by Don Emerson, Maine Region Alumni Advisor | Apr 15, 2025 | Spotlight Articles
It all began in 1968 when my dad, Paul Emerson, was approached by a ski patroller who said, “You look like you can ski. What do you think about joining the ski patrol?” That moment has led to a most wonderful, memory-making experience for our family that has spanned 57 years.
On February 1 of this year, Paul had the unique privilege of presenting a brand new patrol vest to his great-grandson, Wesley, who had just completed his OEC and OET training. That event marked four generations of ski patrollers in the Emerson family!
Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, Maine, has almost everything a skier can wish for. The resort boasts 4,120′ peak elevation, a 2,000′ vertical drop, four quad chairlifts, one T-Bar, 68 trails, state-of-the-art snowmaking, grooming to die for, and a truly notable reputation. For three years running, Down East magazine has rated Saddleback, “Maine’s Favorite Mountain,” and in SKI Magazine’s “2025 Resort Guide,” Saddleback made a big splash this year by ranking #2 in the east and #4 in the nation!
In the mid ’60s, however, things were different. A 4,600′ Mueller double chair and two T-Bars serviced 10 trails, and when standing in the lift line, you learned to look uphill for runaway skis because not everyone owned safety straps! A full-day adult lift ticket was $7.00, and you could have a private ski lesson for $10.00. But what drew us in then, and continues to draw us in today, are the people, the family-friendly atmosphere, the laid-back attitude of some very serious skiers, the amazing vistas, and the opportunity to make memories with our family and friends every day that we are on the mountain.
Paul recently turned 98. He is a retired Navy Senior Chief who was deployed overseas during WWII and the Korean War, lives alone in the home he built, plows the driveway, and runs the snowblower so the oil man can get to the fill pipe. He does his shopping and hits the local diner a few days each week. He patrolled for 35 years and hung up his skis at age 84. Don, your author of this story, is 69, began patrolling at age 16, patrolled 43 years, and has been an Alumni member for the last four seasons. Jared, my son, also began patrolling at age 16 and has 25 years of service. He dropped the chain on hauling tobos a few years back when he was promoted to Director of Mountain Operations, but keeps his certifications current and can often be found in the FAR. Wesley, at age 15, is one of a large group of YAPs this year completing all of their OEC and OET training. He is smart, calm, and likable, and he can ski circles around all of us!
This brief tribute to my family’s four generations of patrollers has some unique elements that I hope will leave you thinking “Wow, that’s so cool!” But beneath it all are some common elements that you and my family undoubtedly share: a love of skiing, a desire and a willingness to help those in need, and above all, a love for your family and a grateful heart for all that you have been blessed with.
About the author: Don Emerson is a second-generation patroller at Saddleback Mountain in Maine and serves as the Maine Region NSP Alumni Advisor.
by Rick Hamlin, NSP Historian | Feb 18, 2025 | National News, Spotlight Articles
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.
This action allowed the next attack by the 10th Mountain Division of the adjacent Mount Belvedere 24 hours later to also succeed in driving the long-held positions of the Germans off these key summit defensive positions. Moving faster than the Army logistic experts had predicted possible, the 10th Mountain Division not only pushed the Germans off the important defensive positions on Riva Ridge and Mount Belvedere but kept the German forces moving north, through the Po Valley.
Moving swiftly in front of thirty other allied divisions, the 10th drove the Germans north and ultimately across the Po River, ending the German control of Italy’s agricultural region and signaling the beginning of the end of German military dominance in World War II.
Why does the National Ski Patrol commemorate this act of extreme heroism by the 10th Mountain Division eighty years ago? The NSP founder, Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole recognized in the early 1940s that the US had no military troops trained in mountain warfare. His persistence finally convinced the War Department that soldiers trained to fight in cold and mountainous terrain were needed.
The result of his persistence was the creation of the 10th Mountain Division. Made up of world-class skiers, alpinists, and outdoorsmen. The 10th Mountain Division was very selective when it came to accepting recruits. The National Ski Patrol became the filter for this process and was and is the only civilian organization to ever recruit for the US military. Every applicant to the 10th required an approval letter from the National Ski Patrol.
The story of the 10th Mountain Division does not end with success in Europe and the end of World War II. Upon their return to the US, members of the mountain troops were responsible for, or key participants in, the creation of over 60 ski resorts in the United States. Along with the growth of ski resorts, the number of skiers also grew rapidly after the war.
