OET Senior Evaluation Expectations

What to Expect on Senior Evaluation Day

Components of the Senior Patroller Evaluation:

Regional Advisors typically rotate evaluation locations around their region. RA’s arrange a multitude of logistical details such as planning, lift tickets, and staffing.  It is advisable to send your Senior OET application to the Regional OET Advisor (RA) early in the season to ensure a spot at the evaluation.

The Senior OET Program is broken down into three separate stations for evaluation purposes:

  1. Skiing/Riding skills
  2. Patroller skills
  3. Toboggan skills

For the Skiing/Riding Station, candidates are evaluated on their ability to perform carved short, medium, and long radius turns on varying terrain.

For the Patroller Skills Station, candidates are evaluated on their snowplow, sideslip, and transition skills, as well as equipment carry and ski-ability (often known as crud skiing).

For the Toboggan Handling Station, candidates are evaluated on their skills at loaded toboggan front, loaded toboggan tail rope, and an empty toboggan run.

Training clinics and evaluations are held on “Senior-Rated Terrain” known as “more to most difficult” terrain.

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Senior OET Evaluation Format:

There are two formats which the Regional OET Trainer-Evaluators use to evaluate Senior Candidates:

Senior Patroller Clinic/Evaluation is a two-day event in which Senior Patroller candidates participate in clinics and evaluations. The advantage of this format is that it gives candidates an opportunity for practice and improvement over a two-day span.  It gives the Trainer-Evaluators a longer time for evaluating candidates. This format also reduces the possibility of the candidate being unsuccessful in a station due to “one bad run,” a demo misunderstanding, nervousness, etc.

Senior Patroller Challenge Evaluation is a one-day event in which Senior Patroller candidates are shown demonstrations of the required skills by Regional Trainer-Evaluators then asked to perform the skills for evaluation. This format takes on more of a testing atmosphere, with little time for practice due to time constraints. The challenge format is not for everyone, but if you are competent and confident of your Senior level skills, it can be a rewarding way to achieve the Senior OET level.

...back to Senior Program

Detailed description of the Senior Candidate track

OET Program Organization

…back to the division’s  description of the OET organization

OET Guidelines & Evaluation Manual

Download a copy of this info in the form of a manual