by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Jan 25, 2026 | Division News, National News
I attended the annual face-to-face meeting of the National Board/Division Director/National Program Directors in Denver, January 23 and 24. The Board had a full agenda that included election of the National Chair. After two years of outstanding leadership, Rich Pietrafesa chose not to run for a third term. The Board elected Myron Allen as our new National Chair. Rich was just elected to a second three-year term and will continue to serve on the Board.
When you see Rich, who patrols at Labrador in the Central New York Region, please thank him for helping NSP successfully navigate through some very challenging times. Myron joined NSP in 1995, the same year that I did. He patrols at Medicine Bow Nordic in Wyoming, and he is a Nordic Master #012. I have full confidence that Myron will lead the NSP with our best interests in mind. Congratulations Myron!
I am writing this while preparing to travel from Denver, after leaving the meeting early in an attempt to get home before a massive winter storm hits the East and several others in the meeting are doing the same. Hopefully this storm will bring good news to our ski areas, but first we will need to deal with intense cold, high winds, power outages, and challenging travel!
Please see other announcements that include the YAP Summit (and scholarships), and the Nordic/Backcountry Patroller School at Pike Glades, NH.
Stay warm, have fun, and enjoy every day!
by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Dec 22, 2025 | Division News
Winter arrived early this year – unlike last year! Lots of good snowmaking weather and some help from Mother Nature, so most of us have already been out on snow. OEC courses and refreshers were successfully delivered throughout the Division, and feedback on this year’s refresher content was overwhelmingly positive. Certified Boot Camp at Ski Roundtop (EPA), Advanced Patroller School at Swain (GV), AMN Instructor Refresher at Pike Glades (NH), multiple MTR courses, “Snowbound 2025” (Boston Ski Show), and the Division OET Staff Conference at Killington (SVT) were delivered and well received. Many thanks to everyone who made these possible!
National Board election turnout was up from last year’s, and all four candidates recommended by the Division won seats. Congratulations to Shelley Urben, Sharon Friedel, Rich Pietrafesa and Bill Cline! It’s never too early to look ahead to next year’s election, which will have five National Board seats to fill. If you’re interested, I recommend attending National Board meetings by Zoom on a regular basis; most are open to any member, and you can find the schedule and login information on the National website.
As we start a new season on snow, let’s pause to reflect on how we interact with our teammates, area management, and resort guests. Treating everyone with kindness, dignity, and respect wins the day every time—especially when that might seem undeserved or the heat of the moment might send us in a different direction. We can make a positive difference every day, even when we’re not providing first aid or transportation.
Have a happy, joyous, and safe holiday season! Hope to see you somewhere on snow soon!
by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Oct 23, 2025 | Division News, Spotlight Articles
Webster’s dictionary says a receipt is, “a writing acknowledging the receiving of goods or money.” The first item in the Eastern Division Expense Reimbursement Policy says, “Receipts for expense, including meals, lodging, travel and miscellaneous expenses, must accompany all reimbursement request. The receipts must show the items purchased.” We need receipts since we are accountable for how we spend member funds. Simple, at least so far…
Every receipt should include four elements that answer these questions:
1. What? (say what was purchased)
2. When? (when it was purchased)
3. How much? (dollar amount spent)
4. Who? (who bought it)
If any of these items are missing, reimbursement can be problematic or at least delayed. So, it’s best to check any receipt to make sure these items are covered – and do that before you leave the point of sale, since there’s no better time to get any missing information than while you are still with the person who issued the receipt. A credit card receipt is not sufficient because it usually doesn’t show what was purchased. Taking a picture with your smartphone is an easy way to preserve the receipt.
One other thought: if the item is unusual, a few words of explanation on the reimbursement request form will go a long way towards a timely and successful outcome. Simple!
by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Sep 13, 2025 | Division News
Earlier this month I instructed at a local OEC Instructor Refresher – something I’ve done in September for many years, but this one was particularly memorable.
To start the day, I was honored to present the Eastern Division and National Outstanding Alumni Awards to Roberta Fox, whose 50+ years of NSP service, and decades of leadership as an OEC Instructor, Instructor Trainer, and Senior OEC Trainer/Evaluator are legendary. Roberta continued in all these roles as an Alumni member without skipping a beat and received a Purple Merit Star for saving a life – proving the immense value of our skills and experience even when no longer actively patrolling.
