Patroller Spotlight
EMS Continuing Ed Program
Over the past two years, Eric Snyder, a member of the Bear Creek Mountain Resort, has engaged in the development and implementation of a continuing education program. The program, run through Bear Creek EMS (not affiliated with Bear Creek Ski Patrol), has and continues to provide workshops via live online platform (i.e. Zoom).
The program provides interesting topics through the lens of industry professionals. Some are directly related to “patrolling” and others to outdoor emergency care. Each session is two hours in length and can be used as CEU’s for a myriad of certification requirements (i.e. NREMT).
Advanced Life Support Pain Management Program
Now about to conclude its second season, the advanced life support (ALS) pain management program at Stratton Mountain in the Southern Vermont Region has already helped numerous patients with moderate to severe pain while still on the mountain with injuries.
The program, known internally as “Code 90,” was started during the 2024-25 ski season at the Stratton Mountain Ski Patrol (SMSP). The goal and purpose were to enhance our on-hill medical care by reducing pain and improving comfort and patient outcomes.
What Award to Give in an OEC Incident
So, you know an OEC incident (can be anywhere, at a ski area or not) where a patient with a critical injury was handled by one or more individuals in an outstanding manner. They saved the life of the patient or kept them from having a negative quality of life outcome. You want to give the team an award, but you aren’t sure what award to give. Here is how to determine which.
The word individual used here refers to patrollers, hosts, or alumni. Individuals must be up to date on their OEC/OFC and dues. Only one merit star per individual per incident may be awarded. What incidents qualify?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