Founded in 1938, the National Ski Patrol also grew to meet the needs of growing ranks of recreational skiers. Re-activated, the 10th Mountain Division calls Fort Drum, New York home, and continues to deploy throughout the world, proudly flying their “Climb to Glory” guidon. The National Ski Patrol has grown to approximately 30,000 members and remains committed to providing “Service and Safety” for the skiing public. The modern link between our two organizations grows stronger every year.
by Allan Miller, Alumni Supervisor | Feb 18, 2025 | Division News, Program News
2025 Annual Alumni & Patroller Celebration – March 16-20
• Celebrate, ski, and reconnect at the 2nd Annual Eastern Division NSP Alumni & Patroller Celebration!
• Join us at Stratton Mountain for an unforgettable gathering of NSP alumni and patrollers as we celebrate our shared passion for skiing and patrolling!
• Come for as long as you’d like—whether it’s a day or the whole event, the choice is yours!
Go to PatrollerSchool.org for information and a registration form. Use this link 2025 Flyer for the flyer with the details.
Genesee Valley Region Annual Alumni Day Invitation – February 28
• Friday, February 28, 2025, from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm at Hunt Hollow.
• The last day to register and order lunch is February 21!
• To register and get all the event information please click this link 2023 Genesee Valley Region Alumni Day
• Be sure to click the SUBMIT button at the end of the form.
Western Mass Region Annual Alumni Day – March 5
Calling all WMR Ski Patrol Alumni and Guests
Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at Ski Butternut, Great Barrington, MA
• Join us for a day of skiing or just come for lunch and camaraderie!
• Check in at the Upper Lodge and enjoy coffee and doughnuts at 9:00 AM.
• Lift tickets courtesy of Butternut Ski Patrol – hit the trails or hang out.
• Noon Buffet Lunch.
• Free for currently registered WMR Alumni.
• $10 cash payable at the door for all other family and guests.
RSVP for lift tickets and/or lunch to Ann Migliaccio.
Eastern New York Region 3rd Annual Alumni Day – March 9
• The Royal Mountain Ski Patrol will host the 3rd Annual ENY Alumni Day on March 9.
• Mountain management will provide a free day pass to currently registered alumni and patrollers.
• Those interested can assist the patrol with opening, mid-day, and closing trail checks.
• The day will begin when we gather at 8:30 to 9:00 AM at the Patrol Building at the top of the parking lot.
• Mid-morning breakfast and mid-afternoon lunch will be provided at the patrol top shack.
• You can attend for the full day or any part of the day
• We will meet in the Velcro Lounge at closing for a beer.
If you plan to attend, please respond to Dan Crandall or 518.365.6277.
by Mike Taylor | Sep 14, 2024 | Division News, Region News, Spotlight Articles
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.
Mike Taylor originally joined NSP at McIntyre Mountain in Manchester, NH while he was in college. He returned home after college and joined the Holiday Mountain Ski Patrol, the area where he grew up. He became a paramedic, which he did nights and weekends for the next 25 years. After a five year break to have kids, he rejoined Holiday’s patrol to get his kids on skis. The family gravitated to Plattekill Mountain, where he still patrols today, but came back to Holiday to keep it from closing and give it a second chance.
Last season Holiday saw a total revamp of their snowmaking system including new water pumps, an air compressor, miles of pipe, 45 stick guns, and 16 fan guns in addition to adding a conveyor for a new snow-tubing park and redirected “learning center.” Their 20+ year old rental equipment was all replaced, over 100 trail lights replaced, lodges renovated, and a new website and ticketing software were put in place. A used (but newer to them) PistenBully groomer was purchased. Erosion was repaired with lots of drainage piping. Over 30 dumpsters of debris were removed from the property as buildings were torn down or revamped. Racing came back with the addition of a new timing building and fiber optic cabling top to bottom.
A 1968 Poma double chairlift serving three closed trails that was out of service for six years was put back into service. Many skiers were thrilled that terrain they never dreamed of skiing again was open, including kids who had never skied there. In addition, lots of work was done at the summer “fun park” with upgrades to the Go-Karts, bumper boats, batting cages, arcade, and mini-golf as a start.
