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Final Sweep
The
NSP Month in Review
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NATIONAL
SKI PATROL
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133
S. Van Gordon St. 100
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 Safety Role
Models
Skier and rider safety is in the news. Recent skier
fatalities and a serious lift incident have created a buzz in the
press. No one will argue that there are no risks in the sport; however,
it is important not to get caught up in the media hype. With ski patrollers
in the vanguard, the ski industry has done a commendable job raising
public awareness about safety and, through a myriad of safety
initiatives, made the sport significantly safer over the years.
However, there is more safety work to be done. National Safety
Awareness Week is January 15-23, 2011. This is the one special week per
year during which ski resorts across the country unite in an effort to
draw attention to the importance of skiing and riding safety. Safety
Week presents a great opportunity for NSP patrols to shine as the
leaders in skier and rider safety. The whole week is designed to be
informational and fun. There are a variety of activities that patrols
can do, including safety talks at local schools, avalanche safety
talks, and beacon search demonstrations. For many ski patrols, safety tables
or booths in the base lodge or on the snow surface have proven to be an
excellent way to communicate important safety messages to guests, as
well as show the NSP's commitment to safety.
To help patrols in this effort, NSP
and Subaru have teamed up once again to develop handouts in the form  of a safety
brochure and sticker, shown at right. These materials are free to
patrols; contact Christine Albertson to order yours. We also want to
remind patrols about the availability of the new NSP Personal First Aid Kit. Safety Week will be
a great opportunity to sell the kits to guests as a way to raise money
for the patrol and remind folks about NSP's commitment to their safety.
Check the online catalog for details on the NSP First Aid Kit.
As some of you may have heard, I
passed the OEC course this fall and completed my first duty day as a
patroller on December 25. Ironically, my first patient was a ski
patroller. He had lost his edge on a patch of ice and suffered a blow
to the head. As I completed the incident report and checked the box
that he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the incident, it really
hit home to me that a helmet may have made a difference. I wondered if,
on his ride to the hospital, he might consider becoming one of the
growing number of patrollers who are wearing a helmet for their safety
and leading by example.
Best wishes for a safe and happy new
year.
Sincerely,
Tim White
Executive Director, NSP
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Election Results
The National Ski Patrol board of directors and nominating committee are
happy to announce that Jim Decker and Larry Stone have been reelected
to the NSP board of directors. They will be joined by Norris Woody and
Wally Shank, who will serve their first terms. The election was a close
one, with just under 3,000 votes cast. The new and current board
members and the nominating committee would like to extend their thanks
to those who voted, and pledge to continue to improve the voting
process in future elections.
Sugarloaf Incident
On December 28, the news was filled with reports of a lift derailment
at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. A CNN reporter was on the lift as it
was being evacuated, adding to the drama.
According to Ed Strapp of the Sugarloaf Ski Patrol, who happened to be
on an adjacent chairlift and was the first to call it in and first on
scene, the patrol got all eight injured people off the hill within 30
minutes and all 130-140 people on the chairlift evacuated in less than
90 minutes.
On November 7, Sugarloaf hosted an MCI drill with support from the
Department of Homeland Security that provided great practice for
incidents like this. Look for an article on this drill in the
forthcoming Ski
Patrol Magazine. The national office wants to extends its
congratulations to the Sugarloaf Ski Patrol for their professionalism
and skill in handling this incident.
Mountain Hosts
With the addition of programs at Tamarack Mountain, Idaho, Waterville
Valley, N.H., and Windham Mountain, N.Y., there are now 20 resorts with
NSP Mountain Host programs. They are:
HP-A016 Alyeska Mountain Host, Alaska
Central Division:
HP-C055Three Rivers, Minnesota
Eastern Division:
HP-E271 Bristol, New York
HP-E131 Holiday Valley Ski Area, New York
HP-E369 Whiteface Mountain Host and Safety Awareness, New
York
HP-E376 Windham Mountain, Mountain Hosts, New York
HP-Q050 Waterville Valley Mountain Host
Far West Division:
HP-F079 Snow Valley, California
HP-F028 Mt. Baldy, California
HP-F021 June Mountain, California
HP-F075 Sierra-at-Tahoe, California
Intermountain Division:
HP-P004 Bogus Basin, Idaho
HP-1008 Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming
Pacific Northwest Division:
HP-P003 Mt. Bachelor, Oregon
HP-Q110 Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho
HP-142 Stevens Pass, Washington
HP-P046 49 Degrees North, Washington
HP-P006Crystal Mountain Resort, Washington
HP-P013 Mission Ridge, Washington
HP - VQ030 Tamarack Mountain, Idaho
Southern Division:
HP- S002 Beech Mtn. Mountain Host, North Carolina
National Day at Ski Cooper
Ski Cooper in Leadville, Colo. will host its annual
National Day on March 5, 2011. This is a gathering of patrollers for
ski and toboggan races, a pig roast on the mountain, and après ski fun.
