Change to High Vis Outerwear is Coming / Please Send Size Info by April 2nd

CMSP Change to Black Vest/Parka with Safety Yellow Crosses 

Dear Patrol Family: After consultation with Cascade Management, the Board voted unanimously to make a change in our patrol uniform for reasons outlined below. Our goal is to make the change as efficient and cost effective to our patrollers as possible. Attached to this email is the mock-up of the uniform. At this time we are ordering 

Primary driver: Safety and visibility

The safety yellow with the reflective outline is, according to ANSI standards, the most visible color. Black is the best backdrop color for letting the safety yellow stand out and black parkas or vests are readily available.

Secondary driver: Predictability and Consistency

Over the past three years there have been three different vests/jackets offered by NSP. These offerings vary in style, color, and pricing. While prices are going up everywhere, the costs moving from Patagonia to Mammut have increased substantially. By going with our own uniform, we hope to make the costs more predictable for years to come. Our vendor, Mountain Uniforms, has had fairly consistent pricing for many years.

The varied styles and shades of red offered have lessened a consistent look across the patrol. While each patroller will not wear exactly the same uniform, this look will increase our consistency beyond what is possible with the current uniforms.

Additionally, sizing on the current NSP offered vests and jackets runs small and is limited. The largest size available is XL and one of our patrollers at 5'10"/220 lbs isn't able to comfortably fit into the XL vest. The Mountain Uniforms options run up through XXXL.

In order to keep prices down, Mountain Uniform would like to receive our group order by close of business April 2. Those of you interested in purchasing a vest right away should please send Gretchen Girard an email (ggirard@cascademountain.com) with your size. 

If you're not a patrol vest person, please keep reading: our FAQs should answer your questions. 

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 Some FAQs:

 Question/Issue: Are we going away from NSP?

Answer: No, this is not a move away from NSP. There are other NSP patrols who wear uniforms that aren’t purchased through NSP. The picture in the patrol room is from Big Sky, a NSP patrol. You can still wear your NSP patches on your vest/coat if you want to proudly display our association.

Question/Issue: How much does the vest cost?

Answer: Right now the estimated cost is around $165 for the vest if we order in bulk.

Question/Issue: I love it! How do I order one ASAP?

Answer: Please send Gretchen Girard an email to ggirard@cascademountain.com with your size. Put "Vest Order" in the subject of the email, and she'll be sure to add you to the bulk order. Cascade Mountain will place one large order with Mountain Uniform, and then patrollers will pay Cascade Mountain upon receipt of their vest. 

Question/Issue: Do I have to buy the vest or can I use my buttpack or a backpack? 

Answer: If you're a jacket / pack patroller, you can use or purchase your own black shell/jacket as your outer layer. You will need the large cross on your back and the smaller cross on your chest, and optionally a small cross on an upper arm or lower leg. We will purchase crosses from Mountain Uniform to provide to patrollers.

Question/Issue: Does my coat have to be black?

Answer: Yes, along with the black vest, your coat will need to be black. If you forgo the vest and just wear a coat, it will need to be black and have the crosses mentioned above.

Question/Issue: Does it have to be this exact vest?

Answer: No. The vest does have to be black and it does need the crosses, however, if you found a black vest you like better, that’s OK. By offering this as a group buy we are getting a discount. If you want to purchase a different black vest and pay to have the crosses added (see our note about potential cross offerings), you can do so.

Question/Issue: I just bought a new jacket/vest! 

Answer: We know that this will be the case for many patrollers, but if we keep putting off a change for this reason, change will never happen. We fully intend to work with other area patrols to help broker the sale of any Cascade patrollers’ red jacket or vest. 

Question/Issue: Do I have to do this now? 

Answer: No, we will have three seasons to fully transition.

Question/Issue: Money's tight! 

Answer: Cascade will purchase some vests for patrollers to rent for approximately $55 a season. You can also rent to own. If that is still a barrier, please ask Gretchen or PR Brian Small about ways to obtain a vest for free. 

Question/Issue: Do I need to change my helmet/does it have to be black?

                Answer: No, you can still rock whatever helmet you have.

Question/Issue: If you do this, I’m leaving CMSP.

Answer: We hope you don’t! Cascade does truly appreciate and value all our amazing volunteers. While we understand change is hard, it is also inevitable. One of our goals of this change is to reduce future needs for change in ensuring we have a consistent look that isn’t impacted by vendor changes at the National level, while also increasing visibility.

Question/Issue: I think this makes us less visible, red is easy to see, black isn’t.

Answer: The high visibility crosses and reflective bordering on these vests make them more visible in low light. Don’t take our word, google “is red visible at night.” You will find, “No, red is generally considered the least visible color at night, meaning it is the hardest to see in low-light conditions due to how our eyes function in darkness; when light is dim, our eyes primarily rely on rod cells which are less sensitive to red wavelengths of light.”

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According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, being struck by vehicles is a leading cause of fatal injuries among first responders. We have seen this season that Ski Patrol is not immune to collisions with skier traffic. There is no way of knowing if these collisions had anything to do with visibility, but isn't not knowing reason enough to make the move to this standard? Studies show that the use of high-visibility clothing can reduce accident rates by up to 47% in roadside emergencies. The Board believes we should be out front on this issue and not wait for NSP to eventually make a change.

At the end of the day, Cascade Mountain wants a high functioning and highly effective Ski Patrol that is using best practices within the industry. Cascade also benefits when its ski patrol looks cohesive and as professional as possible. Cascade Mountain Ski Patrol has a high standard and is a leader in the Region. We believe this step is a continuation of that tradition.

Very Respectfully,

Dick, Gretchen, Brian, and the CMSP Board