Eastern Division NSP's News Magazine
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In Memoriam – James Harrison
James Richard Harrison, of Dalton, MA passed away on Sunday, September 15th, at age 81. Born on September 12, 1943 in Torrington, CT, he was the second eldest child of Donald and Jacqueline Harrison. He graduated from Dalton High School (MA) in 1961. Jim then enlisted in the Army where he served on a missile site in Wiesbaden Germany, near Frankfurt, as a Technical Sergeant.
After his time in the service, Jim returned to Dalton to work at E.D. Jones Beloit in the pulp & paper machinery industry. His 33+ year career included traveling the world, often spending extended time on jobs. Jim visited every continent and hundreds of countries and cities, with unimaginable airline mileage.
Snowbound Expo in Boston!
Get ready to Hit the Slopes with the National Ski Patrol at the Snowbound Expo in Boston! Ski Patrollers mark your calendars!
The National Ski Patrol is gearing up for another thrilling appearance at the Snowbound Expo in Boston, set to take place November 15-17, 2024. After last year’s smashing success, where our booth drew crowds and lots of smiles, we’re more excited than ever to showcase what makes NSP the gold standard in winter sports safety.
Last year, our booth was a standout hit, buzzing with excitement and filled with families eager to learn about the crucial role of ski patrollers. We had fantastic interactions with winter sports lovers of all ages, from enthusiastic kids dreaming of their first slopes to seasoned skiers sharing their own snowy adventures. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees particularly enjoying our interactive displays, exciting video, and cool giveaways.
This year, we’re bringing back all those fan-favorite elements that made our booth so memorable…
ORM is Up and Running!
By now you have all heard about the new Outdoor Risk Management program (ORM). I am happy to announce that as of March of this year the program is available on the NSP website! ORM was over four years in the making and was created by subject matter experts, education professionals, members of the legal community, and, of course, patrollers. There was specific input from the National Ski Areas Association, the Patroller Wellness Taskforce, the Responder Alliance, as well as the NSP Education Committee.
It is designed to give the line patroller a base of knowledge of risk management with an emphasis on how to recognize potential risk and how to approach it. The program consists of 10 modules ranging from the need for ORM general concepts of risk management to ethical considerations. I believe this course will make every patroller a better patroller from the beginning and more of an asset to their patrol and the resort they serve. It is important to note this program is, and will be, a work in progress and nothing is to be interpreted as a strict requirement. We need to be consistently monitoring changes and updates within the industry.
Division Director’s Report – September 2024
Shorter 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.
Feedback on the OEC Cycle B online and skills refreshers has been very positive…
New ID Supervisor – Ed Riggs
For those who don’t know me, I’ve held many positions in over 35 years in NSP but have been out of ski patrol management for quite a while. So why get back into it? As I did then, I still believe in what we do. In the past I’ve been a patrol director, a region OEC administrator, an assistant region director, and the national Instructor Development (ID) program director. I am currently an IT for both OEC and Instructor Development, as well as a senior trainer evaluator for OET, and a PSIA ski instructor.
I’m not listing these things to brag about my resume, because I’m sure many patrollers have equal or better credentials than mine. I’m just trying to illustrate my love of teaching and my dedication to patrolling. Education is my passion. In my real job I’ve been an educator at the college level for over 30 years.
What are my goals for Instructor Development in the Eastern Division?…
Reflections on a Women’s MTR Clinic
I learned a lot of things at the Women’s MTR clinic organized by the Genesee Valley Region, under the leadership of Deb Whalen, however two things stood out for me the most.
First, offering a Women’s MTR clinic, especially with the word Women’s in the title, encouraged me to sign up. I know nothing about mountain travel and rescue. I like the idea of being outdoors and camping. But I am by no means one of those people constantly somewhere in the woods with a tent and a compass. I never held a compass until now. The fact the clinic was offered for women specifically and contained a topic I knew nothing about, really made me sign up.