Find out more about the event, including registration information, at
the National Day website.
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Marketing/
Communications/ Events
Enter Your Photos
into the NSP "Patrolling Is Life" Photo Contest Snow is falling, your mountain is now open, and the
"Patrolling Is Life" Photo Contest is getting more entries by
the day. Get those cameras out and start taking ski and snowboard
photos and enter them into the contest. You could win the GRAND
PRIZE of a Heli Ski/Board trip with H20 Guides in Alaska in April
2011. Read more about it here! Check out the complete list of prizes
on the NSP Patrolling is Life webpage at nsp.org,
including a helmet camera and an Ortovox transceiver. All details and
rules of the contest can be found at nsp.org under the Patrolling is Life tab found on the
home page. Thank you to our sponsors: Polarmax, H20 Guides, GoPro,
Ortovox, Bolle, Auclair Gloves, Mountainsmith, Cascade Rescue, Columbia
and Subaru.
Sponsor
Spotlight: Philips HeartStart AED 
Each year, sudden cardiac arrest
(SCA) strikes nearly 300,000 people in the U.S. alone. Automated
External Defibrillators (AEDs) treat the most common cause of SCA.
Since SCA can happen to anyone and at anytime - even on the ski slopes
- having immediate access to a defibrillator is essential. Philips
HeartStart is the world's leading manufacturer of AEDs. HeartStart AEDs
are designed to be rugged, reliable and easy to use, even on the side
of a snowy mountain. Check out page 73 of the winter issue of Ski
Patrol Magazine and learn how a Philips AED helped saved the life
of a skier at Crystal Mountain.
Philips HeartStart AEDs - the power
to save a life. Visit the Philips AED page to learn more!
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Check out the new
Enforcer boot from Nordica
 A totally new boot
from Nordica, the Enforcer features an ultra high performance 98mm last
combined with Vibram and Full Shock Eraser Technology(FSE) to ensure an
epic day from bell to bell. The Vibram sole gives perfect grip in all
situations, while the FSE Technology combines a front and rear liner
gel, neoprene toe box, and a soft bootboard to ensure complete shock
absorption and vibration damping. The Enforcer is a perfect boot for
the all-mountain professionals that are on the mountain all day. Look to
purchase it on the NSP Pro Page under Member Services at www.nsp.org.
Win a trip to Alaska with FLOW Snowboards
Log onto www.flow.com and look for the
"Search + Win" button with all contest registration information.
This is a great chance to win a trip to Alaska with pro FLOW riders
Scotty Lago and Mikey Basich.
NSP Pro Page: Need a Helmet?
Check out the NSP Pro Page and
see what SMITH has to offer and receive great discounts. Their
helmet/goggle integration system is the best out there! Protect
yourself and be a role model for others by wearing a SMITH helmet.
Need a Hand Out for Safety Week this
Month?
NSP and Subaru have teamed up again
this year to create a safety question handout and sticker for patrols
to give out during Safety Week in January and during the season. This
year's handy brochure is interactive, with questions for guests to
answer about driving and skiing/riding safety. The brochure is 5 x 4
inches and fits in your pocket for easy carrying or to hand out on the
lifts or lift lines. To receive a copy of the sticker or to order any
of these items FREE of charge, plus the cost of shipping, please
call Christine Albertson at 720-963-2621, or e-mail
her.
SIA: Do you want to preview gear for 2011/2012?
Join in one of the most exciting snow
sports industry events of the year! Snowsports Industries America (SIA)
will be hosted again in Denver, January 27-30, 2011. This is an
opportunity to see the new innovations on equipment coming for the
2011/2012 season. NSP members are invited to this event, but MUST
register prior to attending. To register, go to https://resources.snowsports.org/registration
and
scroll to the bottom of the page and sign up under "NSP
member." Please direct any questions to Christine
Albertson at the national office.
