Eastern Division NSP's News Magazine
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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.
Pack an Extra Patroller
Let see now. For my patrol pack, I have cravats, bandages, sling, tape, oh yes, and I want to put into that pack another patroller. Another patroller not only can help you at an accident scene but also acts as another witness to support the good work that we, as patrollers, perform every day during our volunteer activities. Having another patroller join you at an accident scene prevents the situation where it is the skier’s words against your words. Simply put, this reduces the legal risk for patrollers, the primary objective of the lawyers who volunteer their time for NSP.
7 Steps to Storing Ski Gear the Right Way During the Off-Season
Unless you’re still earning your turns in the high alpine, you’ve probably already put your skis to bed for the summer and dusted off the bike, paddle board, or maybe even golf clubs (hey, you do you—no judgment). Quick question before you move on to your summer endeavors: Did you store your ski gear properly?
2024 Young Adult Patroller Summit
The Eastern Division Young Adult Patroller Summit was held March 8-11, 2024, at Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont with 78 young adults attending from around the division. Young adults converged for three days of intense training and competition. Mother Nature provided a bit of everything; moments of sun, rain, snow, and plenty of wind. Her indecisiveness was nothing compared to the energy and stoke from attendees!
Celebration at Mount Snow
The First Ever Celebration Patroller and Alumni Celebration was held from February 11-16. A total of 32 people attended the event including active patrollers, alumni, partners, and family. Many who participated for more than one day stayed at the Grand Summit Hotel slopeside. Some participated for a day and others commuted. Mount Snow’s central location because of its central location. We had attendees from throughout the division.
