by Chuck Boyd, Nordic/Backcountry Supervisor | Feb 18, 2025 | Division News, Program News
Nordic Fest was a blast! It started snowing on Friday night and we woke up to several inches of new snow blanketing the area. Highland Forest was our gracious host providing the Pines Cabins for the weekend. Saturday started with half the group taking skate ski lessons with PSIA L3 Instructor Candice Raines, who did a superb job teaching. Her husband, Thayer, worked with those who required more basic skate ski instruction. Highland Forest provided rental skis for those who needed them.
The other half of the group took classic ski lessons with division staff members Phil Galka and Mike Lapierre. The highlight of the classic lessons was doing the ‘Dead Bug’ to get up after a fall. Lunch was back at the Pines Cabins as we prepared for the afternoon sessions.
Three stations were set up for the afternoon. One was shelters and fire starting, the second was improvised toboggans, and the third was low-angle rescue (LAR). The LAR station drew the most comments as we tried to standardize the system across Nordic/Backcountry, MTR, Certified, and Nordic Master programs.
Once the day was done, the group shared a huge meal and dessert working them off practicing a nighttime navigation exercise. The following day some of the group again took a PSIA L3 classic skiing lesson with Candice and Thayer. The rest of us went on a ski tour and candidates’ patroller skills were evaluated.
Besides great skiing, Jennifer Jones of Highland Forest Nordic passed her Senior Nordic OET. Sten Winborg of High Point Nordic became a Nordic patroller passing all the required skills. A big shout out for their great efforts and to all who attended!
But wait, if you missed this one there’s more coming. Our next event is at Pike Glades in New Hampshire. Registration and details are available on wwwpatrollerschool.org. This event is more backcountry-oriented and requires climbing skins on skis or split boards. I look forward to seeing you.
On the weekend of March 21-23, 2025 we are planning our final Nordic/Backcountry event. The activities include a Nordic Senior evaluation and possible Nordic Master training. We are still looking for a venue; any patrol interested in hosting this event please contact me asap. The only requirement is plenty of snow.
by Chuck Boyd, Nordic/Backcountry Supervisor | Jan 18, 2025 | Division News, Program News
See you on the snow!Well, the new year kind of wreaked havoc with our snowpack leaving us firm to icy conditions, or no snow at all. But here in the east Mother Nature has a way of correcting herself. Our western regions received a good amount of lake-effect snow. This set us up nicely for Nordic Fest.
Our second event at Pike Glades in NH is still in the planning stages and registration should open soon. Patrollerschool.org is the place to find out more information and to register.
Our OET staff is putting more emphasis on skate skiing this season. This is the fastest-growing aspect of our sport, and who doesn’t want to look like Jessie Diggins? With trail running becoming so popular in the other seasons, runners have taken to skate skiing to enjoy the winter season and maintain their aerobic fitness.
Others of us just do it for fun. To help us all learn the skating techniques, we have recruited PSIA L3 Track and Skate instructors to help provide this training. Even alpine patrollers should take a break from constantly going downhill and try this style of Nordic skiing. It’s a great way to balance your fitness and prevent overuse injuries.
While I was getting ready to drive into that lake-effect snow my yard was green. That does not work for us. We finally got some serious cold weather and snow. I hope to see many of you at our Nordic/Backcountry events, and if you notice a Subaru buried in a snowbank with a set of ski tracks heading into the woods, come and join us.
by Chuck Boyd, Nordic/Backcountry Supervisor | Dec 18, 2024 | Division News, Program News
Get ready for Nordic Fest! On the weekend of January 11-12, 2025, at Highland Forest in Fabius, NY, the Eastern Division’s Nordic/Backcountry program will be hosting a Nordic Fest. What is a Nordic Fest? It is the celebration of everything Nordic, ski clinics with a PSIA track and skate instructor, skills stations, Nordic senior training, and a nice meal on Saturday night.
You will learn new skills, make new friends, and maybe start your way toward becoming a senior patroller. There will be cabins available for lodging, but you should bring your own sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Camping is also available. Registration and more information can be found on www.patrollerschool.org.
Hopefully, many of you have gone skiing in this early-season snow. I know that patrollers from both Connecticut and Western Mass Regions have had several good skiing days. I’m sure the New Hampshire and New York Regions’ patrollers have also been skiing, as we have been having a good time up in the Adirondacks.
There is no database that lists Nordic patrollers in the Eastern Division. It would be great if we had a list of all the ED Nordic patrollers. I would like some help creating this database so we could all benefit from it. Here’s an example of where this would be useful. I’ve recently been contacted to provide coverage for several Nordic races in upstate NY. This becomes a difficult task without a current list of Nordic patrollers. If you’re willing to help, please contact me.
by Chuck Boyd, Nordic/Backcountry Supervisor | Oct 14, 2024 | Division News, Program News
Hi, I’m Chuck Boyd, the new Eastern Division Nordic/Backcountry Program Supervisor. I’ve been patrolling for a long time and just received my 30-year service award. Many of you may know me already as the Avalanche Program Supervisor, a Mountain Travel and Rescue (MTR) Instructor Trainer (IT), and Nordic Master 005.
I have a passion for these programs along with my love of the outdoors and climbing. I have helped many patrollers achieve their goals within all the NSP programs that I teach. I find it a very rewarding experience which has created many lasting friendships.
Nordic/BC is an interesting program. It includes all types of Nordic skiing as well as all types of terrain. We like to consider it as everything on the other side of a boundary rope. With this comes the challenge of meeting all these different types of patrollers’ needs.
We have Nordic resorts with set track and skate skiing, State and Federal forests and parks with rolling ungroomed terrain, and National Parks and Forests with huge mountainous terrain. These different terrains require a large skill set. To master them all and become a Nordic Master is a huge lifetime achievement.
With this said, we need training in all these different styles and techniques. My plan is to offer three division-wide events featuring Nordic skills enhancement, Nordic Senior training, and Nordic Master training at each session. There will be one each in January, February, and March with the final event containing a Nordic senior evaluation. I am looking for areas to help host these events.
Currently I’m working with Highland Forest in the CNY Region to host the first event in January. February and March are TBD. Please contact me if you would like to host one of these events. Besides good skiing, we will need lodging and food options for the group. For more information about Nordic and Backcountry programs, visit the Nordic Program page of the Eastern Division Website.
I’m excited about building on the strength of this program, creating more Nordic Seniors, and working with people who want to become Nordic Masters. Look forward to seeing you all on the snow.
by Joni Porter, MTR Supervisor | Jun 25, 2024 | Division News, Program News
Every Avalanche, Mountain Travel & Rescue, and Nordic/Backcountry Instructor must attend an Instructor Refresher every three years. These three programs work together to offer a combined Instructor Refresher annually. This year’s AMN Instructor Refresher is being held at Spring Mountain in Pennsylvania on September 14 & 15, 2024.
The program supervisors hold the AMN Instructor Refreshers in different 
regions every year so that hopefully one will be convenient for you to attend. Last year’s was at Gore Mountain in the ENY Region and the year before that was at Winding Trails in the CT Region.
Although attending an Instructor Refresher isn’t mandatory for Instructor-Candidates, this is a great opportunity for them to stay current and network. You might even find opportunities to do some mentored instructing during the upcoming season!
Of course, every patroller who is at all interested in becoming an instructor in one of these programs, or is simply interested in refreshing their Circle A or Circle M skills (you old-timers know what I’m talking about) is welcome to come on out.
Registration will be on Patroller School (www.patrollerschool.org) in mid-August.
