There are currently six education disciplines in the Ski Patrol System. The six disciplines are OEC, OET, Avalanche, Mountain Travel and Rescue, Nordic, and Instructor Development. Anyone with a desire to instruct in any of these disciplines must first take the Instructor Development Course.
There is an 8-hour classroom (face to face) option or an online E-course option. The face to face course is offered when a patrol or patrols request a course and arrangements are made to hold the course. The E-course procedure is outlined below.
The steps for becoming an NSP instructor are as follows:
| Step | Method | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Have the desire to become and instructor in the NSP system | After you have taken the course in the discipline (OEC, OET, Avalanche, Nordic, Mountain Travel and Rescue and/or Instructor Development). Get information regarding the ID Course. | Be ready to register for an Instructor Development Course |
| Find and Instructor Development Course or have your patrol sponsor one | These courses occur when requested by a patrol (working through the patrol director). The Region ID Supervisor will schedule a course and place information on the Region Calendar | Courses are listed on the Region Website – calendar of events by both a list of events and a calendar view of events. Registration links are provided and you just need to follow them. |
| Register for the ID classroom course | Currently you need to register at the National AND the Region Websites This is best done online at the Region Website by following the links provided in the announcement on the Calendar of Events under Members. There is a $10.00 registration fee for the Region course. This fee is payable only on the Region Website registration step. | You will be notified regarding details of the course when you register. |
| Take the ID Course | This is an eight hours course. There is also an online hybrid ID Course available. The hybrid course requires a face to face meeting of about 2 hours to finalize the course. | After completing the course, it will be added to your instructor record at National. You will then be considered an instructor candidate until you complete the mentoring period and are certified by a discipline specific Instructor Trainer. |
| To take the online E-course | Access the ID online hybrid course through “Online Learning” and Path Online Learning Management. This is through Member Resources—click on Member Resources and then click on Online Courses. When you enter the Online Courses you can find the ID Online Course by clicking the courses button on the top of the page. | The Online E-course has several chapters, each of which has a quiz. You must pass the quiz before you can move on the next chapter. There is also a final written exam. When you pass the E-course exams you will receive a certificate of completion. When you have the certificate, you or your patrol director can arrange for the face to face session with an Instructor Development Instructor. The ID Instructor will register an e-course. This is where you get a course number. When you have registered for this course, a time and place will be determined so you can complete the ID course. You have not completed the ID Course until this step is complete |
| The E-course face to face session. When you have completed the E-course your paperwork will be submitted to the appropriate region and division supervisor and eventually be sent to National where it will be recorded and you can begin the mentoring process to become an instructor. | There are several objectives for the face to face session | These include administrative procedures and information, the explanation of the application and mentoring forms, and the demonstration by the candidate of a lesson plan and a teaching of a brief lesson |