This year the work hasn’t slowed. Two lanes of “synthetic” summer tubing was put down in the tubing park serviced by a 250-foot conveyor lift. A 4th new 450 HP snowmaking water pump is on order in addition to 23 tower fan guns, 100 air/water stick guns, and over six miles of snowmaking piping. In addition, the mountain is currently replacing that 2800-foot double chair with a completely reconditioned quad lift that will service four trails that will have 100% new snowmaking installed this fall. A new double black diamond trail dubbed “Hackledam” (named after a long-abandoned logging town down river from Holiday) has been cut. Work this summer included blasting some of the rock off the top ledges, removing stumps, and adding snowmaking. This new trail will rank with some of the steepest in the Catskills with great northern exposure which will help keep the snow.
Phase 3 of reconstruction will add a third chairlift and snowmaking over time, reopening the closed trails in their “north” area, replacing the iconic long-dormant chairlift that’s adjacent to NYS Route 17 with its “floating bullwheel” that motorists have seen for over five decades. Phase 3 should add another seven to eight trails to Holiday in the end. Plans are also in the works to possibly add Nordic trails with snowmaking on the top of the mountain with extra snowmaking water pumping capacity going in this year for future expansion.
Holiday’s ski patrol is gaining in numbers. The mountain is coming back with 13 students recently completing the OEC program taught
by ski patrol director Bob Scarabino. Holiday is always looking for patrollers whether it’s your home mountain, a ‘secondary’ where you can get on the schedule, and we also welcome visiting patrollers. Bring your coat and pack, we never turn down help!
The community support for Holiday Mountain has been amazing. After-school ski programs are coming back, and high school race teams will sprout again. This summer Holiday was proud to host the NSP “Certified Boot Camp” in August as well as other community events including an Oktoberfest on October 26!
This is what happens when a passionate ski patroller with a strong vision and abilities buys a small community ski area that was about to close. While Holiday will never be a “big mountain,” we’ll be one that’s less than two hours from NYC, has some great terrain, and a warm, local, hometown feeling that’s been lost at many of the mega-mountains over time.
We look forward to you visiting us soon. Follow Holiday Mountain’s progress on Facebook® & Instagram®
by Bill Zink, Certified Chair | Jun 25, 2024 | Division News, National News, Program News, Spotlight Articles
Happy Summer fellow Ski Patrollers. As the new chair of the Eastern Division Certified Program, I am humbled by the outpouring of support our members offer the Eastern Division. I participated in my first ever Eastern Division Spring Officers Meeting. My job was to report to the ED leadership team our accomplishments.
As I prepped for the meeting, I started reviewing what our accomplishments were for the year. Then it struck me that maybe it was time to refresh our fellow patrollers on what the Certified Program is all about. Below is an excerpt from a letter from the National Director of the NSP in 1964 and the directive which created the Certified Program as we know it today.
In 1964, National Director Chuck Schobinger forwarded a committee report from the Southern Rocky Mountain Division to George Wesson, Jr. to work out the details for a ‘Certified’ program. The report read: “It is the desire of the paid patrolmen of the NSPS to continually strive for higher standards for all ski patrolmen. Hence, this Certified ski patrolmen program is instituted to give recognition to those who have devoted the extra time and effort to pursue a course of self-development beyond the minimum requirements of the senior ski patrolmen. This program is necessary for the NSPS to keep pace with the technological developments in the sport of skiing and to encourage ski patrolmen to better fulfill the ever-increasing demands and expectations of ski area management and the skiing public.”
The Eastern Division put together a committee of inspiring New England patrollers, which included George Wesson Jr., Rudy Carlson, Wayne Doss, Dexter Galusha, and Casey Rowley to work out the details and proficiency requirements for a pilot program. It would demand the highest level of proficiency from patrollers through training and testing and would promote a level of patrolling in which there would be no compromise with excellence in skiing, first aid, patrol management, administration, and leadership.
First Certified TestTwo years later, during the 1967-68 season, the pilot program was launched. Thirty-four candidate applications were received. Only eight were accepted. Seven candidates showed up at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire for the first ‘Certified’ Ski and Toboggan Exam. PSPA was asked for their help in administering the exam to help give credibility to the program for the professionals. The courses were long and challenging using the most difficult terrain Wildcat had to offer. All seven candidates participating were successful and were invited to the first ‘Certified’ First Aid Exam to be held at Killington in April 1968.
