It’s been a family affair for a long time.

If you should see their last name on the ski patrol list on any given weekend at Blue Mountain Resort, it might be any one or more of five members of the Seremula family who volunteer their time there. Joe Sr., his wife, Diane, and their children: Courtney, Michael, and Joe Jr. have a combined 111 years of experience managing slope safety at the resort since 1984.

“We didn’t plan to have everyone involved,” said Joe, who recently retired after 30 years working for a company that manufactures pipe connectors and is now in his 39th year on the ski patrol. “It’s just happened that way and of course we’re very happy and proud that it did.”

The Seremula family dynamic has revolved around the winter sport ever since Joe and Diane met and took a trip to ski in Aspen in 1986. Courtney and Michael became patrollers to fulfill high school graduation projects at Northern Lehigh.

Joe Jr., a three-sport athlete at the school, didn’t complete his training until after he graduated college. Currently all five family members hold ski patrol titles that range from Patrol Leader to Treasurer to Hill Captain.

Fun plus responsibility

For five members of the Slatington family to get to become patrollers, they first have to love to ski and that began at early ages for all of them. Joe Sr. started skiing in high school. Diane began when she was 4 years old. Courtney first skied wearing a safety harness when she was 18 months old as did Michael and Joe Jr. at the age of two.

“I wanted to become a ski patroller when I was only 4 because I wanted to wear the cool uniform and the fanny pack they had,” Diane said with a laugh.

Of course, the duties and responsibilities of ski patrols that require certification and ongoing training are significant to ensuring the safety of everyone who comes to enjoy the sport at Blue Mountain. Patrollers begin their day with slope inspections that are scheduled 45 minutes before the resort opens at 8 a.m. and they are the last ones down the hills at closing.

“We check for hazards, unnatural drop offs, rocks or tree branches that might have fallen onto the trails during the night,” said Diane, a registered nurse by trade. “We make sure the snow guns that produce the artificial snow are pointed away from the trails.”

“We also inspect the chair lifts for unusual noises so that they are in good working order,” said Joe Sr.

Once the resort opens, the ski patrol building at the top of the mountain becomes a first aid center. With radio communication, patrollers report any injuries so that immediate locations are identified and medical attention can be promptly given.

All patrollers are CPR certified and are first responders to anyone in need of medical attention on the slopes.

“We make no diagnosis of an injury,” said Joe. “Our job is to get them to the bottom of the mountain where we get them further help if necessary. An injured skier is transported by means of a toboggan that is manned by a driver in the front and a breaker in the back.”

Ready for anything

The eyes of the ski patroller are always vigilant to uncommon behaviors that might occur on the slopes.

“We look for skiers who are going too fast and might run somebody over,” said Joe Sr. “Sometimes a novice skier is at the top of an advanced trail and appears to be too afraid to go down the hill so we take them to the bottom. Then there might be someone who’s behavior indicates he’s had too much to drink so we will remove him because he could be a danger to himself and to others.”

Occasionally, state police have been called to the resort when a theft has been reported or an uncooperative skier has been identified.

“We’re just trying to make sure everyone has fun and behaves safely on the lifts and on the trails,” Joe Sr. said.

Courtney (Seremula) Follweiler, a mother of three young children, recalled one unfortunate fall from a young boy who needed urgent attention.

“He had broken his leg and his foot was turned in the opposite direction from where it should have been,” she said. “I simply turned it back to where it belonged and he immediately felt better. You don’t have time to think about how gruesome an injury might be. You just react with an Adrenalin rush.”

Her brother, Joe Jr., preparing for the title of Hill Captain in 2024, gave an account of an incident that happened several weeks ago.

“We heard someone screaming for help and we found an 18-year-old boy with a completely fractured shin bone so we called for the toboggan right away,” he said. “It was hard to keep our footing at the location because the slope was so steep, but we managed to get him to the bottom of the hill after calling for an ambulance. We gave him oxygen to calm his breathing because he was so stressed. It took about 20 minutes before he was taken to the hospital.”

Passing the torch

Michael Seremula completes the family ski patrol tree for now and, like his brother, is training to become a weekend Hill Captain. When asked what they like most about ski patrolling at Blue Mountain, Joe Jr. enjoys the family atmosphere and since Diane often works on many Sundays, she said, “If you can’t make it to church, all you have to do is look at God’s creation of this beautiful mountain covered in snow.”

The end of the Seremula family generations of ski patrolling is nowhere in sight. “We got our grandkids skiing now, too,” said Joe Sr. with a laugh.