Windham Mountain Renames Chairlift To Honor Ski Patroller Ronald Baker

Windham Mountain will rename the “Wheelchair Double” chairlift to “Baker Lift” to commemorate the life of Ronald Baker, a full-time ski patroller who passed away on September 4th, 2020, succumbing to multiple organ failure after a hard fought battle with prostate cancer. Ron joined the Ski Patrol program in 1994 and became an Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) instructor in 1998, eventually taking over the entire training program at Windham Mountain shortly thereafter.

After earning his master’s degree in education from Plattsburgh State University, Ron became a high school social studies teacher at Shaker High School, in Latham, NY. In 1974, he began volunteering for his hometown Fire Department in Colonie, New York, which eventually led to him serving as Deputy Director of EMS until retirement. His lifelong dedication to both education and medical service led to his unique teaching style at Windham Mountain that demanded perfection and attention to detail. Responsible for training all the patrollers, he developed men and women into lifesavers for over 20 years at Windham Mountain.

“He was a wealth of knowledge. He expected the best out of you, nothing less” said Maggie Brabazon, Ski Patrol Director, continuing to say, “he was passionate about training patrollers and made sure that everyone was ready for any situation.”

Ron was a staple within the Windham Mountain community, not only for his on-mountain services, but for his larger-than-life personality as well. He was as much a teacher and mentor as he was a best friend to his colleagues and played a significant role in developing Windham Mountain’s OEC training program for patrollers.

Just two and a half hours north of New York City, Windham Mountain is a place to get lost and found again, to find stunning adventure close to home, and to be reminded of how good it feels to be alive with family and friends in the fresh air. Boasting 285 skiable acres across 54 trails serviced by 11 lifts, the Resort offers six terrain parks, an award-winning snowsports school, lodging, on-mountain dining, an Adventure Park, a full-service spa, and much more.