Tech on the Slopes: PLU computer science students create a scheduling app for White Pass ski patrollers
Image: Students Andrew Lee and Stacie Spahr design an app that helps White Pass Ski Patrol stay ready for action, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, at PLU. (PLU Photo / Sy Bean)
By Britt Board
Assistant Director of Communication
For years, White Pass Ski Patrol volunteers juggled schedules with paper spreadsheets and manual tracking – until a team of students helped create a solution.
“We needed something more efficient, something that actually worked for us,” said Chuck Caley, a longtime ski patroller and project collaborator. As part of PLU summer program, students developed the White Pass Ski Patrol Scheduler, an app now used by nearly 160 volunteers to coordinate shifts, track participation, and streamline operations.
The project was led by PLU students Stacie Spahr ’25 and Andrew Lee ’26, alongside high school students Boen Liu and Brent Hu. PLU Professor Jeff Caley and industry professionals Andy Caley and Anastasia Bidne guided the students. Their combined efforts resulted in an efficient tool that simplifies scheduling and enhances administrative tracking.
“These projects function like part-time internships,” Jeff Caley explained. “They had the opportunity to apply their software engineering skills to a real-world problem, developing a product that over 100 people are now using.”
Overcoming development challenges
Creating an app that met the ski patrol’s needs proved to be a challenging yet rewarding process. Andrew Lee, a junior studying computer science and applied mathematics, explained, “The biggest challenge was replicating their existing pen-and-paper system in a digital format. Their business logic was quite complex, and it really showed when working on the check-in and sign-up systems.”
Computer science major Stacie Spahr, another lead developer on the project, emphasized the teamwork that made problem-solving possible. Despite the challenges, Spahr found the process deeply rewarding. “Seeing the app in action after all our hard work was incredibly satisfying,” Spahr said. “It’s one thing to build something in a classroom, but another to create something that people will actually use.”
Andy Caley, one of the project’s industry mentors, highlighted the impact of seeing the students’ work come to life. “As the summer progressed, we started bringing in ski patrol members to do live user tests with our application. Seeing the satisfaction of the students as they watched their hard work being used in real-world scenarios was so satisfying,” Caley shared.
A transformational tool for ski patrol
The need for a digital solution was clear to Chuck Caley, a longtime White Pass Ski Patrol volunteer. His son, Professor Jeff Caley, saw an opportunity to turn that need into a hands-on learning experience for his students.
“The app is way more efficient because it allows each volunteer to pick and choose what days they wish to patrol while also ensuring coverage is distributed appropriately,” Chuck Caley explained.
Beyond scheduling, the app also provides an administrative advantage. “It tallies how many days each patroller is on the mountain and helps the administration track participation. Overall, it makes data analysis easier,” Chuck Caley said.
The White Pass Ski Patrol Scheduler has also helped ease the transition from manual to digital processes, even among those less familiar with technology. “Some patrol members were resistant to replacing their old system,” Lee noted. “The app needed to be good enough to win them over. We were all committed to making that happen.”
This was a great opportunity to learn to work in a professional environment with a team. PLU offers such a supportive environment, and that is what makes it so great here.
Learning by doing
For the students involved, the experience has been invaluable. Lee appreciated the mentorship and practical learning opportunity. “A lot of credit goes to Professor Caley – he actively creates opportunities for students to gain valuable experience, and I’ve always appreciated that.”
Spahr echoed those sentiments, “This was a great opportunity to learn to work in a professional environment with a team. PLU offers such a supportive environment, and that is what makes it so great here.”