Eastern Division NSP's News Magazine
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Calling All Telemark & Snowboard Patrollers
Join us at the Patroller School dedicated to only Telemark and Snowboard on Saturday and Sunday, February 8-9 at Waterville Valley, NH. What makes this patroller school different from all the others? There are only snowboarders training snowboarders and telemark skiers training telemark skiers. This small event is limited to 20 snowboarders and 20 telemark skiers, assuring a great teacher-to-student ratio.
Nordic/Backcountry Events

Well, the new year kind of wreaked havoc with our snowpack leaving us firm to icy conditions, or no snow at all. But here in the east Mother Nature has a way of correcting herself. Our western regions received a good amount of lake-effect snow. This set us up nicely for Nordic Fest. Our second event at Pike Glades in NH is still in the planning stages and registration should open soon. Patrollerschool.org is the place to find out more information and to register. Our OET staff is putting more emphasis on skate skiing this season. This is the fastest-growing aspect of our sport, and who doesn’t want to look like Jessie Diggins? With trail running becoming so popular in the other seasons, runners have taken to skate skiing to enjoy the winter season and maintain their aerobic fitness.
Senior OET Evaluation Changes
This year the Senior OET Evaluation includes two major updates to the format of the evaluation. The changes aim to make the assessment more relevant and practical, mirroring how these critical patroller skills are used in practice.
Patroller Skills-Blended Skills Run
Moving forward, all Senior Evaluations in the Eastern Division will evaluate patroller skills as a blended skills run, including snowplow, sideslip, moving change in direction (i.e. transition or pivot slip), and a static change in direction in a designated location (i.e., kick turn, wedge and match, jump turn or static 180 for snowboards).
In years past, a Senior Candidate would complete patroller skills separately, performing a snowplow run and a sideslip run. In practice, when a patroller is handling a toboggan they use a BLEND of these skills to achieve a smooth ride for the patient.
Alumni to the Rescue
It can be difficult to find enough volunteers to cover all open ski patrol shifts, even for a small ski area that only requires a few patrollers at a time. When a couple of alumni patrollers approached me last winter to find out whether they could get involved at Otis Ridge Ski Patrol, WMA Region, I explored the possibility with area management and then invited the alumni patrollers to join us.
They quickly became part of the team, jumping in with enthusiasm, and often choose to ski at times when large midweek lesson programs are scheduled, so they’re available to lend a hand. Our alumni promote safety by riding the lift with children who are in group lessons. They’ve become strong ambassadors for our patrol by getting to know some of the pass holders and have started bringing up the idea of ski patrolling with some of them.
Avalanche Courses Available
Hello everyone. Winter is upon us, and the snow has been falling. Thanks to some early-season storms the backcountry is skiing nicely. With that, it is time to think about avalanche safety when venturing into the backcountry. The Eastern Division is running three Level 1 Avalanche classes this season. If you are venturing out into Tuckerman Ravine or getting ready for the Certified program these classes are for you. Our first class is coming up soon, from January 24-26 at Whiteface Mountain in NY. Registration is now open.
Outstanding Awards Deadline Approaching
It’s Eastern Division Outstanding Award nomination season and there are 21 openings to receive those titles. Each “opening” is listed, with a brief list of the requirements, on the Eastern Division webpage under Programs/Awards. Current nomination forms for Outstanding Patroller or Outstanding Patrol must be downloaded from the NSP website. Completed nominations are due to the Division Awards Advisor by March 1.
YAPs Are Heading to Smuggs Again!
The Eastern Division Young Adult Program Staff has been planning, prepping, and preparing for this year’s Eastern Division Young Adult Summit at Smugglers’ Notch. Young Adult Patrollers from Maine to West Virginia will gather at Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Jeffersonville, VT. from March 7 to 10 for three days of hands-on training, competition, friendship, and fun. Smugglers’ Notch Resort has tons of terrain: long turn cruisers, steeps, trees, terrain parks, and Black Hole, the only TRIPLE BLACK DIAMOND in the east. With 2610 feet of vertical rise this is the YAP event to attend. Those who have been to a Young Adult Patroller Summit speak highly of the training and fun they had.
Portrait of a Multi-Faceted Bike Patrol: HoliMont
Bike patrols come in many different forms. Some, for example, serve cross-country mountain bike trails. Others provide medical support for races and festivals; some support lift-served bike parks. The HoliMont Bike Patrol in Ellicottville, NY, which just concluded its second season as a registered NSP bike patrol, works in all three ways. Our bike patrol supports the HoliMont Bike Park and all other summer events. Although we’ve only had two seasons as a registered patrol, we’ve been actively supporting HoliMont for much longer. We started by providing medical/safety support for members who were riding the property’s cross-country mountain bike trails. Next, we found ourselves supporting off-road bike races. Then, HoliMont started offering lift access for mountain biking four years ago.
In Memoriam – Joseph James Mosa
Joseph James Mosa, 96, of the Weatogue section of Simsbury, CT, beloved husband of Jean (Seymour) Mosa died Thursday, December 5, 2024, at his home. He was born March 5, 1928, in Somerville, MA, the son of the late Joseph Anthony Mosa and Frances Mosa, and had lived in Weatogue for over 60 years. Joe was a veteran of the U.S. Army having served in the Korean War.
Joe graduated from Kansas State University with a Master’s degree in Education. He was a teacher, coach, and Athletic Director at Conard High School for the town of West Hartford until his retirement in 1995. Joe was also a member of the Geritol Swingers golf group at Simsbury Farms Golf Course. Most of all Joe had passion for his family.
In Memoriam – Ron Dallago
It’s with a heavy heart and great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our own. Ron “RD” Dallago conducted his final sweep on December 23, 2024. RD joined the Blue Mountain Ski Patrol in 1990 and over the years served in many roles. There are very few patrollers in the Eastern PA Region and Eastern Division of the National Ski Patrol system and even fewer at Blue Mountain Resort that he hasn’t helped in some way. He will be greatly missed by many! Ron, 76, of Northampton, PA, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 23, 2024, at Lehigh Valley Hospital Inpatient Hospice Care in Allentown, PA. Born September 18, 1948, in Allentown, PA, he was the son of the late Norman Dallago and the late Isabelle (Matuskowitz) Dallago.
In Memoriam – Gregg Goldstrohm
Gregg Goldstrohm was many things to many people, son, husband, father, grandfather, orthopedic surgeon, firefighter, lifeguard, gardener, cattle farmer. To the Seven Springs Ski Patrol, he was a ski patroller. A darn good ski patroller. Gregg joined Seven Springs Ski Patrol, Western Appalachian Region, as a candidate in 2000, going alumnus in 2018. He worked the mountain every Saturday and Gregg worked hard. On a busy Saturday, he would continuously ski injured guests to the Patrol Base, never taking a break. Gregg cared for those guests as if they were patients in his own practice.