During the week, they’re attorneys, architects, contractors, judges and college students. But when they leave their day job, these varied individuals drop their titles and converge for the same common purpose — National Ski Patrol.

Each winter season, roughly 125 of them become the guardians of the Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley. The Ski Patrol members hail from all walks of life, united by their shared fondness of the slopes.

“For the most part, we’re professional people who really love to ski,” says June Ray, the group’s director and a patroller since 1995. Some may recognize Ray from her other job — she serves as the Clerk of Court for Haywood County.

On Ray’s patrol are two cardiologists, an attorney, an architect, a District Court judge, and college and high school students, among others. The gig is strictly volunteer, and members must work a minimum of 80 hours each season. This is a committed bunch — Ray says 80 percent of the patrol is made up of people from the Atlant area. Others come from Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina, as well as in-state.

The training to become a ski patroller is intensive. Several certifications must be obtained, including 75 hours of an Outdoor Emergency Care course. Refresher courses are mandatory each year.

Training is crucial, because patrollers encounter some pretty hairy situations on the slopes. Patrollers are dispatched to fill various roles during a shift. They might be in the patrol room and help skiers and snowboards who walk, or limp, in with injuries. In the patrol room, Ray’s seen someone walk in with a dislocated shoulder, a broken collar bone, and bad cuts on their eyes and legs.

Out on the slopes, a group of ski patrollers wait at the top of the mountain and dispatch assistance when a call comes in. Ray has sent people, and been sent to, some intense scenes. One man had a heart attack while he was skiing. Another time, a ski instructor fell into a diabetic coma. From time to time, the patrol has to call a helicopter to lift a skier from the mountain to the hospital. Usually the patrol pulls the injured party to the bottom of the slope in a toboggan with their own two skis.

“You never know what you’re going to run into,” Ray says.

Ray didn’t have a medical background when she decided to become a patroller. She simply loved to ski, and figured the gig/job would be an exciting way to stay active.

“I stay really active, and I thought it was a good way to get out in the wintertime and just enjoy myself,” she says.

Since then, she says, “I have learned so much.”

There are certain types of injuries Ray has gotten to know well as the most common to afflict skiers and snowboarders. Boot top injuries are frequent, where the boot breaks the bone of the lower leg. Another common one is a broken wrist, which is most common among snowboarders in a fall.

Ray has some tips to help those on the slopes avoid a visit from the Ski Patrol. Always wear gloves and in very cold weather, a hat. Pay attention when you’re getting on the chairlift, making sure shoelaces aren’t loose and jackets are zipped up. Pay attention getting off, too — if you have ski poles, put them both in one hand so you can concentrate on dismounting the lift. And slow down — lots of injuries are linked to going down the mountain too fast.

Though Ski Patrol is a serious commitment, there are definite perks that come with the job. The most obvious is the free, unlimited access to the slopes at Cataloochee — not just for Ski Patrol members, but their families too. Children sometimes follow in their parent”s footsteps, signing on to patrol when they’re old enough. Four members of a family are currently on the Cataloochee patrol.

Ray says her favorite part of the job isn’t the excitement of rescues or even the free skiing. Rather, it’s the people that have kept her coming back.

“The most memorable thing is getting to know so many really neat people and spending time with them,” says Ray.

The group is so tight-knit that patrol members gather each year for a summer picnic at the house of a fellow member, who happens to be the mayor of Marietta, Ga.