The first aid problems were challenging and realistic, many taken from actual accident reports of some of the most unusual or difficult accident scenarios New England Ski Areas had seen. In some scenarios the actual patients were asked to ‘relive’ their accidents by replaying the roles of patients during the exam. In addition to first aid skills, the candidates would be expected to demonstrate a thorough understanding of patrol/management relationship and ski area operation knowledge.
Interviews were conducted for each candidate as if they were applying for a position of patrol leader at their mountain. In the early years of the program, the interviews were conducted by the actual owners and managers of the ski area. Questions concerning snowmaking and lifts, trail markings and grooming, staffing requirements and payroll, equipment needs and costs, mass casualty plans and risk management, legal and liability concerns, federal, state, and local laws and protocol would all be fair game. All seven candidates again passed this portion of the exam becoming the first NSPS ‘Certified’ Patrollers.
Today’s exam now consists of 10 modules (some modules have multiple components). The modules include Outdoor Emergency Care; Outdoor Emergency Transportation; Avalanche; Outdoor Risk Management; Lift Evacuation; and Low Angle Rescue. The exam takes three days to administer and is in March of each year. A successful candidate has three years to successfully pass all 10 modules. If not successful, you must start again.
To learn more about our program, consider participating in one of our two summer/fall events, a “Summer Certified Boot Camp” scheduled for August 16-18 at Holiday Mountain Ski Area in Monticello, NY or an “Enhanced Patroller School” at Swain Resort the weekend of September 13-15th.
Go to www.patrollerschool.org for registration details and information about these summer programs. See www.Nspeast.org/certified for details on the Certified Program. A special thanks to Peter Neefus for the history!
by Trail Sweep Staff | Jun 24, 2024 | Division News, In Memoriam, Spotlight Articles
Florence ‘Floss’ KirknerFlorence 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. She felt the information contained in the Atwater Avalanche Patch course was so important that she began to teach other patrollers the basics of avalanche rescue at fall freshers.
She was a schoolteacher with curriculum development skills and along with other Atwater trained patrollers, began the development of a basic avalanche course to extend to all NSP patrollers. The basic course would become the NSP Circle A course and would be a steppingstone to the Atwater Avalanche Patch course which was more advanced and dangerous.
In around 1964 Floss took the Avalanche Instructor Course becoming National Avalanche Instructor #224. Having moved east she immediately became the Western New York Avalanche Advisor. For the next 36 years she maintained her certification teaching Circle A, Basic Avalanche, and Level 1 Avalanche. From 1999 through 2005 she was an Avalanche Instructor Trainer.
Floss tirelessly planned and conducted courses on ski slopes in New York State and on the Lake Erie sand dunes in Canada. Her innovation in using the dunes allowed courses to be taught at all times of year. The dunes proved remarkably well suited for probe lines and burial of simulated victims. She incorporated into her courses, dramatic films of various avalanche types, pre-course assignments, written training materials, and homework assignments. Probe lines were an integral part of her courses. In later years, she added transceiver work. Floss always included an optional overnight camping component for added learning and camaraderie among the patrollers taking the course who came from various patrols. Not only did this create a unity among the patrollers from the various ski areas but also a standardization of skills, such that these avalanche-trained patrollers could be called on to help if needed anywhere in a region or a division.
From 1976 through 1987, Florence Kirkner became involved with at the time a program called “Junior Patroller,” the program, now known as the “Young Alpine Patroller.” She understood that the future of the NSP was in recruitment of new members. A great source of new members could be found in the children of current members. The children would have most likely been at the ski area when their parent or parents were on duty, so why not create a program for these young people. As a schoolteacher it was only natural for her to get involved. She taught and helped develop 11 Division “Junior Seminars” and five National “Junior Seminars’ during her 11 years involved with the program.
Floss was very involved with her Town of Orchard Park, its YMCA, Girl Scouts of America, and the American Red Cross. She received a special award from the Canadian Ski Patrol, a Girl Scout Green Angel Award, a Volunteer of the Year from the YMCA, and a Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year from Orchard Park, NY.
Floss was the recipient of numerous awards from NSP including National Appointment #84, Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service Awards, three Yellow Merit Stars, a Purple Merit Star, and an Orange Merit Star for training military personnel. She was inducted into the NSP Hall of Fame and received proclamations from President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, United States Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Congressman Langworth, and NYS Governor Kathy Hochul.
Floss was the beloved wife of the late Bruce F. Kirkner; dearest mother of Nancy L. Kirkner and the late Robin D. Kirkner; grandmother of Jessica (Jeff) Meadors, Jacob (Jamie) Hill, Sara (James) McCarty, and Traci (Ty) Douthirt; great-grandmother of 16 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. A Memorial Service was held Saturday, May 11 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Orchard Park, NY. Memorials may be made to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Memorial Fund, 6595 East Quaker St., Orchard Park, NY 14127 or to Kissing Bridge Ski Patrol, Rte. 240, Glenwood, NY 14069.
by Rick Hamlin, NSP Historian | Feb 15, 2024 | National News
In our last chapter, the death of Dole’s friend Frank Edson inspires Dole to study ski safety.
Mount Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont was selected as the venue for the 1938 National Downhill and Slalom Races. More accurately called an international ski race, racers would come from the United States, Germany, Austria, and France. Frank Griffin, the President of the Mount Mansfield Ski Club, asked Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole if he would form and lead a special ski patrol to serve as the safety and rescue team for the races. With the Mansfield Patrol forming the nucleus and the Burlington and Pittsfield Patrols buttressing the ranks, Dole dove into the logistics of providing ski patrol services to such a high-profile event with this “super patrol.” The racing was to take place on the Nose Dive trail, a steep and challenging trail cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps under the supervision of Charles Lord, future NSP National Appointment #61.
The trail would be divided into segments with patrollers stationed within each segment. Each patroller station would have visual contact with the patrol stations above and below on the trail. Every station was supplied with a full complement of rescue equipment, including a rescue toboggan. The plan mapped out by Dole was that if a racer was injured and needed evacuation, the closest station would perform the rescue and evacuation. The recently vacated station would be infilled from the station below, with all stations below the accident moving up. Crowd control was another important safety consideration, so Dole prepared a document to hand out to spectators entitled “How to Behave While Watching A Race.” Only racers, race officials, and patrollers were allowed to have skis on the mountain. A new bar had been set for safety at ski races. His efforts did not go unnoticed.
Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole
Saturday, March 5, 1938, saw fierce racing on the Nose Dive. Dole was positioned at one of the seven turns at the top of the trail, a turn known as “Shambles Corner.” He was approached by Roger Langley, future NSP National Appointment #1, who was the head of the National Ski Association of America, the largest and most influential ski association in the United States. He commended Dole on the excellent organization and focus on event safety. Just before the first skier, Ted Hunter (who had previously won the Edson Trophy as first place amateur racer at the first annual race created as a memorial to Dole’s friend Franklin Edson III) sped by, Langley spoke to Dole. Dole would recall later that Langley was very complimentary of his efforts to organize the “super patrol” and that Langley felt that having more patrols to advance skier safety would be a great benefit to the skiing community. Langley then inquired if Dole would consider becoming the chair of a new committee, the National Ski Patrol Committee, as a part of the National Ski Association of America. Standing at Shambles Corner, Dole agreed to Langley’s request and the concept of a National Ski Patrol came to fruition.
A year later, in 1939, a biplane was flying up the valley, over the town of Stowe and headed for Mount Mansfield. Who were the occupants, and what was the change that would move the ski world on its axis? The pilot, Roland Palmedo, National Appointment #2 of the National Ski Patrol, and the head of the Amateur Ski Club of New York and his passenger, also a member of the ASCNY, Stuart Gillespie, National Appointment #13, were flying over the site of a proposed chairlift, being spearheaded by Palmedo. When completed, it would be the longest chairlift in the world. The sport of skiing was about start a period of explosive growth and the National Ski Patrol was preparing to meet the needs of this sport by providing service and safety to all skiers.
If you are reading this as a registered patroller, or as a candidate who aspires to join the ranks of one of the largest rescue organizations in the world, you too are a part of the NSP history. Each of us forms a thread that has been woven into a wonderful tapestry of history and service to the public. This tapestry continues to be woven every day that we display the cross on our backs, a symbol that has signified “Service and Safety” and high quality aid provided at no cost since our founding in 1938.