Roberta and I share a special connection because 31 years ago I was lucky enough to be one of the candidates in the first OEC course she led as the Instructor of Record. At the time, I had no idea how fortunate I was to have had such an outstanding instructor!
L-R: ENY RD Jim Marco, EDiv Dir. Grant Fullman, Roberta Fox
Throughout the rest of the day, I had the additional privilege to work with a 15-year-old YAP Candidate named Ben, who served as a patient at our lower extremity injury station. Ben was packaged with various traction splints and backboarded at least ten times during the refresher – always with a smile and definitely learning from each cycle!
Roberta and Ben give us confidence in what we can accomplish in the NSP, and how bright our future can be if we seize the opportunities.
OEC Refresher Season and 7th Edition Textbook
This year’s Cycle C OEC refresher has been very well received. Don’t expect to fly through the online refresher modules at the last minute, as they are rich in content and professionally delivered. Work on OEC 7th Edition is underway by a National team, with a Spring 2027 target launch.
NSP National Board Elections
Six candidates from the Eastern, Central, and Pacific Northwest Divisions including our National Chair, Rich Pietrafesa (running for his second 3-year term), are running for four National Board of Directors seats this year. Please look for links to online candidate forums on September 22 and October 5; both sessions will be recorded, so you can view them at your convenience if you miss the live show.
Most of all, please make sure you vote in the election. Voting runs from October 15 until December 1, and we need a strong turnout to ensure we are well represented on the National Board. If you would like some advice on this, please ask your Region Director (or me) as the Eastern Division Board plans to endorse a slate of recommended candidates after the forums are complete.
Have a wonderful fall season. There’s a chill in the air and some of the trees are already in full fall colors here in North Creek! Miss Kitty is looking ahead to her big time, so let’s do the same and be ready when the snow flies! Enjoy every day!
by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Jul 4, 2025 | Division News, Spotlight Articles
Although the run-up to winter is probably the last thing on our minds during July heat, each passing day is a little bit shorter, and this will continue until mid-December. I’ve been back driving the car the past four weeks, after ten weeks of “home confinement” following injury in March and ankle surgery on April 1. With lots of physical therapy, I’m seeing slow progress toward where I’ll need to be when the snow flies. Getting my swollen right foot back into a ski boot might remain the biggest challenge
We often hear the term “patrol family,” but I doubt many of us ever fully grasp the concept until we see it in action. The commitment of that “family” was positively proven during my confinement since I couldn’t drive and my wife hasn’t driven in years due to low vision. Patrollers brought me to doctor’s appointments and to the hospital for surgery.
Patrollers brought us home-cooked meals, picked up our mail at the post office, hauled our trash, checked our other house 90 miles away, delivered groceries that we ordered online, replaced the dead battery in our car, helped take the plow off my truck, picked up milk at the local convenience store, and just stopped to visit and help us keep our sanity. Some traveled 50 to 100 miles each way, just to get to our house in North Creek so they could help us out, and then covered the same distance on their way home. And some did this repeatedly after a long day’s work.
Many more just called to check on us and wish us well. I’ve done my best to thank them, but the debt will never be fully repaid – and I suppose that’s just how it goes with “family” such as this! You all have my eternal gratitude!
July 1 marks the beginning of a new fiscal year for NSP and the Eastern Division. Every patrol will need to complete a Form 990 and submit these to their Region Treasurer by July 15 for the fiscal year just ended. And, every Region Treasurer will need to forward a consolidated Region 990 to Dallas Coffman, our Division Treasurer, by August 1. Dallas sent an email to the Region Treasurers with further details on June 29; please help get this done on time, so Dallas won’t have to ask your RD (or me) to chase after you!
July is also when program activities for the coming year start to pick up. OEC refresher materials are now available from National for OEC instructors, beginning the refresher process that will take us through the fall. Certified Boot Camp is coming to Ski Roundtop in the EPA Region in August, and the Enhanced Patroller School will be at Swain in the Genesee Valley Region in September. Please check the Eastern Division calendar and don’t wait too long, since these events fill up fast!
Stay strong and enjoy every day!
by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Jun 5, 2025 | Division News
May came to the Adirondacks, and we all know what that means: bug season! June arrived, and spring skiing is done, but there’s biking, rafting, hiking, and yard work a-plenty! Unfortunately for me, none of those are on my list of possibilities as I continue to recover from a late March on-duty injury – still confined to our basement in North Creek, with no weight bearing and no driving!
