Brundage Patrol Director Janna Allen has been named Pro Division Women’s Program Supervisor by the National Ski Patrol organization based in Lakewood, Colorado. 

The primary mission of the program is female-focused recruitment and retention. The aim is to mentor women in the NSP, increase participation in instructor roles and encourage women to progress further up the leadership chain in what has traditionally been a male-dominated profession. 

While female participation has been growing, in 2020 just 23% of volunteer and professional patrollers nationally were women. For the same year, 42% of the pro patroller positions at Brundage were held by women. 

New recruits Harrison Koontz and Sarah Moran say the better male/female ratio on the Brundage Mountain Patrol is part of what attracted them to the Brundage team. In addition to being a rafting, backpacking and ice climbing guide, Harrison has worked for many years as a patroller at China Peak, in California.

“Things there were definitely male-dominated, and I watched women have a hard time rising up. I’ve seen the positive impact a diverse team can have on the rescue dynamic and seeing that opportunity is more equal here was definitely a factor,” says Koontz.

“For me, being able to relate female-to-female and having women to look up to is important,” added Moran, who is also an outdoor guide and patroller. “Seeing a female patrol director and learning how involved women are all through Brundage made a big difference.”

Although there is still work to do to close the gap, Brundage Mountain has been ahead of the curve in elevating women to patrol leadership positions. Prior to Allen’s appointment, Peggy Bryan served as patrol director from 1991 until her retirement in 2019. Back when Bryan took on this lead role, it was extremely rare for women patrollers to be hired in the position of director. Learn more about Bryan’s role

The NSP Women’s Program has volunteer representatives from each of the 7 NSP divisions around the country, and one position (Allen’s) that represents the career professional patrol women. 

Allen was appointed to the position by Drew Kneeland, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Patrol Director/NSP Pro Division Director. The position was previously held by Kolina Coe, Assistant Patrol Director at Northstar at Tahoe. 

Allen accepted the appointment because there is an opportunity and need to connect with women around the country who have chosen patrolling as their career.

“The women’s program is about supporting each other whether a woman is a volunteer or a professional. Obviously, things like toboggan clinics are amazing, but I’d like to dig a little deeper into the needs of women in the pro division. I want to learn about the reasons they chose to be a pro patroller, and what programs we can put in place to recruit and retain these amazing professional rescuers through the many phases of their lives,” says Allen. 

“As a resort, it’s exciting for us to see Brundage Mountain be engaged and involved with Ski Patrol at the national level,” says Brundage Mountain General Manager, Ken Rider.

“As Brundage Mountain looks to create a sustainable and successful future, it’s important that all skilled and qualified employees have a seat at the table. Brundage is a place where our leaders are promoted and acknowledged for their skills,” adds Rider. 

Brundage Mountain is proud to be a member of the National Ski Patrol organization. A new volunteer unit was created this year volunteer members of the Brundage Mountain Patrol work under Brundage management in conjunction with the paid patrollers who are also members of the NSP.