Eastern Division NSP's News Magazine
Find all the latest Trail Sweep news displayed with excerpts on the home page. Search news by keyword or by category below.
In Memoriam – Ronald “Ron” Marks
A much beloved and respected former patrol leader of the Song Mountain Ski Patrol in the Central New York Region passed away at the age of 92. Ron Marks, National #5799, died on August 11, 2024 in an assisted living facility in Napierville, IL, where his son’s family lives.
Ron was a NSP member for about 20 years, serving at two CNY Region patrols — Mystic Mountain and Song Mountain. He was patrol leader at Mystic during 1973 and ‘74. He also joined Song in those years. At Song, Ron served as patrol leader from 1983 to 1988. He was awarded his National Appointment in 1981.
In Memoriam – Leland “Lee” Palmer
Leland “Lee” Palmer began his skiing career as an outdoor family activity at Greek Peak Ski Resort in Cortland, NY. His National Ski Patrol volunteer career included being a patroller, a senior patroller, an assistant patrol leader, and assisting with the candidates and their training.
Being incredibly resourceful, a salt of the earth person who built his own house, he contributed heavily of his own time and from his business in support of the Greek Peak Ski Patrol. Lee was on the swim team and graduated from Vestal High School, Vestal, NY and Alfred State University. He served in the Coast Guard until his father fell ill and he was discharged to home. At that time he took over the family business of McCormick’s Paint and Wallpaper in Binghamton, NY where he worked until his retirement.
In Memoriam – Ralph L. Gates
Mr. Ralph L. Gates, 98, of The Brennity in Vero Beach, FL, passed away Monday, June 17, 2024, at home peacefully with his family at his side. Ralph was born in Worcester, MA to the late Walter O. Gates and Amy Gates.
Ralph served in World War II as a sonar operator in the US Navy, where he was stationed in the Philippines. After the war he attended and graduated from Clark University in Worcester, MA. While there he met his wife-to-be Marguerite “Peggy” Bliss (deceased in 2015) and their marriage together spanned 68 years.
Division Director News
Bugs and heat still dominate here in North Creek, New York, but winter is never far away, and we’ve been busy! On May 5, at the Division Spring Officers’ Meeting, Cal Goldsmith stepped down after four years of dedicated work and the Region Directors elected me as the next Division Director. The election was competitive; I appreciate the respect shown by the other candidates and repeat my pledge to equally serve all fifteen regions. The DD works for everyone in the division.
I feel honored to serve and very grateful that Cal’s tireless efforts left the division in good shape. My first act as…
TWO GREAT EVENTS – Register Now
The Certified Boot Camp will be held at Holiday Mountain, NY on Friday, August 16 to Sunday, August 18. The Enhanced Patroller School will be held at Swain Mountain, NY, on Friday September 13 to Sunday, September 15. Click below for details.,
New Certified Chair Inspired by the Best Trainers
My name is Bill Zink. I started patrolling in 1994 at Ski Roundtop, a little hill in the southwest section of the Eastern Pennsylvania Region of the Eastern Division of the National Ski Patrol. I received my rust and blue coat on February 13, 1995, from one of the best trainers, Gordie Bell.
The next night, in my rush to get out on the slope and patrol, I promised my wife Natalie I would be home by 8 pm on Valentine’s night to celebrate our new house. Somewhere around 7:30 pm, while riding the chairlift, I witnessed a high-speed collision of two skiers…
The Certified Program: How it all began
In 1964, National Director Chuck Schobinger forwarded a committee report from the Southern Rocky Mountain Division to George Wesson, Jr. to work out the details for a ‘Certified’ program.
The Eastern Division put together a committee of inspiring New England patrollers to work out the details and proficiency requirements for a pilot program. It would demand the highest level of proficiency from patrollers through training and testing and would promote a level of patrolling in which there would be no compromise with excellence in skiing, first aid, patrol management, administration, and leadership.
Two years later, during the 1967-68 season, the pilot program was launched…
New Women’s Program Supervisor
I would like to introduce myself, Heather Newman, as the next Women’s Advisor for the Eastern Division. I grew up skiing at a small (one T-bar, six runs) mountain in Northern Maine and started my patrol career in 2010. Since 2013, I have been a volunteer patroller at Saddleback in Rangeley, Maine. I am a Senior Patroller, an OEC Instructor, and an OET TE. Over the past six years, I have worked with the Maine Region as the Women’s Advisor and am very excited to take on my new role.
Women in the Wild
The Genesee Valley Region hosted its first MTR (Mountain Travel and Rescue) Women’s Clinic, “Women in the Wild,” on June 2, 2024. An energetic group of 24 women from regions throughout New York State and New Jersey representing 10 different alpine and Nordic patrols attended and were able to refresh and/or be introduced to a combination of skills.