I would probably not have signed up for a general MTR clinic, assuming I knew too little about the subject and would be too embarrassed, or too lost, or too frustrated, or frankly feeling too stupid to understand. The fact it was offered as a Women’s clinic empowered me to say, I would really like to know more about MTR, and I think maybe I can learn and understand. Now don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of subjects in the online portion of the course that made me slightly question my decision. The prospect of navigation was especially scary.
Holiday Mountain Reopens in SNY
Long time ski patroller, Mike Taylor, bought Holiday Mountain in Monticello, NY breathing new life into a ski area that was about to be added to the list of “lost ski areas.” He feels that it is important to keep smaller ‘feeder mountains’ open. At Holiday we breed skiers and cater to families which is important to our local community.
Holiday opened in 1957, owned by the Township of Thompson, which ran it until it was sold to a private owner in 2000. Lack of cold weather and the inability to make needed upgrades, caused Holiday to slowly fall into disrepair eliminating four lifts, closing nine of their original 12 trails, and leaving one triple Poma chairlift operating and one conveyor.
Holiday Mountain was purchased last May after the former owner told Taylor that he was done, losing money, and was going to close and that the only buyers were housing developers. No one wanted to buy it for use as a ski area. There was no choice since Holiday is just too important for the community and the area’s kids; the Taylors jumped in.
It’s That Time of Year
It’s that time of year when the temperatures start to cool, leaves start to change, and there’s pumpkin spice everything. That means it’s time to start thinking about Ski Patrol training. Have you started to think about your OET training opportunities? There are training events everywhere – at your home area, in your region, and at the division level.
Where do you find these fun events? Patrollerschool.org has links to events in each region and in the division. As a local patroller, look for Ski Enhancement and Toboggan Enhancement Seminars. These are training events where you can refresh your skills, learn new techniques, and challenge yourself.
The Power of Nature Connection – Therapy Dogs
I read the Power of Connection article in the March issue of Trail Sweep and appreciated the perspective about the resilience of social connections. I’m a volunteer patroller at Bousquet Mountain as well as an Ecotherapist in private practice.
I’d like to share my perspective and experience working with clients, of which some are first responders, in my practice and the other “forms” and “conditions” of connection that supports “getting back to normal”.
Our nervous system naturally wants to heal and release the stress and burdens from stressful or traumatic incidents, but all too often our culture fails to offer very favorable conditions for this process to occur naturally or even prescriptively.
In Memoriam – Lori Kennicutt
Lori Kennicutt joined Greek Peak Ski Patrol in Cortland, NY when she aged out the kids ski free benefit because her dad, Boyd Kennicutt, was on the Greek Peak Ski Patrol for many years. She then ran the ranks of junior patroller, patroller and finally a senior patroller spending 27 years in the system before retiring from Greek Peak. She took various leadership training courses during her tenure.
After Lori received a degree as a Veterinary Technician from SUNY Delhi, she was the Dog Control Officer for the Town of Union located in Broome County for 31 years. She was also a talented artist with a scathing wit.
Lori suddenly passed away in April 2024. She is sorely missed by her NSP patroller friends, those with whom she skied and befriended.
In Memoriam – John D. Hebert, Sr.
John D. Hebert Sr., age 76, of Pittsfield passed away at home on May 30, 2024, following a long illness. John will be remembered as a man of many names, The Pencil Man, The Godfather, Nature Boy, Papa J, and The King.
Born in Pittsfield, MA on October 26, 1947, John was a son of the late Leon and Margaret (Stack) Hebert. He was a graduate of Pittsfield High School and earned his associate degree in business from a junior college in Albany, NY.
He spent most of life running his own business, The Pencil Man, where he sold office supplies and furniture. He also was a member of Berkshire Mental Health, now the Brien Center, where he worked as a residential staff member for many years.
He was a member of the National Ski Patrol at Brodie Mountain for over 25 years….
