You need to be a strong intermediate or advanced skier. Patrol work puts you in all conditions, all terrain, sometimes dragging a toboggan that weighs roughly the same as a small car. If you’re not confident on steep runs and variable snow, you’ll spend the whole course catching up instead of learning the actual patrol skills. If you’re not at that level yet, no problem. The nine or thirteen week options include instructor training first, which will get your skiing where it needs to be before the patrol modules start. It’s like doing pre-season fitness before the match, not during it.