Our leadership team showcased their accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities at the annual Spring Officers’ Meeting in Albany, the first weekend in May. We reconnected with old friends and made some new ones, had lively discussions about important issues, and had some fun, including a reunion of the previous four Eastern Division Directors (John Kane, Cal Goldsmith, John Shipman, Rick Hamlin). I only wish I could have been in the group photo with them!
Many thanks to Kate Tornese, Nancy Mayberry, Orest Ohar, and Chuck Dunn for their efforts to make the SOM very successful. Kate and Nancy ensured the venue was ready and delivered our event as planned. Orest applied considerable technological resources to every aspect of the meeting. This was key to my ability to attend most phases remotely by Zoom. Chuck Dunn became our Assistant Division Director in early April, replacing Carl Chaplin, who served with dedication and distinction until terming out on March 31. Chuck chaired the in-person meetings, while I joined via Zoom. I doubt that any new ADD has ever worked harder in their first month on the job!
Every year brings changes on the National Board, and this election cycle will fill four seats. Four current Board members are from the Eastern Division; three have terms ending this year, and two are terming out (Paul Kelly and Bob Scarlett). National Board Chair Rich Pietrafesa has done an outstanding job and will be running for re-election. Division Directors Mike Schons (Central) and Shelley Urben (Pacific Northwest) are running this year, and I invited them to join us at the SOM so we could get to know them better.
During the SOM, Sharon Freidel and Bill Cline also announced plans to run for the National Board. I am encouraged to see so many highly qualified candidates this early in the election cycle, given that the filing deadline has passed. The best candidates will represent the interests of all members, regardless of their origin, but we need to increase voter participation. Last election cycle, the Eastern Division had just under 10% voter turnout; we can and must do better, and you’ll hear more on that in the months ahead.
Please don’t think of summer as the “off season.” Yes, most of us will be off the snow – but bike patrol is “on,” and this is also a great time to have fun improving and maintaining our fitness for the next on-snow season. I’m looking forward to my doctor’s clearance to bear weight, lots of physical therapy, walking, and driving a car again!
Enjoy every day!
Grant
by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Apr 15, 2025 | Division News
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” I didn’t want to start my report with a quote from Charles Dickens, but there’s much truth there.
I believe the ski season, now winding down, embodied “the best of times” in many ways. Good snow and snowmaking weather in many regions, and abundant natural snow in a few, including to the south. Our outstanding Eastern Division teams delivered programs as planned. These included six Patroller Schools with 335 participants and 77 instructors, 14 Women’s Clinics, over 75 Safety events, the Young Adult Patroller Summit at Smugglers’ Notch with 83 YAPs and 78 adult chaperones, and the annual Certified Weekend at Jay Peak. Hearty congrats to our four new Certified members.
In addition, our Safety team and Historian coordinated many special events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the 10th Mountain Division’s assault on Riva Ridge. The division has over 20 new Instructor Development Instructors in process who will be key to future course delivery in all disciplines. And there was much more—too extensive for me to list here. Hopefully, you will see more program-specific articles in Trail Sweep in the months ahead.
I attended a face-to-face National Board and DD meeting in Denver in late January. Rich Pietrafesa was re-elected as National Chair for another year. I consider it great news for all of us. Rich has been a great voice of reason and stability, exactly what we need in these turbulent times. The National Board recently approved a policy to have an annual increase of National dues of 2.5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is greater. National dues will increase by 2.9% next year based on the CPI. Although no one wants a dues increase, this approach should help avoid big increases like in the past two years, while addressing the realities of an inflationary economy and the financial challenges faced by the NSP.
If you haven’t heard, March was a tough month for me. My wife and I had COVID in early March, and the timing kept me from attending the YAP Summit. A couple of weeks later, I had an on-duty/off-skis slip and fall while walking out of our mid-mountain patrol building. I wound up with a fractured ankle and fibula and had surgery on April 1 (no April fool here!). I am confined to our home in North Creek and can’t bear weight on my right leg. And no one can drive in our household, since it’s my right foot and my wife has low vision and can’t drive. So, I will be doing many things “virtually” until I regain some mobility! Here’s my private duty nurse, Miss Kitty, checking me out and making sure I’m comfortable.
