Eastern Division NSP's News Magazine
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In Memoriam – Howard Johnston
It is with sadness and a heavy heart that I announce the passing of our longtime Seven Springs ski patroller and dear friend Howard Johnston on Sunday April 12, 2026.
For many years, first as a Safety Ranger and then as a Ski Patroller, Howie was a steady presence on our mountain. The guests came to know him for his kindness and looked forward to greeting him at the Gunnar Chairlift every morning. When he retired due to declining health, just a few years ago, the question; “Where is Howie?” was heard over and over again on the mountain.
Employees from all departments knew him by name, and he had a special way of making everyone feel seen and supported without ever making a big deal of it. At the end of every shift, Howie would send our guests off to the front side of the mountain with a pointed arm, a clear direction, and a contagious smile.
Outstanding Alumni & Patroller Event
Melanie Musczynski, EDIV Safety Team & Oliver Loewen, Stratton Patrol
No matter how you look at it, the 2026 Eastern Patroller and Alumni Event was an outstanding success. There were over 100 people signed up to participate, more than double last year’s event. The evening events with NSP Board members Rich Pietrafesa and Butch MacQueen, the NSP Safety Team, and the history of the 10th Mountain Division were well attended and very informative.
Stratton Mountain did a great job welcoming us. The daily events included touring the snowmaking operations, the Carlos Otis Clinic and First Aid Center, and the Patrol Summit HQ. These provided us insight into some unique attributes of the daily routine of different departments at Stratton. Matt Jones, CEO of Stratton, even came and talked about the resort, the ski industry, and answered questions from us all.
Women’s Programs Galore
Women’s program events were held all over the Eastern Division this year. A One-Day Women’s Toboggan Event was held at Elk Mountain on Friday, January 23. It was a huge success! Twenty women and several instructors from Eastern New York and beyond took to the glades, steeps and bumps on Friday, February 27 as part of Gore Mountain Women’s OET Clinic. And an amazing women’s empowerment clinic was held at Bristol Mountain on Saturday, March 7. Click below to read more about each event.
Bike Season is Coming!
For most of you, your patrolling season is about to end. But bike patrollers are just now preparing for our upcoming season! Many of the bike patrollers you see out there are, in fact, year-round patrol members, also serving as alpine or Nordic patrollers in the winter.
Coming this Summer from the Bike Program
Watch for upcoming events and news. The bike program is still developing and growing across our division. Bike patrollers across the U.S. serve in many areas, including urban roads/gravel trails, in XC/backcountry locations, and at downhill/gravity bike parks (these work more like the typical alpine patrol).
Tug of War with a Horse
I first saw this sport roughly twenty years ago, never thinking that one day the sport might show up in Central New York, let alone that I might be patrolling at one. SKIJORING (Noun) – a winter sport in which a person wearing skis (or snowboard) is drawn over ice or snow as by a horse, dog team, or motor vehicle. It is derived from the Norwegian word skikjoring, which means “ski driving.”
On March 7, members of Song Mountain, Labrador Mountain, and Highland Forest Nordic Ski Patrols in the Central New York Region were asked to assist at Heritage Hill in Pompey, New York with safety and of course medical services as needed. What a Hoot!
Red Merit Star
The Red Merit Star fills a unique and necessary recognition gap—honoring patrollers whose instinct, training, and intervention made a profound difference, even when the patient may not show or present with immediate life-threatening signs.
Unlike the NSP Purple Merit Star, which recognizes life-saving interventions, the Red Merit Star acknowledges situations where timely and skilled action, including load and go, which may have prevented a potentially catastrophic outcome, but where the injury or illness may not have initially presented as immediately life-threatening.
Nordic/Backcountry in The Glades
What a time we had at Pike Glades! The weather was perfect, the snow was deep, and everyone made new friends! Thanks to Orest Ohar and Linda Helms from the Eastern Division’s OET Training Team, we received training in the use of two types of breakaway two-piece toboggans.
One was a two-piece Cascade 100 with belay points and handles typical to the Cascade Legend. The other was a carbon fiber, four-handle AKJA two-piece toboggan. A big thank you to Jay Peak’s ski patrol for letting us use the AKJA! We all learned a lot about running these sleds through the glades.
Our SAR exercise using Caltopo teams had all searchers recovering their hidden prizes. Look for this event again next season, especially if your ski area deals with lost area skiers out of bounds.
Avalanche – End of Season Update
The Avalanche teaching season has come to an end for the Eastern Division. This year we successfully ran two Level 1 classes and one Level 2 class. A total of 44 students completed their Level 1 training, and 12 students completed Level 2.
We had an amazing group of patrollers participate in the programs this year. Everyone was fully engaged in their learning and went above and beyond to complete both their online and in-person coursework.
We also had two new Level 1 avalanche instructors complete their mentorships. Congratulations to Jeff and Val Luby for their hard work and dedication to the program!
Looking ahead to next season, we plan to run three Level 1 classes and one Level 2 class.
Pro Division OET Recerts
In the past you may have received emails about renewing your Toboggan Instructor status for the Pro Division. It is important to note there are some differences for Pro Division OET instructors to stay up to date. Here is the scoop.
