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 – Jack Shinn
Jack Shinn, 76, of Clifford, PA, died peacefully on Monday morning, September, 9, 2024, surrounded by his family at the home of his brother Joe. Born September 6,1948 in Monterey, CA, he was the son of the late Dr. John G. & Claire Caffrey Shinn. Jack was a graduate of Cardinal O’Hara High School, Springfield, PA and attended St. Paul’s College, St. Paul, MN. He was a US Army veteran, serving in Vietnam and the Army reserves, and went on to work as Operations Manager at Mactac in Moosic, PA. After a brief stint working for Squaw Valley Ski Resort Tahoe, California he returned to the area and worked for Jennings Environmental Management, Inc. His favorite job by far was as an Elk Mountain Ski Patroller, which he did for most of the last 40 years.
In Memoriam – Stanley Wierezbicki, Jr.
Stanley J. Wierzbicki, Jr., 72, of Greenfield Township, PA, died Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Geisinger Community Medical Center, Scranton, PA, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife, the former Joyce M. Sidwell Wierzbicki. They were married October 3, 1988. Born March 21, 1952, in Carbondale, PA, he was the son of the late Stanley J. Sr. and Eva Kura Wierzbicki. Stan was a graduate of Mountain View High School and earned a degree in carpentry and woodworking from Johnson Technical School. He was the proud owner and operator for 50 years of Wierzbicki Woodworking, LLC, Greenfield Township. He built numerous homes in the area but was mostly proud of the homes he built for his daughters and close personal friends. Stan was a master carpenter and owned and operated a family farm in Greenfield Township consisting of beef cattle.
In Memorium – David Kaplan
David Kaplan, 97, of Rhinebeck, died at home on November 8, 2024. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Arlene, after 61 years of marriage. He was attended by his daughter Suzanne and son-in-law Chuck as well as his caregiver David O. Dave leaves behind his daughters Suzanne and Debbie. Dave was born in New York City. He graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and from NYU with a Bachelor of Science in business. He and Arlene then moved full-time to the Hudson Valley. The outdoors defined Dave and Arlene’s life together. They were active members of the National Ski Patrol, the Professional Ski Instructors of America, the AMC, and the ADK. Dave skied, paddled, and swam into his 90s.
2024 National Board Election and Amendment Proposal
The 2024 National Board Elections will begin on October 15. This year, 14 candidates are running to fill four open seats.
You are encouraged to read the platforms of all of the candidates on the 2024 NSP Board Election page. You must sign in to your account to access the election information. There have been several forums via Zoom to talk to the candidates and ask questions. If you missed the first two, videos of the forums are available to watch at the same link. The last candidate forum will take place on Wednesday, October 16 at 8pm Eastern time.
You will receive notification via email when voting begins on Tuesday, October 15. Please make sure your email address is current in your NSP profile before October 15. If you do not receive a ballot on October 15, check your spam folder, or go to www.nsp.org, sign in, and click the BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION button to see the candidate platforms and the election ballot. The election closes on December 1.
Women’s Mountain Bike Program in GVR
The Genesee Valley Region held its third annual Women’s Mountain Bike Enhancement Seminar at Dryer Road Park, a mountain biking trail network outside of Rochester, NY. This joint event between the Women’s Program and the Bike Program kicked-off with a comprehensive bike safety check, ensuring that all participants were properly equipped and ready to ride. Judy Valachovic organized the day.
The three instructors—Anne Schweighardt and Alexa Harding, part of the local racing and mountain biking scene, as well as Case Morrill, a local rider, instructor, GROC bike patroller, and Bristol Mountain patroller led several team-building exercises to foster a sense of camaraderie and trust among the group.
New Nordic/Backcountry Supervisor
Hi, I’m Chuck Boyd, the new Eastern Division Nordic/Back Country Program Supervisor. I’ve been patrolling for a long time and just received my 30-year service award. Many of you may know me already as the Avalanche Program Supervisor, a Mountain Travel and Rescue (MTR) Instructor Trainer (IT), and Nordic Master 005.
I have a passion for these programs along with my love of the outdoors and climbing. I have helped many patrollers achieve their goals within all the NSP programs that I teach. I find it a very rewarding experience which has created many lasting friendships.
Bike Program Weekend at Thunder Mountain
In late September, the Thunder Mountain Bike Patrol hosted the first annual Eastern Division Bike Program Weekend. It was an exciting two days of downhill riding, getting to know other bike patrollers, and learning, including taking the NSP Bike 1 training class.
The weekend opened on Saturday morning with optional non-NSP activities. Thunder Mountain offered participants some great discounts. We, of course, took full advantage of these opportunities by spending the day on the mountain. There was even an NSP-specific lesson where I learned how to ride a sweet jump line (pretty good for a 60-yr old, long-time XC rider!). We met up with other NSP members, assisted the patrol with sweep, and then ended the day with an Eastern Division bike program meeting with the regional advisors who were able to attend.
When Life Interferes with Patrolling…Call Us
As patrollers, we know situations can change very quickly. Our training prepares us to act and resolve the challenges presented to us. When we become patrollers, we do not spend time thinking that circumstances may interrupt our patrolling commitment. The reality is there are a bunch of circumstances that can cause us to consider interrupting patrolling or leaving it altogether. If this happens to you or another patroller you know, we are your parachute. We are the Alumni Program.
Peer Support at Work
It’s Thursday morning a little after 9 AM with eight patrollers at Patrol Headquarters on top of the mountain. Opening work is done, and the lifts have been cleared by patrol for the public. The patrollers at PHQ are getting coffee, a morning snack, and making small talk. John, a senior member of the patrol says “I heard you guys had a tough one the other day.”
A couple of days earlier, the patrol received a call for a skier off the side of a trail. On arrival, the size up resulted in a request for additional patrollers, a loaded toboggan, and ropes and rescue equipment all which arrived within several minutes.
The skier had gone off trail, down the side, and struck and gone over a snowmaking pipe. He was conscious and alert but injured and could not self-extricate. The toboggan was belayed and lifted over the pipe. The skier was packaged and a route of travel was chosen that would rejoin the trail further down slope.
Re-imagining the Methods of Teaching on Snow
Outdoor Emergency Transportation (OET) is the official NSP-branded name for rescue toboggan training education. All Alpine Patrollers are subjected to annual refreshers at their mountain to maintain their Alpine status. Local mountain OET Toboggan Instructors run refreshers and train incoming patroller candidates. Since 1996, National has created an educational program structure that develops a training curriculum, assigns highly skilled and experienced Instructor Trainers (ITs) to re-certify instructors, mentors incoming instructors, and manages the quality assurance documents for maintaining continuing education and certifications.
(This article includes an audio file if you would like it read to you.)
Stress Awareness Course Discount Now Available
Responder Alliance, a leading resource for stress injury tools and education, to offer patrollers discounted training access. All NSP Eastern Division members will receive 25% off the Stress Injury Awareness for the Individual online course through a discount link. Click here to register.
Don’t miss the next Patroller Stress Awareness Forums Zoom Meetings:
• November 13 at 7 pm
• December 11 at 7 pm