Rick Hamlin, NSP Historian
Rick Hamlin is the NSP National Historian and he plans to contribute regularly to Trail Sweep. Please watch for our next chapter in future issues of Trail Sweep.
_____________________________________
If you would like to learn more about the history of the National Ski Patrol and its founders and the early days of skiing, the following are excellent resources:
“Roland Palmedo, A Life of Adventure and Enterprise,” by Philip F. Palmedo, (2018), published by Peter E. Randall
“Adventures in Skiing,” by Minot (Minnie) Dole. (1965), published by J. Lowell Pratt and Company, Inc.
“The National Ski Patrol, Samaritans of the Snow”, by Gretchen R. Besser (1983), published by The Countryman Press.
“Skiing in the Americas”, by John Jay (1947), published by The MacMillan Company.
“Ski Sentinels, The story of the National Ski Patrol” (Video), A Rick Moulton Film produced by the New England Ski Museum.
by Rick Hamlin, NSP Historian | Jan 10, 2024 | National News
Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole
<<< In our last chapter, Minnie Dole was injured in a ski accident so severely that they thought he might never walk again, let alone ski.
While still on crutches and convalescing from his broken leg earned on the Toll Road in Stowe in 1936, Minnie Dole’s good friend and ski companion, Franklin Edson III, came to visit. Frank informed Minnie that The ASCNY had asked him to round out a race team to compete at an interclub meet that was to be held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Races at this time were truly “downhill” races, with no speed control sections or gates, just a start and finish between a long segment of open trail.
Minnie protested and told Frank that he did not think that Frank was ready for this level of ski challenge as Dole felt he was only a fair skier, about at his same level. Frank, known for his adventuresome spirit, was not deterred. He insisted he would participate in the race. On March 8, 1936, Franklin Edson III started down the Ghost Trail hoping to help his team and club have a good showing. He did not finish the race.
The newspaper clipping reported that “While racing down the steep and slippery Ghost Trail, Mr. Edson lost his balance and hit a tree.” The impact broke his right arm and also fractured four ribs and punctured his lung. One day later, Franklin Edson III would die of his injuries at the Sisters of Mercy Hospital in Pittsfield.
Injuries while skiing were well known. Participants in the sport were viewed by non-skiers as daredevils and risk-takers. However, death related to skiing was unknown. Edson’s untimely death, caused while participating in their beloved sport, was so cataclysmic that it spurred the club to examine their sport and more specifically, ski safety.
The President of the ASCNY asked Dole, as Edson’s best friend, to chair a committee to study ski safety. Dole agreed. The first task of the committee would be to find out about ski accidents of all types. A questionnaire was compiled and sent out to all of the ski clubs requesting information on the types of injuries that were happening to club members and how those accidents were dealt with.
Dole later recalls that the responses were “less than satisfactory.” Many were not returned. And of those that were returned, many did not support the idea of skiing safety and accused the committee of being “sissies, spoilsports, and frighteners of mothers.”
Dole persevered. Much of the anti-safe skiing sentiment was centered in the Boston area clubs so Dole traveled to meet with them. He was able to convince them to participate and assist the ASCNY Safety Committee. The committee eventually published its findings related to ski safety.
They found that the cause of most accidents was the result of one of three main factors:
- The skier was skiing on terrain beyond their ability,
- The skier was skiing too fast for the conditions, or
- The skier was skiing when fatigued.
Most patrollers will recognize these same factors almost 100 years later. Another finding from the committee was that there should be improvement in trail design and offered several suggestions on ways to make trails safer.
One of the final ideas of ideas recommended by the committee was the formation of ski patrols. Clubs were encouraged to create groups within their clubs and trained in first aid to assist injured skiers. Clubs in Burlington, Vermont, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts were the first to do so.
Dole continued the study of ski safety and wrote articles for newspapers, club papers, and ski almanacs. He would later say that he believed that these articles were responsible for linking his name with the topic of ski safety. Within a year of Edson’s death, the first blocks of the foundation for a national ski patrol were being laid.
Rick Hamlin, NSP Historian
To Be Continued
Rick Hamlin is the NSP National Historian and he plans to contribute regularly to Trail Sweep. Please watch for our next chapter in future issues of Trail Sweep.
