Teammate to Know: Sharon Geroulo

Sharon Geroulo, a business connect advisor, channels her love of skiing into life-saving efforts as a volunteer ski patroller at a ski resort in Pennsylvania.

Why it matters: Ski patrollers are crucial for mountain and slope safety, providing emergency care and rescue assistance.

• According to the national ski patrol, the member organization that provides education and safety training, more than 30,000 members are certified to cover most ski resorts and backcountry areas in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.

 The thrill of the job: Sharon, a patroller for over 16 years, completed a yearlong training and passed a test to earn her credentials.

• She serves during the resort’s ski season from November through March.
• She and other volunteers work night and weekend shifts, encountering challenges like securing injured skiers and reacting to accidents every eight minutes in one shift.
• Sharon once found and saved a young lost skier using her mobile phone light.

Ski along with Sharon to learn the details of her amazing stories and discover why helping someone on their worst day embodies what a champion mindset is all about.

 (Note her answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.)

What inspired you to volunteer as a ski patroller?

I’ve been skiing since I was 10 years old and just love the sport. I had a friend on ski patrol who encouraged me to try out.

Can you elaborate on what was involved in the tryouts and training?

Becoming a ski patroller takes about 12 months. You start with a ski ride along where you accompany a ski patroller to demonstrate your skiing ability. Once you pass, you shadow a current patroller for two shifts to see what the job is like and to help them decide if you're a good fit. After clearing these steps, you're invited to become a "candidate," spending six months in classroom training on outdoor emergency care, meeting twice weekly. Following this, you must complete both written and practical exams. If you pass, you'll begin ski training, which includes learning how to handle a toboggan which is a long, flat sleigh that ski patrols use to evacuate the injured.

You then take a toboggan test, and upon passing, you officially become a ski patroller. 

Ski patrollers are certified in:

• Outdoor emergency care
• Toboggan handling and rescue skills
• Mountain safety and risk management
• Lift evacuation and rescue

We are also all CPR certified. All of these are annual recertifications we must complete.

You’ve been serving for over 16 years. What keeps you passionate about this role year after year? 

The people! Patrollers are selfless, steady, humble, kind and fun. Working alongside them year after year feels like family.  Serving as a ski patroller  carries responsibility, tradition, and heart. I don’t take that lightly.  As long as I’m able, I’ll keep showing up.

Have you noticed any changes over the years of what types of incidents you’ve run to the rescue to assist with?

People ski too fast and get injured. Medical care has evolved significantly since I first joined patrol. In the past, I observed that we’d put almost every patient on a backboard, whereas today its use is much more selective. I’ve noticed that even something like a broken collarbone is treated very differently now than it was years ago. 

Have you noticed any changes in skiing or mountain culture over the years?

Equipment has improved, which means speed has increased!  I’ve seen that skiers and snowboarders want free terrain and the ability to ski and snowboard in the woods and off trail which raises risk and potential harm. I believe the sport has grown in popularity, which increases crowds and injuries.

Can you share one or two memorable rescue or recovery stories that stand out to you?

First, a 10-year-old boy coming off the lift fell and landed on the side of a snowboard. He complained of pain so he got transported to a first aid area. After applying gentle pressure on his abdomen, I noticed it felt tight or hard where his liver was located. He also complained of sharp pain, so we called the emergency responders that provide a higher level of care. They upgraded him to helicopter transport because he lacerated his liver. Had we not responded quickly, he possibly would have died. His father called the resort to thank us for saving his son’s life.

A second story that comes to mind is a few years ago while I was conducting a final sweep to ensure all patrons were cleared off the mountain, I heard “something”, so I stopped and listened. I heard this voice, replied, and looked over the embankment. I didn’t see anything because it was dark but then I heard this voice again saying, ‘Help! Help’. I took out my phone flashlight, and I saw the very tip of a snowboard sticking out of the snow. It took us about an hour to evacuate the boy. He came down too fast filming on his phone which went flying as he went right over the edge into the woods! He had a broken leg but was fine overall. If I missed him and no one was looking for him, he could have been out there in the snow for hours and gotten frostbite or worse. 

What should skiers and snowboarders do if they get into an accident?

I encourage season pass holders at the resort I volunteer for to put the ski patrol number in their cellphone so if they are injured, they can call us.  If you are not a regular and get injured, I advise people to stop any passerby and tell them “I need help! Get ski patrol!” We are all over the mountain so we can be reached.

"When you live your purpose through service to others, you quietly raise the standards for everyone around you."
- Sharon Geroulo

How can they help you as a volunteer patroller?

Safety is a partnership. When an injured patron stays calm, visible on slope, honest and cooperative, ski patrol can respond quicker, provide better medical care and keep the patron and patroller safe.   

What do you do for work at Truist?

As a business connect advisor, I’m a virtual business banker who helps clients find suitable financial solutions, builds lasting relationships, manages complex needs and collaborates across the bank to deliver products and services.

What is your personal purpose?

My personal purpose is to connect to something higher than myself; concern myself with being the best person I can be for myself, my family, and others; and to be guided by thoughts and actions that are kind and in my best interest, and the best interest of others.

How does your personal purpose connect with your volunteerism and our champion mindset culture?  

A champion mindset isn’t about winning; it’s about consistency over comfort, responsibility over rewards and recognition, and doing the right thing when no one is watching.  When you live your purpose through service to others, you don’t just help others, you quietly raise the standards for everyone around you.

On the lighter side:

What is a little-known talent that you have?

I play the piano.

If you could travel anywhere in the world for inspiration, where would you go?

 

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef