeah, it's something with ski patrol. You never expect this, that 21 years later somebody searches for you to say thank you and you don't want to say to him it was my job, you know it's life. And to have a young person then go through for 21 years and now decide that he wants to find me to say thank you, it's, yeah, pretty amazing.

Jodie: 28:14

Oh, that is so amazing, kathy. I mean it is so wonderful to have that. It's so wonderful to have that, like you said, number one 90% of the people we have no clue what's happened, how they're doing any better. But I mean you directly, with your training, your expertise, you got him the needed treatment right away and, as you said, look, you definitely made an impact in his life. I mean you go above and beyond the call of duty. You're being with him when there's no one else is there.

Jodie: 28:55

I, I, that is that is awe inspiring. I mean it is such a comfort in the heart. I just, oh, you got to take those good feels and, like you said, people don't do it for the other part, but it is so nice to be able to have that experience. I mean to know, and then, look, I mean you stay in touch and that is just oh, wow, that is just so cool. Yeah, oh, kathy, thank you so much, but that is. I totally thank you for bringing that up, because I totally forgot about that part and that is a definite need to have that.

Kathy Alexander: 29:35

Well, it's just like the man who was in cardiac arrest in the Audubon, that's right, him and his wife show up three weeks later and to have everybody gathered who was on that scene and say thank you. That man knew that if things weren't done immediately which they were and get him to the right place, even though Life Flight was going to be in in 44 minutes, when I heard that when I'm at landing, I went holy shit, we can't do CPR for 44 minutes. But then Cam Sherman, my sisters, were there to start the cardiac drugs. But then he woke up before the helicopter landed. It was just well, yeah.

Jodie: 30:20

That's rare.

Kathy Alexander: 30:21

Yeah, it is because I've done CPR many times, and half the times they don't walk out of the hospital. They don't, they don't live enough to get to the hospital.

Jodie: 30:31

Yeah, that is a high majority, unfortunately, so but, thank you. Oh, no, thank you, and it has been a pleasure talking to us and we'll see you at the next time for Patroller Chats.