Experience as a scoutmaster and first aid instructor led Charles to volunteer for membership in the Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol in 1955. He and fellow patrolman Raymond E. "Bud" Law earned the Purple Merit Star for saving a skier's life. He went on to become president of the National Ski Patrol (1962-1968) and to serve on the boards of the United States Ski Association and Professional Ski Instructors of America.

Charles designed the original uniform ski trail marking signs (the square, circle, triangle, and diamond) and also drafted the original wording of the National Skiers Courtesy Code.

In 1970, the National Ski Patrol System established the Charles W. Schobinger National Administrative Award and granted him lifetime membership when the Patrol celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1988.