Patroller Spotlight
Riva Ridge 80th Anniversary Commemoration
At 0400 on February 18, 2025, soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade will begin their ascent of Riva Ridge in Italy, retracing the exact footsteps of the 10th Mountain Division’s legendary 1945 assault—on the same date, at the same location, 80 years later. In the dead of night on February 18, 1945, five columns of highly trained mountain troops climbed what had been reported as the “unclimbable” face of Riva Ridge. Surprising the German troops that held the summit, the US mountain troops captured the summit…
My Second Career as a Ski Patroller at 72
When I retired from full-time work at the end of 2017 after a rewarding 50-year career as a family therapist, I was looking for a new passion and challenge to invest my energy and continue helping people live to their full potential. I had always been adventurous and active, including skiing, golf, pickleball, weightlifting, long-distance cycling, hiking, kayaking, and T’ai Chi, so something physical appealed to me. As luck would have it, my wife and I met the assistant ski patrol director and his girlfriend at our local bar, near where we lived in Waterville Valley. As I expressed my interest, he said enthusiastically, “You should come out for the patrol and meet our director,” never once mentioning my age (72 at the time).
Calling All Telemark & Snowboard Patrollers
Join us at the Patroller School dedicated to only Telemark and Snowboard on Saturday and Sunday, February 8-9 at Waterville Valley, NH. What makes this patroller school different from all the others? There are only snowboarders training snowboarders and telemark skiers training telemark skiers. This small event is limited to 20 snowboarders and 20 telemark skiers, assuring a great teacher-to-student ratio.
Alumni to the Rescue
It can be difficult to find enough volunteers to cover all open ski patrol shifts, even for a small ski area that only requires a few patrollers at a time. When a couple of alumni patrollers approached me last winter to find out whether they could get involved at Otis Ridge Ski Patrol, WMA Region, I explored the possibility with area management and then invited the alumni patrollers to join us.
They quickly became part of the team, jumping in with enthusiasm, and often choose to ski at times when large midweek lesson programs are scheduled, so they’re available to lend a hand. Our alumni promote safety by riding the lift with children who are in group lessons. They’ve become strong ambassadors for our patrol by getting to know some of the pass holders and have started bringing up the idea of ski patrolling with some of them.
Ski Patrol Rescues Shiffrin
No caption is needed…ouch!
On the way to reaching her 100th title at the Stifel Killington World Cup event, Mikaela Shiffrin crashed. The crash had her tumbling multiple times but bouncing off the netting fence before coming to a rest as competition paused and ski patrol came to her aid. After a somber waiting period following the GS competition, cheers erupted again when Shiffrin was brought down the mountain in a sled and appeared to be conscious.
Safety Team Shows the NSP Flag at World Cup
The Eastern Division Safety Team strives to bring safety awareness to the mountain. This is exactly what it did at the Killington World Cup from November 29-December 1 to a crowd of over 39,000!
Our energetic team successfully delivered important messages while ensuring guests had fun throughout the festival. All were invited to “step right up and meet the Eastern Division Safety Team of the National Ski Patrol!”
Our amazing game hosts engaged each guest by asking a patrol question with an emphasis on safety. Once answered correctly, the patron spun the wheel to win a prize. Kids of all ages (questions were based on age and medical background) wanted to spin the wheel and walk away with ski patrol swag.
Active Attack Response Training
This past spring Windham Mountain hosted a group of first responders from the surrounding emergency response agencies for an Active Attack Integrated Response training (AAIR). The course was put on by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office instructors and is considered the national standard by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for active shooter response training. The AAIR training was developed through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University.
AAIR training is centered around the interagency response to an active shooter event. The main goals are to build awareness and partnerships across agencies and disciplines. If a major event occurs, all the responsible agencies could respond as a cohesive unit with an understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities.
January is National Safety Month
The Eastern Division Safety Team would like to bring your attention to a new safety initiative called Take-A-Break & RECHARGE. It was created by Safety Team members Jesse Remmey (NVT) and Eric Talbot (CT).
Take-A-Break addresses the importance of recognizing fatigue and its relationship to preventing accidents. The committee kicked off this initiative after reading an article citing a 5-year study in New Zealand by ACC Statistics, an evidence-based research company emphasizing prevention. It revealed that most injuries occur in late morning and mid-afternoon citing tiredness and congestion on the trails as the main cause.
Honoring First Responders
Brant Maley and DiamondBack Covers Team Up to Honor First Responders
The team at DiamondBack Covers proudly expresses their deep gratitude to first responders. Their dedication and courage inspire us all, and we’re honored to recognize the heroes who keep our communities safe.
They produced a video featuring Certified Patroller Brant Maley from Roundtop Mountain Resort. He has worn many hats over the years and is currently a 24-year veteran serving as a police officer in Penbrook Borough, PA.
Alumna Saves a Life!
Roberta Fox’s heroic actions were celebrated with a Purple Merit Star presentation at the Royal Mountain refresher on October 24, 2024. She has retired from active patrolling but remains an OEC Instructor and Instructor Trainer. Her 50+ years of patrolling spanned five patrols in three regions. I am pleased and proud to be able to share her summary of the event with everyone.
“On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, I attended an event at The Highlands Community Center in Johnson City, NY, that ended at 6:30 p.m. We were waiting for our weekly walking group activity. At about 6:45 p.m. a resident came back and yelled at me to get the bag. I asked, “What bag–the AED?” She replied “Yes” and I grabbed the bag and headed to the parking lot. I asked if 911 had been called 911 and she replied, “Yes.””