 American Mechanized Ski Guide Course coming this January
The H2O Guide Team is very excited to
present our American Mechanized Guide School Level 1, and Level 2
classes. H2O Guides, out of Valdez, Alaska, has been working
extremely hard on this program to make it the best guide school and
training program available. The American Mechanized Guide School is for
any person who wants to pursue the profession of ski guide or improve
your mountain skills. The program focuses on guiding from the top down,
and all of the skills necessary to be safe, and proficient, while
guiding in the mountains. Guiding is a lifelong endeavor, and the
course offerings are a great way to learn what it takes to become a
guide.
H2O Guides is offering our American
Mechanized Ski Guide Level 1 at Alta, Utah January 8-14. This is an
amazing location to offer such a program. We encourage patrollers,
instructors and aspiring guides to participate in this course. This
course will focus on avalanche safety, guiding techniques, decision
making, and an overview of what it takes to work in, and be a part of,
a professional guide organization. Time will be spent in the classroom,
Alta's lift-serviced terrain, and surrounding terrain will be accessed
by chairlift, snowcat and helicopter. H2O Guides feels very strongly
that we are offering and filling a niche that you cannot get anywhere
else in the United States. It is very difficult to find training that can
help prepare you to become a guide, as well as courses that are fun,
challenging, and an experience to cherish forever. We hope you join us
for your next adventure. We look forward to hearing from you. Learn
more by checking out our website, www.alaskahelicopterskiing.com,
or
you can e-mail dean@h2oguides.com
or
call us at 907-835-8418.
NSP Photo Site
You
do not need a login ID to view the photos. Simply click the link, or go
to Flickr and search for NSP Photos. The login ID is used if you want
to post new photos of an event or your patrol. To post photos, go to Flickr, click Sign In,
enter the login ID nspphotos and the password. The password for
November through January is photocontest; if the login does not work,
e-mail Candace Horgan.
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A Message from Education Director Darcy Hanley
 What if I said you could spend six days working on your
skiing, making turns on all different types of terrain and skiing with
other patrollers for the common goal of making better turns and
learning how positive coaching can make a difference? I would say
WOW!
In late November, 12 patrollers journeyed to Vail, Colo.,
to attend, by invitation, a Skimersion Camp. The camp was six days of
skiing, videotaping and boot fitting with the Vail coaches. Each person
in the group came away with some added dimension to their skiing, a new
adjustment to their boot, a different cant on their ski and a new view
of themselves on the video. The attention to every skiing detail was
amazing! It also made me wonder why we don't pay attention to
refreshing our ski skills on a regular basis.
There is no doubt that my toboggan handling skills are
positively-impacted because my skiing is so much better. We are in fact
the National Ski Patrol. We refresh all of our skills every
year, but when do we take the time to refresh our skiing? When was the
last time you spent a day (or three) trying to improve your
skiing/boarding? This program (and there are others like it) is
recommended to all patrollers who care about their own skiing/boarding
safety and, more importantly, the safety of the customer they may have
to bring down in a toboggan. I was proud to be with 11 other NSP
patrollers who wanted their skiing refreshed! I learned some great
coaching tips, a better understanding of equipment, and of course how
to better ski powder, the steeps and the bumps!
I am more than happy to answer questions about this
program, and how YOU can get some of this energy and outstanding
coaching. I want to thank the Skimersion coaches at Vail who offered
this rare and unique opportunity to find out about positive coaching
and the difference it can make!
Along those lines, the Transportation Program is in need
of some video clips of training that you may be doing with your alpine
or Senior candidates. Please send them via e-mail.
Short video is all that is necessary. There is no deadline to send in
the clips.
Finally, thank you to everyone who
weighed in on the revision priority of the Program manuals. As part of
the January board meeting, the revision timeline will be
available.
Happy Holidays to each of you and
your families!
NSP First Aid Travel Kits
The National Ski Patrol First Aid Travel kit, created by Adventure
Medical Kits, is now available. These are a great fundraising item for
local patrols; the more you buy, the better the discount is. Orders of
12 or more receive the kit for $10. Individual kits sell for $15. You
can order the kit from the online catalog.
This is a great personal item for your car, boat, RV, or camping pack.
Help raise money for your local patrol by buying six kits or more and
selling them for the MSRP of $20. You can also receive the kit by
donating $50 or more to the NSP.