_____________________________________
If you would like to learn more about the history of the National Ski Patrol and its founders and the early days of skiing, the following are excellent resources:
“Roland Palmedo, A Life of Adventure and Enterprise,” by Philip F. Palmedo, (2018), published by Peter E. Randall
“Adventures in Skiing,” by Minot (Minnie) Dole. (1965), published by J. Lowell Pratt and Company, Inc.
“The National Ski Patrol, Samaritans of the Snow”, by Gretchen R. Besser (1983), published by The Countryman Press.
“Skiing in the Americas”, by John Jay (1947), published by The MacMillan Company.
“Ski Sentinels, The story of the National Ski Patrol” (Video), A Rick Moulton Film produced by the New England Ski Museum.
by Rick Hamlin, NSP Historian | Dec 1, 2023 | National News
Charles and Jane Dole<<< In our last chapter, alpine skiing gains a toehold in North America, and the Amateur Ski Club of New York is formed.
While sidelined from skiing due to an injury in 1931, Roland Palmedo, president of the Amateur Ski Club of New York (ASCNY), wrote a letter to the Postmaster in Stowe, Vermont. He had been to Stowe in the summer and knew that Mount Mansfield was a significant landmark, but was there life in Stowe in the winter? Did the town have the facilities to host the ASCNY if they arrived in the winter to ski? The reply came not from the Postmaster but from the Secretary of the Stowe Civic Club, and the response was very positive. Stowe and Mount Mansfield became regular destinations for the club. The response from the town would also eventually lead to the biplane flight in 1939. Our story, the story of the creation of the National Ski Patrol, falls in the intervening years between those two events.
The ski conditions on Mount Mansfield in the first few days of 1936 were far from ideal. It had rained, and the snow was soft, sticky, and very dense. The rain and poor conditions did not deter the four members of the ASCNY, who were determined not to let the long drive from Connecticut go to waste. The intrepid party was made up of Franklin Edson III, his wife, Jean Edson, Jane Dole, and her husband, Charles Minot Dole, who was known to his friends as “Minnie.” Minnie had fallen the previous day and was still nursing a twisted ankle but was undeterred.
After a climb up the Toll Road and a short rest, they started their descent. One hundred yards down the trail, Dole initiated a stem christie. His weakened ankle does not cooperate, and his ski fails to edge properly. He would later describe his fall as an “egg beater.” His ankle now points in an unnatural direction, and it is clear that he has broken his leg. It was clear that he would not be skiing or hiking off the mountain.
Jean and Jane went down the mountain to seek assistance. There was a rudimentary ski patrol at that time serving the trail network on Mount Mansfield, but they did not “patrol” the slopes in a regular manner. Franklin stayed with Dole, who was getting chilled and starting to feel the onset of shock.
Eventually, Jane and Jean returned with Bob Cheesewright and Howard Black and a piece of roofing tin. Dole was placed on the short piece of metal sheet and he was dragged a quarter of a mile off the mountain. X-rays at the hospital in Morrisville confirmed a severely broken ankle. Dole was placed in a temporary splint and sent back to New York City via train to have the ankle reset.
His doctor believed that the damage was so significant that it would be unlikely for Dole to walk correctly again, let alone ski. This depressing news did not deter Dole and his rehabilitation efforts. He would later say that an accident like this might have started him thinking about ski safety, but it didn’t. Breaking your leg was just a hazard of the sport. It would take a much greater tragedy for Dole to focus on ski safety.
Rick Hamlin, NSP Historian
To Be Continued
Rick Hamlin is the NSP National Historian, and he plans to contribute regularly to Trail Sweep. Please watch for our next chapter in a future issue of Trail Sweep.
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If you would like to learn more about the history of the National Ski Patrol, its founders, and the early days of skiing, the following are excellent resources:
“Roland Palmedo, A Life of Adventure and Enterprise,” by Philip F. Palmedo, (2018), published by Peter E. Randall
“Adventures in Skiing,” by Minot (Minnie) Dole. (1965), published by J. Lowell Pratt and Company, Inc.
“The National Ski Patrol, Samaritans of the Snow”, by Gretchen R. Besser (1983), published by The Countryman Press.
“Skiing in the Americas”, by John Jay (1947), published by The MacMillan Company.
“Ski Sentinels, The story of the National Ski Patrol” (Video), A Rick Moulton Film produced by the New England Ski Museum.