Let’s celebrate our collective achievements this ski season – and there were many! And please be careful out there; bad things can happen in a heartbeat. Thanks for all you do!.
by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Dec 18, 2024 | Division News
Winter should be upon us by now, but you couldn’t prove it by what’s falling from the sky today in North Creek. I’m not a fan of “liquid snow” – at least not when we’re trying to open more terrain. Keep the faith; colder weather is coming soon! This has been a very busy fall season for many of us. OEC courses and refreshers, MTR courses, “Snowbound” (aka the Boston Ski Show), appearances at Warren Miller screenings, and, most recently, the Division OET Conference at Killington December 6-8. Many thanks to every member and their friends and family who helped staff these events; your dedication and exceptional efforts made them possible!
NSP National Board elections closed in December. Eastern Division leadership recommended four candidates and all four won seats on the National Board. A proposal to allow Mountain Hosts to vote in future elections was also passed. I’m waiting for National to provide voter turnout statistics, but I expect the numbers will again be lower than desired. If you didn’t vote, please try harder next year since every vote matters.
Are you ready to patrol? There’s no time like now to get ready. Last time I said a few words about physical conditioning. This time let’s think about our equipment: Are your skis tuned? Your safety and your patients’ will depend on your sharp edges – and in the East, that means frequent tuning. Have your bindings been tested? Many ski areas require annual binding tests as a condition of employment. If yours doesn’t, just remember whose body is being protected by those bindings. Binding tests sometimes lead to needing new boots, or at least new sole inserts, since we put a lot of wear and tear on our boot soles.
How about the first aid supplies in your pack, belt, or vest? How old are those nitrile gloves? Are all your clothing layers ready to protect you from the cold? Does your uniform look professional? There is probably an “ideal” amount of duct tape – and striking a balance between a seasoned, professional appearance and starting to look worn out can be a challenge! Is your helmet in good condition (ask a shop professional)?
The list goes on and on, but the time to act is short. Mountain management, our patrol teammates, and the skiing and riding public are all counting on us, so let’s be ready. And did I forget to say that our sport is almost always more fun when we are well-prepared? Let’s have fun!
Introducing Miss Kitty. She could be the prototype patroller of the future. She has:
• Perfect balance,
• Outstanding night vision,
• Black pants that fit well, with no holes or duct tape,
• Retractable microspikes for good traction on snow and ice, and
• (Very important) Ability to go from nap mode to full throttle very quickly!
Have a happy, joyous, and safe holiday season! Hope to see you on the snow soon!
Grant (and Miss Kitty)
by Grant Fullman, Division Director | Sep 15, 2024 | Division News
Division Director Grant Fullman getting first tracksShorter days, and longer and cooler nights. The unmistakable signs of Fall are all around us – and that means three things: OEC Refreshers, vote in the National Board election, and get ready for snow! This has been a long, hot, and busy summer but I actually had skis on August 27 after a freak hailstorm deposited piles of white stuff around our house in North Creek, NY; just couldn’t resist the photo opportunity! Seriously, business is picking up all across the Division – and the pace will only increase for the next several months.
OEC Refresher Season
Feedback on the OEC Cycle B online and skills refreshers has been very positive. Most who have completed their refreshers agree that this year’s online modules are more user-friendly and effective than last year’s and the skills refresher is straightforward. Many thanks to all of the OEC Instructors and Instructor Trainers who deliver the refreshers. We couldn’t do this without you!
NSP National Board Elections
Fourteen candidates are running for four National Board of Directors seats this year. The candidates’ names were announced in a special edition of Sweep on September 13, along with dates for three candidate forums that will be conducted via Zoom on September 30, October 8, and October 16. Please mark your calendars and try to attend as many of these forums as possible. The Eastern Division leadership team will be well represented, and we will develop some recommendations based on what we hear at the forums. Most of all, I highly encourage everyone to vote. Turnout has historically been low, so every vote matters more than you might think! Voting will run from October 15 through December 1, 2024 so don’t miss the opportunity to influence the future of NSP.
Preparing to get back on snow is serious business. Biking, hiking, working outdoors, or hitting the gym are all great ways to get in shape. Most agree that trying to ‘ski yourself into shape’ is ineffective, so don’t wait! And if you need some additional inspiration, consider attending https://snowboundexpo.com/ (aka the Boston Ski Show). Eastern Division will have a booth; please contact Simon Thomas if you would like to help.