Annual AMN Instructor Refresher
Every Avalanche, Mountain Travel & Rescue, and Nordic/Backcountry Instructor must attend an Instructor Refresher every three years. These three programs work together to offer a combined Instructor Refresher annually. This year’s AMN Instructor Refresher is being held at Spring Mountain in Pennsylvania on September 14 & 15, 2024.
The Joys of Living Next to a Ski Slope
Back when I started patrolling in 1982, I was living in Washington, DC while working on Capitol Hill and commuting to Ski Liberty outside Gettysburg, PA, about 65 miles away. I could leave the office about 4:00 and still make my Friday night shift captain’s duties at 6:00. Then traffic became unbearable and I had to leave work at 3:00. When traffic grew even worse, even returning home after my shift took two or more hours. Thus, I made the decision to buy an empty lot in walking distance to the slope. I arranged to erect a small pre-fab home and that decision changed my life and definitely my patrolling career.
In Memoriam – Florence ‘Floss’ Kirkner
Florence A. Kirkner of Orchard Park, NY, passed away on May 1, 2024, at the age of 99. We all knew her as an inveterate volunteer, not just for NSP but on multiple levels as is shown by the awards she received from numerous organizations.
Floss joined the ski patrol in 1949 in the Far West Division where she served for 10 years. She was the co-patrol leader at Donner Ski Ranch, Soda Springs, CA from 1956-1960 and served as the first aid chair in the North Bay Region from 1950-1960. She was one of the first women in the NSP to take Monty Atwater’s Avalanche Patch course earning Patch #82.
In Memoriam – Roger E. Hyndman
Roger E. Hyndman, 87, of Ballston Spa, New York, passed away February 7, 2024, in hospice care, surrounded by his loving family. Roger was born in Buffalo, New York, and was an artist. He was first a teacher and later employed by the State of New York, Department of Education, developing art curricula for public school students. He graduated from SUNY Buffalo, with a BS, and from Syracuse University with a Masters of Fine Arts.
In Memoriam – Richard G. Drew
Richard G. Drew, of Malta, New York, passed away suddenly on Saturday, August 19, 2023, at the age of 73. He had been a member of the Army National Guard, and was formerly employed by the State of New York, as an investigator for both the Department of Education and Department of State.
A Conversation with National Board Chair Richard Pietrafesa
Trail Sweep interviewed Richard Pietrafesa, newly elected chair of the NSP National Board about his experiences, aspirations, and goals for the NSP in his new role. Elected as a National Board Rep last year, Rich was a member of Toggenburg Ski Patrol for 20 years. When Toggenburg closed in 2021, Rich joined Labrador Mountain in the Central New York Region, Eastern Division in 2022. (Updated 5/3/24)
What experiences and skills do you bring to the NSP as National Board Chair?
Any number of us currently on the board could perform the job of chair. I don’t believe I bring any unique abilities to the role. But I do have a particular philosophy about how an effective board should function, and about the role of the chair, which I think is useful to our organization at this juncture.
NSP & FirstNet Simplify New Subscriber Enrollment Process
NSP and FirstNet have creates a new subscriber eligibility verification system to simplify enrollment for OEC certified patrollers.
When NSP rolled out its new partnership program with FirstNet in February 2020, it was decided to make patrol directors responsible for verifying the eligibility of patrollers who wished to apply for service. Each patrol director would be responsible for ensuring that new FirstNet subscribers had a valid OEC credential.
How To Form a Bike Patrol in 10 Easy Steps
Interested in starting a bike patrol in your area? Here’s a list of 10 easy steps to get started.
- Determine what type of patrol your area needs and why.
a. Resort- or park-based, public lands, multi-land manager systems,
b. Paved routes, mountain bike trails, or some combination,
c. Host unit or patrol unit or a hybrid of both. - Meet with your region director, your region bike advisor, and possibly the National Bike Program advisor.
- Meet with the land manager(s) to discuss the agreement/memorandum of understanding.
How to Stay in Shape for Next Season
With the early end to this year’s ski season, now isn’t the time to be lazy. Staying in shape will help you avoid noodle legs once you’re able to get back on the mountain next season. Here are some moves you can do right at home to help maintain ski-season shape.
Squats
• Your quads are the first thing to burn out when you go skiing, so you’ll want to maintain your leg strength in the meantime. New to squats? • • Here’s how to do a basic air squat:
• Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees like you are sitting into a chair.
• Keep going until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Keep your heels down and your knees behind your toes.
• Stand up and repeat.