First, you need to understand how the National Ski Patrol is organized. There are nine Geographic Divisions where predominantly volunteers are registered, and the Professional Division where most of the paid patrollers are registered. Each Divisions is broken down into regions. The regions in the Professional Division have the same boundaries as each of the Geographic Divisions. Here in the Northeast, we are either members of the Eastern Division, or the Eastern Region of the Professional Division.
In Memoriam – Paul W. Kling
Paul W. Kling, age 83, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 2, 2026.
Born in the Philadelphia area, Paul proudly served in the United States Air Force and later moved to New Hampshire, settling in Loudon, where he embraced the outdoor lifestyle, he loved building a life in the Concord and surrounding community.
Paul was the proud owner and operator of Paul’s Alignment Service, serving the Concord and surrounding area for more than 50 years. Through his dedication, integrity, and friendly spirit, he built a successful business and lasting relationships with customers, colleagues, and friends throughout the community.
A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Paul found great joy in skiing, hiking, competitive running, and backpacking throughout the mountains and trails of New Hampshire.
Upcoming Events
Though the season is more than half over there are still a lot of events still to come. Click “Read More” to check out the list. Be sure to add them to your calendar.
Nordic/Backcountry Training
Highland Forest in fresh snow.
Are you ready to be signed off as a Nordic senior or would you still like additional training with the division staff? If so, come join us at Bolton Valley, VT on the weekend of March 21-22, 2026. Bolton Valley has some of the most diversified terrain in the division. It allows us to evaluate XC skiing, backcountry skiing, and alpine touring.
If you are looking to complete your Nordic/Backcountry basic or senior, or train for Nordic Master, come out and join us. Registration is on patrollerschool.org or contact the Nordic/BC Program Supervisor Chuck Boyd.
Patroller & Alumni Event Update
Join us again for the Third Patroller and Alumni event. It will be a week of skiing, information, camaraderie, and après ski good times. We will again celebrate our shared passion for skiing and patrolling! Be there for as long as it’s fun for you! We hope you can stay the whole time, but your stay is up to you! No charge for notable alumni and patroller events. All costs for lodging, lift tickets, and meals are on you.
UPDATED INFORMATION 2/19/26
DATES: The event will coincide with their “Friends and Family Week”, March 15 – 20, 2026
Minnie Dole Heritage Museum
On January 23, Eastern Division Patrollers Sue-Ellen Helmacy, John Beach, and Scott Launt were proud to be a part of the celebration ceremony honoring our founder, Charles “Minnie’ Dole. The museum at Fort Drum, New York will forever be known as the Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole Heritage Museum Complex. Accompanying us was Central New York Alumna Susie Turner.
The ceremony featured remarks from Commanding Major General Scott Naumann and Minnie’s grandson, Trux Dole. The General gave a brief history of Minnie’s quest to have the War Department implement mountain troops and his eventual success in doing so.
Honoring Our Greats
I finally sat down after the patroller school event at Killington, February 2026 and had a Miller Lite, Deb’s favorite. While I was writing this article I spent time reminiscing about the great times we had and wishing we could have had more time together.
I was honored to receive the Women’s Scholarship in Deb’s honor. It was incredible to spend the weekend working on patroller skills, something my Deb Stitt would absolutely be pushing me to do. But in all honesty, much of the time was spent thinking about my dear friend, whom I have been grieving for the past few years.
Stressed Out – Why is My Stomach in a Knot?
Let me start by introducing myself: I have been an NSP patroller for 42 years. I have patrolled at three different ski areas, one small and two larger ones, all in the New England area. I was also an EMT with the local fire department for 35 years and am still an OEC instructor.
I have been to many first aid scenes, including doing CPR on a 17-year-old on the side of a ski trail. In years past, I have felt confident about my skills; however, I am just too stressed about first aid to want to continue patrolling. Here is what it is in my head when I am patrolling now:
“Injured adult reported on Tom’s Thumb, possibly halfway down the trail.” The report comes in via the area radio, and I instantly jump up as it is my turn to take the call. My stomach turns into jelly as I grab my patrol jacket and fanny pack to head out. My head is going around and around, ‘Where is that exactly?’, ‘Why is my stomach in a knot?’, ‘What if I miss it?’, ‘What if I screw up?’’?
Nordic Fest
Due to the extremely cold temperatures forecast for Cascade Lake, NY, the Nordic Fest course was relocated to a “warmer” location at Highland Forest, Fabius, NY.
The team of Andrew “Lebo” Lebowitz, Erik Winarski, Jacob Dunnohew, James Wolff, John Ghidiu, and Ryan Schuyler, led by IOR Dave Martel and Nick Kreilach exhibited their proficiency in backcountry mountain rescue.
Battling the winds and below zero temperatures, these rescuers…
Avalanche Program Update
This winter has been cold and snowy for the Avalanche Program. The first course of the season at Whiteface Mountain, NY, saw 16 students successfully complete their Level 1 Avalanche Certification. Over three days spent outdoors in the backcountry and on the mountain, students learned how to evaluate the snowpack and execute avalanche rescues.
Students plan to use their newly found knowledge to venture onto bigger terrain out west, pursue backcountry skiing in the east, and continue on toward the Certified Program.