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Polarmax wins
award
NSP sponsor Polarmax is proud to announce that Polarmax.com has been awarded three W³ Awards for creative excellence in web design for
2010. Reeling in two W³ Gold Awards in the Video or Motion Graphics and
Visual Appeal categories, and a W³ Silver Award in the Overall Special
Events category, Polarmax.com is quickly becoming an established
presence in the design award circles. These most recent nods add to the
growing collection, now totaling nine awards in 2010.
The W³ Awards honor creative
excellence on the web, and recognize the creative and marketing
professionals behind award-winning sites, videos and marketing programs
and video work created for the web. The Polarmax.com pieces were
selected from over 3000 entries.
"Once again, we are really proud of our design
team," said Dean Bassett, marketing director at Polarmax. "To
us, these awards mean recognizing hard work, but also our directed
efforts to produce a well-designed and appealing site that draws the user
in, and creates a home base for all things Polarmax."
Black Diamond
recalls AvaLung Packs
Black Diamond Equipment has issued a
voluntary recall of a limited number of AvaLung packs. According to a
Black Diamond press release, the intake tubing may crack under cold
temperatures.
"While we have not experienced a
single safety issue related to this recall, we are aggressively
pursuing the return of all potentially affected units," explains
Peter Metcalf, Black Diamond Equipment CEO. "The AvaLung has saved
multiple lives over the years and we cannot accept a hint of doubt in
its ability to perform when needed."
The recall pertains to a limited
manufacturing run of Black Diamond AvaLung Packs sold in 2010, which
can be identified by a PO number and model combination presented on the
following AvaLung recall
website. Any AvaLung within the production run should be
immediately returned to Black Diamond for inspection and/or
replacement.
"We at Black Diamond apologize
both for the inconvenience and the resource footprint of this
recall," says Nathan Kuder, Black Diamond's Softgoods Category
Director. "The mere possibility that the AvaLung could potentially
fail makes this an easy decision for us. Because the AvaLung plays an
important role in avalanche protocol, we want this recall effort to be
100 percent successful."
Instructions for identifying a
recalled Avalung are available on the Black Diamond website.
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Leadership
Attributes of
Leadership:
NSP National
Marketing Adviser Dave Esty again brings some valuable leadership
knowledge in this month's newsletter. This is Esty's final column, and it discusses
the confluence of faith, spirituality, leadership, and patrolling.
Dave welcomes feedback from our members on his column and how you have
incorporated some of these precepts into your lives.
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Women's Better Sweater
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Featured Item: Patagonia Better
Sweaters
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Men's Better Sweater
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The Patagonia Better Sweater is a very soft full-zip
fleece made with a sweater- knit face and a warm fleece interior. It
features raglan sleeves for comfort when wearing a pack, two zippered
lower handwarmer pockets, and a micro polyester jersey trim on the
cuffs and hems. This is an excellent piece for après ski. It can be
worn by itself or as a zip-up, and is extremely comfortable. Head to
the online catalog to order your Better Sweater today! Weight:
Men's 16.4 ounces, Women's 17.6 ounces. MSRP: $129.00 NSP Price: $74.25.
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NSP Visitors
of the Month
 Dan Hill
Dan Hill, of Bittersweet Ski Patrol in Otsego, Mich.,
stopped by the office on the way to watch the Birds of Prey ski race
with his fellow patrollers. They were all gate judges at the Olympics
together.
Thanks for stopping by!
Bill Hunley,
Scott Schafer, Gordon Drake
A group from Wisconsin, including Bill Hunley, of Alpine Valley,
Scott Schafer of  Cascade Mountain,
and Gordon Drake of Devils Head, swung by the office on their way back
to Wisconsin. Thanks for stopping by!
OEC Supervisors
After a busy day
of meetings, the various OEC Supervisors from across the NSP  swung by the
office to take a look around and meet some of the national staff. The
meeting was very productive, and included planning for incorporating
modules from the forthcoming OEC
5th edition into the refresher schedule. Thanks for
stopping by!.
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Final Sweep was created to keep NSP members informed about
national news. An archive of all issues of Final Sweep is maintained
under the Newsletters section of Member News.
After logging in, click Newsletters from the Quick Links menu. If you
have news that's relevant to the national ski patrol audience, we
invite you to submit it for consideration for Final Sweep. Please
e-mail it to editorial by the 15th of each month.
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