Location for Dispatchers

Title: Location for Dispatchers

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

The informant is Benjamin Cape. He is 21 years old. He is from Seattle, Washington. He attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. He is currently a sophomore or a ‘22. He studies computer science. He joined Ski Patrol his freshmen year after a lengthy application process and enjoys his time on the patrol.

Contextual Data:

This piece of slang is used when a patroller gets on the lift to keep the other members of the patrol, specifically the dispatchers who are in the cabin, constantly informed of his location.

Item:

One piece of ski patrol slang is a saying of the structure “X Y by Z.” The X represents which lift they are on. You would use the first initial of the manufacturer of the lift. There are two lifts, so they typically use a “C” to represent the manufacturer of the large lift. Y represents which number tower they are at, as skiers pass several towers as they travel up the mountain on the lift. The by Z represents the number of patrollers on that chair of the lift. If a patroller says “C 4 by 2” it means that there are two patrollers passing tower 4 while on the lift made by the manufacturer whose first initial starts with a C.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript:

“As patrollers we have to always be in touch with each other and know where everyone is on the mountain so we have a few different…we have like a bunch of different…um…code words that we use for when we are getting on the chairlift and we’re heading up so the people on dispatch can always know where we are. It’s more of a safety thing but…like the manufactures of the lift, I don’t remember the name of the manufacturer of the lift, but we will say like C 2 by 2 and the C that we say corresponds to the first initial of the name of the lift brand. So C 2 by 2 would be like 2 people (by 2 is 2 people) on the second tower. So you could say C 4 by 2 or C 6 by 2 to just keep everyone posted.”

Informant’s Comments:

“I would assume similar types of codes are used at other mountains, but these are the ones we have always used here. It is a safety thing. We always have to know where everyone is, and to let the dispatchers know that we are currently on the lift, so we cannot easily go out to help someone at the moment.”

Collector’s Comments:

I agree with the informant that the language that has developed within the patrol has the purpose of facilitating constant and efficient communication to aid in dispatching while on the mountain. I do think that this very specific slang holds another purpose which is to create community within the patrol. This type of slang is unintelligible to anyone who is not on the patrol. The average skier on the skiway would not know what “C 2 by 2” means, and I think that having a language only the patrollers understand reinforces bonding among the group. It sets them apart from others, which reinforces the sense of community among their group. Furthermore, ski patrol is notorious for being one of the most difficult clubs to join on Dartmouth’s campus. They have an extensive application process that lasts several terms. It is very competitive to be accepted onto Ski Patrol, so I think that having Ski Patrol specific language helps to reinforce the special nature of the group and create exclusivity to outsiders. We can connect this to the idea of a folk group. Folk groups are groups of people who share one common factor as well as have traditions/jokes/rituals. Having a unique “language” supports the idea that the patrol is a folk group set apart from other members of the Dartmouth community.

Collector’s Name: Rachel Mashal

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive