Laurel Summit Nordic Ski Patrol celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Saturday, April 26, with a gathering at its warming hut at Laurel Mountain in Western Pennsylvania. As the first Nordic ski patrol in the Western Appalachian Region, it had a lot to celebrate. A nice crowd of current and former patrollers, mountain hosts, and winter volunteers swapped stories and shared memories.
Ann Rahn was one of the patrol’s early members and key in keeping it going. Now retired from patrolling, Ann tells this story of the patrol’s history.
Ann started, “The two patrollers who started our patrol were Laurel Mountain alpine patrollers – David Schaeffer and Bob Murray. David and I were Nordic patrollers at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY. We brought back the first rescue sled designed for tracked trails.
“There is a plaque on the wall of the warming hut that recognizes Bob Ache, the Pennsylvania State Park forester, when our patrol came into existence. The patrol got a grant from the Mellon Foundation to build a patrol hut. We wanted to put it just down the road from the entrance to the alpine ski area. Bob totally supported this location and built a warming hut for the public right next door on forestry land. He didn’t ask for a dime to put a building up. He provided us with bathroom facilities, although it was a pretty primitive port-o-john with a flush pump and a light bulb to keep it warm.
“Our patrol always had a wonderful relationship with the forester. He built the warming hut we enjoy today to the patrol’s specifications. They obviously gave us a lot better bathroom, and they also pay the electricity and telephone bills. Our current forester has been instrumental in creating the brochure that we use to publicize not just our Nordic ski area but Laurel Highlands and Laurel Ridge Nordic areas nearby.
“This is one of the few patrols I know of anywhere with more instructors than patrollers. If you don’t teach CPR or OEC, you teach mountaineering, avalanche, or Nordic skills. This is how it’s always been, and that was the guidance from the original patrol directors.
“They felt very strongly that it was OK to be a patroller for the first couple of years, but after that, you needed to do more to give back. If you didn’t want to aspire to be a senior, you needed to work towards being an instructor of some discipline. Back in the beginning, when we used to share our CPR and first aid training with Laurel Mountain alpine patrollers every year, the Nordic patrol would bring the instructors, and the alpine patrol would provide the facilities and the equipment.
“Not too many years ago, this patrol had a major downsizing to only three patrollers. The Winter Volunteers Program was started so the patrollers could get out on the trails while still having the warming hut staffed.
“When we needed to update our first aid equipment, former patrol director Andy Scott got a significant grant from Somerset and Westmoreland tourism bureaus, which allowed us to buy the AED and new backboards. And because many of our patrollers have contacts with hospitals, ambulances, and rescue crews, we can keep our equipment top-notch and up-to-date.
“We initiated pre-OEC Refreshers to help our patrollers be better prepared for the annual OEC refreshers and be less apprehensive about demonstrating their skills. Our Mountain Hosts are an integral part of our safety program. We may have been the first Nordic patrol to initiate this program and to utilize them as on-the-trail first responders.”
Ann could not ski this past winter due to recent shoulder surgery, but she plans to be back on the trails next season.
The Berkshire Edge is a locally owned, regional publication in Western Massachusetts. On April 5, they published the following Letter to the Editor they had received, along with their commentary: “Thank you to our ski patrollers for keeping us safe on the mountain. While many of us enjoyed a run down the hill, it is important not to forget the many people behind the scenes who are committed to keeping these areas safe.” Thank you, Dr. Alec Belman, and The Berkshire Edge!
As the 2024-25 ski season has come to a close, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate another year of skiing across the Berkshires and recognize the ski patrol teams, many of whom are volunteers, dedicated to safety across the region’s slopes. This season, visitors and residents alike were outside getting fresh air and exercise with family and friends. That said, while many of us enjoyed a run down the hill, it is important not to forget the many people behind the scenes who are committed to keeping these areas safe. As the region’s trusted healthcare provider and community advocate for improving overall quality of life, Berkshire Health Systems is incredibly thankful for our area ski patrols, trained professionals who also serve in the local community at hospitals, on emergency teams, and at local businesses. They are familiar and friendly faces who are on standby and ready for any emergency.
Skiing, in all its forms, brings fun and great experiences to all when performed safely. The members of the National Ski Patrol across the region are a great asset and play an essential role in the Berkshires. We hope everyone, skiers and non-skiers alike, will take the opportunity to thank them for their service and their contribution to the success of our regional ski industry, bringing skiers back to the region year over year.
See you next ski season, our valued ski patrol teams!
Dr. Alec Belman
Chief of Staff at Fairview Hospital
Great Barrington, MA
It all began in 1968 when my dad, Paul Emerson, was approached by a ski patroller who said, “You look like you can ski. What do you think about joining the ski patrol?” That moment has led to a most wonderful, memory-making experience for our family that has spanned 57 years.
On February 1 of this year, Paul had the unique privilege of presenting a brand new patrol vest to his great-grandson, Wesley, who had just completed his OEC and OET training. That event marked four generations of ski patrollers in the Emerson family!
In the mid ’60s, however, things were different. A 4,600′ Mueller double chair and two T-Bars serviced 10 trails, and when standing in the lift line, you learned to look uphill for runaway skis because not everyone owned safety straps! A full-day adult lift ticket was $7.00, and you could have a private ski lesson for $10.00. But what drew us in then, and continues to draw us in today, are the people, the family-friendly atmosphere, the laid-back attitude of some very serious skiers, the amazing vistas, and the opportunity to make memories with our family and friends every day that we are on the mountain.
Paul recently turned 98. He is a retired Navy Senior Chief who was deployed overseas during WWII and the Korean War, lives alone in the home he built, plows the driveway, and runs the snowblower so the oil man can get to the fill pipe. He does his shopping and hits the local diner a few days each week. He patrolled for 35 years and hung up his skis at age 84. Don, your author of this story, is 69, began patrolling at age 16, patrolled 43 years, and has been an Alumni member for the last four seasons. Jared, my son, also began patrolling at age 16 and has 25 years of service. He dropped the chain on hauling tobos a few years back when he was promoted to Director of Mountain Operations, but keeps his certifications current and can often be found in the FAR. Wesley, at age 15, is one of a large group of YAPs this year completing all of their OEC and OET training. He is smart, calm, and likable, and he can ski circles around all of us!
This brief tribute to my family’s four generations of patrollers has some unique elements that I hope will leave you thinking “Wow, that’s so cool!” But beneath it all are some common elements that you and my family undoubtedly share: a love of skiing, a desire and a willingness to help those in need, and above all, a love for your family and a grateful heart for all that you have been blessed with.
About the author: Don Emerson is a second-generation patroller at Saddleback Mountain in Maine and serves as the Maine Region NSP Alumni Advisor.
At 0400 on February 18, 2025, soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade will begin their ascent of RivaRidge in Italy, retracing the exact footsteps of the 10th Mountain Division’s legendary 1945 assault—on the same date, at the same location, 80 years later. In the dead of night on February 18, 1945, five columns of highly trained mountain troops climbed what had been reported as the “unclimbable” face of Riva Ridge. Surprising the German troops that held the summit, the US mountain troops captured the summit.
This action allowed the next attack by the 10th Mountain Division of the adjacent Mount Belvedere 24 hours later to also succeed in driving the long-held positions of the Germans off these key summit defensive positions. Moving faster than the Army logistic experts had predicted possible, the 10th Mountain Division not only pushed the Germans off the important defensive positions on Riva Ridge and Mount Belvedere but kept the German forces moving north, through the Po Valley.
Moving swiftly in front of thirty other allied divisions, the 10th drove the Germans north and ultimately across the Po River, ending the German control of Italy’s agricultural region and signaling the beginning of the end of German military dominance in World War II.
Why does the National Ski Patrol commemorate this act of extreme heroism by the 10th Mountain Division eighty years ago? The NSP founder, Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole recognized in the early 1940s that the US had no military troops trained in mountain warfare. His persistence finally convinced the War Department that soldiers trained to fight in cold and mountainous terrain were needed.
The result of his persistence was the creation of the 10th Mountain Division. Made up of world-class skiers, alpinists, and outdoorsmen. The 10th Mountain Division was very selective when it came to accepting recruits. The National Ski Patrol became the filter for this process and was and is the only civilian organization to ever recruit for the US military. Every applicant to the 10th required an approval letter from the National Ski Patrol.
The story of the 10th Mountain Division does not end with success in Europe and the end of World War II. Upon their return to the US, members of the mountain troops were responsible for, or key participants in, the creation of over 60 ski resorts in the United States. Along with the growth of ski resorts, the number of skiers also grew rapidly after the war.
Founded in 1938, the National Ski Patrol also grew to meet the needs of growing ranks of recreational skiers. Re-activated, the 10th Mountain Division calls Fort Drum, New York home, and continues to deploy throughout the world, proudly flying their “Climb to Glory” guidon. The National Ski Patrol has grown to approximately 30,000 members and remains committed to providing “Service and Safety” for the skiing public. The modern link between our two organizations grows stronger every year.
When I retired from full-time work at the end of 2017 after a rewarding 50-year career as a family therapist, I was looking for a new passion and challenge to invest my energy and continue helping people live to their full potential. I had always been adventurous and active, including skiing, golf, pickleball, weightlifting, long-distance cycling, hiking, kayaking, and T’ai Chi, so something physical appealed to me.
As luck would have it, my wife and I met the assistant ski patrol director and his girlfriend at our local bar, near where we lived in Waterville Valley. As I expressed my interest, he said enthusiastically, “You should come out for the patrol and meet our director,” never once mentioning my age (72 at the time). I’m now entering my sixth season, and it has become the adventure of a lifetime and pushed me beyond what I thought was possible.
It is hard not to fall prey to ageism in our society and even in ourselves. One of my good friends and skiing buddies, an age-group national gold medalist in GS, told me that things in the body start falling apart at age 75. I started to think that my seventies were not going to be my best decade. That my best skiing was behind me and the rest of my life was about loss and preparing for death. Boy, was I wrong!
Research shows that people do best when they push their comfort zone by 4%. Living with a positive and growth-oriented attitude makes every decade feel better than the last.
Receiving instruction to improve my skiing (and developing toboggan handling skills) from the training directors and hanging out with patrollers of all ages who believed in me has been exhilarating. It also keeps me feeling young, because I have a new peer group to keep up with.
Passing my medical training (a completely new skill for me) and receiving my white cross on my patrol jacket was one of the proudest days of my life, partly because conventional wisdom said there was no way I should be doing this. The other part was because I truly love every part of being a patroller and have no intention of quitting any time soon.
I’m the patroller on the right with the great big grin on my face.
Have there been physical and mental challenges? Of course. But true to my philosophy, I met them eagerly because I wasn’t ready to give up my adventures and joy. I had to work hard at my skiing, even though I thought I was already pretty good.
I had my fourth joint replacement in July and crushed my rehab so I could be skiing by mid-November. When I felt my balance and agility slipping, I doubled down on T’ai Chi and started seeing a personal trainer.
Stick to blue groomers in perfect condition? That may happen in the future, but for now, it’s “Hell No!” I’m having too much fun being the first one ripping down an ungroomed double black to see if it is safe to open to the public! I want to be the first one to respond to someone who has suffered trauma in a fall because I have worked hard to learn the skills to help them.
I’m not an exceptional athlete, but I believe that 50 years of honing a positive mental attitude has prepared me well to find this phase of life so exciting and rewarding. And it’s something we all can do.
My advice to everyone is to follow your joy and believe you can achieve your dreams and goals, whatever they may be. Don’t give in to the myths of ageism! Focus on what you (and your body) can do and not what you can’t! I guarantee you will surprise yourself!
If your joy is skiing, keep at it however you can and look me up on the slopes of Waterville Valley. I will be the guy with a huge smile on his face wearing a red jacket with a white cross.
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.
We’ve brought together a collection of top snowboard and telemark NSP toboggan instructors. They will help you up your sled game. If you just got your jacket last year or are training for your Senior OET credential these trainers have the skill and experience to bring you to the next level. Our cadre of snow sports instructors from the AASI and PSIA are among the best in New England.
Waterville Valley is known as the “Home of Freestyle Skiing” and was the host of the 1971 and 1972 National Championships of Exhibition Skiing. These were the first national-level freestyle competitions. Waterville Valley has grown into a hub for world-class competitions, hosting 11 Alpine World Cup races, 5 US Freestyle Championships, 1 US Alpine Championship, and numerous freeski and snowboard US Revolution Tours. Waterville has become the go-to early-season training venue for multiple boardercross, big air, and alpine race teams.
The upper slopes of the resort are known as “High Country” and are the location of a full-sized boardercross course, a cluster of big air/slopestyle jumps, a mogul training course, and a set of slalom/giant slalom training lanes. High Country was the pre-season training venue for the US Boardercross and Paralympic Snowboard teams. Before the women’s World Cup races at Killington, many FIS Alpine race teams came to train up on High Country including the US, Slovenian, Croatian, Canadian, Albanian, and New Zealand teams.
This year Waterville Valley is hosting the 2025 Toyota Waterville Freestyle Cup which is part of the World Cup Mogul Series. This event will be on Lower Bobbies one of the steepest World Cup Mogul courses. Waterville has a wide range of terrain on its 67 slopes and is blessed with a great snowmaking and grooming team.
Join us at Waterville and learn from top-flight instructors on world-class terrain. This event was a huge success last year and what the attendees liked the most was that they were instructed by folks from their chosen snowsport. To find out more information and to register for this event follow this link to the Patroller School website.
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.
The first time an alumni patroller assisted with an injury on the hill, I saw the value in having someone there with their level of experience. We arrived at the scene at the same time and when I turned to ask if they could secure the scene, they were already positioned to direct skiers around the area.
When the toboggan arrived, they were able to retrieve the needed equipment as well as prepare the toboggan for transport, which helped us transport the patient more quickly than two patrollers on the scene would have been able to.
Our alumni have been finding ways to help out such as encouraging our newer patrollers and practicing OEC skills with them. It’s a pleasure having the enthusiasm and experience of alumni patrollers on our team. I’m thrilled that we’ve started partnering with them, and that they are able to continue to be involved.
These patrollers are truly an asset to the Otis Ridge Ski Patrol, and I look forward to continuing to work with them and see how else their skills and experience can be utilized.
Killington Patrollers – Donny Mills in the handles and Karly Fischer on the tailrope
Headed for the safety netting.
On the way to reaching her 100th title at the Stifel Killington World Cup event, Mikaela Shiffrin crashed. The crash had her tumbling multiple times, bouncing off the netting fence before coming to a rest as competition paused and ski patrol came to her aid. After a somber waiting period following the GS competition, cheers erupted again when Shiffrin was brought down the mountain in a sled and appeared to be conscious.
50-year veteran Ski Patroller Joe Kulina and his wife Marianna, a Mountain Ambassador
The Eastern Division Safety Team strives to bring safety awareness to the mountain. This is exactly what it did at the Killington World Cup from November 29-December 1 to a crowd of over 39,000!
Our energetic team successfully delivered important messages while ensuring guests had fun throughout the festival. All were invited to “step right up and meet the Eastern Division Safety Team of the National Ski Patrol!”
Our amazing game hosts engaged each guest by asking a patrol question with an emphasis on safety. Once answered correctly, the patron spun the wheel to win a prize. Kids of all ages (questions were based on age and medical background) wanted to spin the wheel and walk away with ski patrol swag.
The Safety booth attracted those who wanted to share their stories about rescues from the patrol including those who served on the patrol or had a family member who did. It was also a hit with current patrollers, OEC candidates, and race coaches. Most importantly, it was a great place for potential candidates to ask questions and make connections about joining.
The festival had amazing fireworks on Friday night, but our team felt like those fireworks happened all weekend. We were embraced by the Killington patrol and supported by every staff member at Killington at this well-organized and inspiring event!
NSP East loves making an impact at preventing accidents and reducing injury with messaging and amusements. Much gratitude to those who supported us!
Laurel Summit Nordic Ski Patrol celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Saturday, April 26, with a gathering at its warming hut at Laurel Mountain in Western Pennsylvania. As the first Nordic ski patrol in the Western Appalachian Region, it had a lot to celebrate. A nice crowd of current and former patrollers, mountain hosts, and winter volunteers swapped stories and shared memories.
As the 2024-25 ski season has come to a close, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate another year of skiing across the Berkshires and recognize the ski patrol teams, many of whom are volunteers, dedicated to safety across the region’s slopes. This season, visitors and residents alike were outside getting fresh air and exercise with family and friends. That said, while many of us enjoyed a run down the hill, it is important not to forget the many people behind the scenes who are committed to keeping these areas safe. As the region’s trusted healthcare provider and community advocate for improving overall quality of life, Berkshire Health Systems is incredibly thankful for our area ski patrols, trained professionals who also serve in the local community at hospitals, on emergency teams, and at local businesses. They are familiar and friendly faces who are on standby and ready for any emergency.
At 0400 on February 18, 2025, soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade will begin their ascent of 
Why does the National Ski Patrol commemorate this act of extreme heroism by the 10th Mountain Division eighty years ago? The NSP founder, Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole recognized in the early 1940s that the US had no military troops trained in mountain warfare. His persistence finally convinced the War Department that soldiers trained to fight in cold and mountainous terrain were needed.
When I retired from full-time work at the end of 2017 after a rewarding 50-year career as a family therapist, I was looking for a new passion and challenge to invest my energy and continue helping people live to their full potential. I had always been adventurous and active, including skiing, golf, pickleball, weightlifting, long-distance cycling, hiking, kayaking, and T’ai Chi, so something physical appealed to me.
Join us at the 
We’ve brought together a collection of top snowboard and telemark NSP toboggan instructors. They will help you up your sled game. If you just got your jacket last year or are training for your Senior OET credential these trainers have the skill and experience to bring you to the next level. Our cadre of snow sports instructors from the AASI and PSIA are among the best in New England.
th a great snowmaking and grooming team.
