Be The Beast: Patroller Kim Laughlin
Kim Laughlin’s career at The Beast began some seven years ago at the Killington Grand Hotel Spa and Fitness Center. After two years, she jumped at the opportunity to move into the Ski Patrol First Aid room.
“I have a medical background, so this was much more fitting and fulfilling for me. The spa was fun, but I wasn't using my skills there. My first year here I tried working for patrol, but they weren't hiring anyone for the first aid room, and I wasn't interested in working on the hill. I'm more of an intermediate snowboarder, so I’m much more comfortable in the first aid room.”
Originally from Chicopee, Mass, Kim went to college and originally trained to be a certified nurse’s assistant.
“I did that for a couple years with geriatric patients and then I became a registered medical assistant, and I worked at a pediatric office. So, one extreme to the next. It was great working with kids.”
After a while though, she needed a break, so she quit her job and hit the road on a six-month long road trip. After all that soul searching, she decided she didn’t want to return to a doctor’s office.
“I ended up doing farming in the summer and then worked at Killington in the winters and eventually transitioned to ski patrol, where they trained us in outdoor emergency care.”
Her days in the K-1 Base Lodge first aid room start by getting things ready.
“We have lead packs that usually need to be made. They are filled with blankets and splints and slings, so we get all those ready for patrol to use. We make sure all of our supplies are stocked.”
Once everything is ready, her day is spent administering first aid.
“People are walking in injured or ill and patrol is rescuing people on hill and then bringing them into the room, as well. There's a lot of triage going on. Splinting, reassuring, giving good advice for the guest who's injured.”
Kim says there’s a lot she loves about her job.
“Every day is new. I meet a lot of guests. Even though they may be having a bad day, the majority of the people are very friendly and nice. I like to get to know them. I really love the people I work with. We're very close. We're like a family and the environment here working on the slopes is just a ton of fun.”
But, she cautions it can take a strong stomach sometimes.
“This job will make you stronger. It's good knowing that you can handle a high stress situation. Sometimes we don't know if we can handle that until we're actually in the moment. And we do see some kind of gross stuff. You see a lot of blood and vomit and weird looking limbs after injury, so you kinda need to have a bit of a stomach for it.”
As for being a woman in a male dominated profession, Kim says it doesn’t really bother her, though she would love to see more women involved.
“The men here do not make me feel like I'm not equipped for the job. I even have some in the male patrollers telling me that I could be pulling sleds. I'm saying, ‘no, no, no,’ but they tell me, ‘yes, yes!’ Especially the higher-ups. They may give me a duty that I feel like I can't do, but they have full trust that I am capable of the job.”
She said she’s seen women come and go over her tenure at Killington and many of them have grown a lot in the role.
“It seems like some women—not all—that come here on patrol may feel a little timid with how many men there are. They may be more timid with their own skills and rescuing somebody who's heavy, but once they go through training, it seems to really boost their confidence. And it just takes time. Like anything else, male or female, it takes time to just get used to this role.”
Overall, she wouldn’t trade her job for anything.
“I've heard other people say this before about ski patrol it's the best job they've ever had, and I can confirm that's true. It is the best job I've ever had and even if I had all the money I ever needed, and never needed to work a day, I would still be doing this.”