COVID-19 Updates
We will be posting updates from NSP offices about changes and adjustments that our staff and programs are making in response to the shifting situation around COVID-19. How you can help. Check this page for information about how NSP members can help in their communities or in national efforts. Patrollers’ access to a COVID-19 vaccine Shortly after the [...]
Yakima® – the official Rack Provider of National Ski Patrol
Ski patrollers need their equipment to be reliable on and off the hill. This includes the products they need to transport their most important gear, their skis, and snowboards. As the premier car rack partner of the National Ski Patrol, Yakima® provides VIP discounts on everything from ski racks and rocket boxes to bike racks and fly fishing carriers. Whether [...]
Adjusting to the New Normal
By: Cipher Tarrant, 2020-2021 NSP-Subaru Ambassador 2020 started as a normal year for most of us, and now look where we are in 2021. Most kids are not in the actual classroom, lots of people are still out of work, masks have become something relatively normal. Not many of us thought the world we knew would look like this now. [...]
The Lifespan of a Ski Patroller, the Greatest Job on Earth
By Bruce Welton, 2020-2021 NSP-Subaru Ambassador Let’s be honest the lifespan of a ski patroller is ironically similar to that of the patroller’s nemesis, the ski resort “SLOW” sign. It may sound crazy but just wait. You start your career as nothing more than ink on a canvas. Whether that canvas be an employee profile or a simple orange banner, [...]
Time to Expand
Diversity within the National Ski Patrol and Solutions for Improvement By Eryka Thorley (Originally published in Ski Patrol Magazine) When is the last time that you walked into a room and you were the only person that looked like you, the only person in the room that spoke your native language? Or the only person that shared your religious or [...]
Live, Ski, Love: How finding my partner led to more than one love affair
How does a neuroscientist from Louisiana end up a ski patroller in rural Virginia? My love affair with skiing began in parallel with another, even stronger, love affair, the one I share with my husband and partner, Nick. As a child, I never owned a winter coat warmer than a fleece, let alone went on a ski vacation. My senior [...]
About National Ski Patrol’s commitment to inclusion
The National Ski Patrol recognizes that, along with the rest of the industry, we have work to do regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. Increasing the diversity of our membership is a key part of our vision themes in our Strategic Plan. Like many in our industry, we are committed to this journey. A recent column by NSP Chair Brian Rull [...]
Giving Tuesday is December 1!
Giving Tuesday is December 1 -- raise money for your patrol and NSP! What it is GivingTuesday is “a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration” which takes place this year on Tuesday, December 1. Many nonprofits take advantage of the day to encourage financial donations from supporters. National Ski Patrol will be [...]
Marriage and Patrolling
How our patrolling candidacy strengthened our marriage By David Flynn (Originally published in Ski Patrol Magazine) When my then-girlfriend Rosemary and I finished a tour with the ski school, we decided that the next step in our evolution was to try out for the patrol. For us, there were several obvious benefits, such as learning to ski better, new friends, [...]
Ski Resorts Promote Sustainability
Patrols, like Arapahoe Basin, take a leadership role By Lindsay DeFrates Photos courtesy of Arapahoe Basin The morning meeting runs smoothly. Tony Cammarata, the operations director/ski patrol director at Arapahoe Basin for the last 10 years, runs through the daily assignments of duties. He then covers the pass-on topics like first aid and safety discussions. The content, the commentary, and [...]
Introducing Ski Patrol Radio Podcast
Ski Patrol Radio is NSP's latest form of communication with our members and other outdoor rescue professionals, as well as the everyday outdoor enthusiast. Covering topics from ski patrolling and PTSD to the new surge in backcountry recreationalists, this podcast will discuss many topics affecting how people interact with the outdoors and the work our members do.Please subscribe on your [...]
Why it is Critical to Chronicle our Chronicles
Why it is Critical to Chronicle our Chronicles By Andrew Hennigh Fabricating epics around the fire The plan was in place for the next morning; the avalanche control teams were notified, shot counts were given to the shot makers, and the forecast had been adequately analyzed and over analyzed. It was mid-March and this storm would be fairly [...]
Hearing from Patrollers of Color
By Meegan Moszynski, NSP Executive Director As the national conversation about racism amplified in late spring 2020, the national staff and I started to think about how NSP could contribute. Our 10-year strategic plan addresses our vision to “have increased membership numbers, diversity and increased retention” and ensure that “all of our members have compelling stories of patrolling success,” and [...]
Poems by Alex Limkin
Spilled Moonshine In the month of May we ski the debris: dust, twigs, broken branches clumps of mistletoe, pines cones and pine needles, sun cups and sap, everything but snow it would seem in the month of May. But climb high enough, doggedly enough, and a sip of winter yet awaits pooled among the rocks like spilled moonshine. [...]
Lessons Learned
By Dave Watson Wading through the deep waters of life, surrounded by love and beauty that is balanced by willful ignorance and fear, I am learning the lessons of moments long past. Toxic behavior, violence and injustice have been normalized and it is a reminder that we all must do better. We must do a better job in the community, [...]
Ramblings of a Professional Ski Bum
By Tarah O'Connor Uncertainty, transition, a sense of loss, a sense of adventure. These are the normal feelings each spring for the seasonal flock of professional ski patrollers. We move into smaller pods of raft guides, wildland firefighters, mountain guides, gardeners, ER techs, bartenders and carpenters. This is the “normal” flow of an already difficult seasonal life. It was [...]