2021 Southern and Central Section Chief Elections

Southern Section patrols and Central Section patrols will be voting during the 2021 election season for Section Chiefs. Lisa Kling, the current incumbent, is running unopposed for election as Southern Section Chief, and Deb Brown, also an incumbent, is running unopposed for re-election for Central Section Chief.

The Northern Section is not in contention because its elections are held during even-numbered years. Ballots will be available to all section member patrollers by email invitation. Voting opens on October 31st and ends on November 20, 2021.

As voting Patrollers, we ask you to please familiarize yourselves with the candidate’s campaign and Ski Patrolling Curriculum Vitae:

The OEC Senior Program is Changing…

It takes a special patroller to step up to the challenge of the senior OEC program. They subject themselves to a whole lot of scrutiny as they train with fellow patrollers working their way through difficult scenarios designed to improve their decision making, problem solving and leadership skills. Being involved in this program is a learning opportunity for all of us. We learn from each other and grow as a team. For most of us, this isn’t a one and done, learning experience. It’s a process that is refined over the years.

Each year we kick off the senior program with an informational meeting in early November and begin scheduling events after the holidays through mid-March. This year’s season will start earlier than past seasons and commence with a final exam on February 10th. Great care has been taken to plan events around holidays and hopefully avoid the end of year burden on patrols with…

In Memoriam: Janis Albrecht – Whaleback Patroller

Janis Albrecht, 60 years old, passed away peacefully May 10th 2018. Raised in Fairfield CT, graduated class of 1975 Andrew Warde High School. A longtime resident of Gaysville, VT.

Janis was a professional Ski Patroller, EMT and volunteered with the adaptive ski program for people with disabilities. She patrolled at Killington Resort, managed the Mountain Ambassadors then took over as Patrol Director for a few. During the summer months, she worked with the horse show circuit.

Janis loved traveling, adventure, hiking, sailing and being with family, friends and her dog. She loved going to concerts and music festivals from Jazz Fest, Bluegrass, Grateful Dead shows, and Zydeco. Janis was a happy, caring, joyful person who loved to have fun and filled her life with wonderful experiences. Ski Patrollers and ski area customers will remember her ever-present smile. She will be dearly missed by her family, her friends, the Ski Patrolling community and never forgotten.

After Killington, she went to Loon Mountain and Black Mountain before settling close to home at Whaleback in Enfield NH. Janis joined the Whaleback Patrol in 2010. Patrol Director Dave Rancore remembers, “I offered her a paid position and made her my assistant. She brought so much knowledge and experience. Over the nine years that Janis was at Whaleback she help me get my instructors certification and we moved refreshers in-house. She was a true patroller first on last off every shift. Yet you might see her giving lift attendants breaks by covering a lift; working in the kitchen; training patrollers on the toboggan and anything else that the ski area might need.”

She will be missed by Whaleback — the Ski Patrol will hold a “Celebration of Life for Ski Patroller Janis Albrecht” at . . .

National Board Election Season has begun…

National Ski Patrol is once again in an election year for National Board representation. The NSP.ORG website debuted the 2017 CANDIDATES website where members may read the platform statements of each nominee.

The NSP Forum web page is also open again this year, where questions can be posted and candidate responses can be tracked. The forum allows multiple candidates to post their responses to member posed questions. NSP want to encourage discussions between the members and the candidates.

New Hampshire Region is dedicated to help our members learn about the candidates

Welcome to a new season!

Welcome patrollers to the start of another season. As the refreshers wrap up and we all ramp up, rest assured, this season almost certainly will be better than what Mother Nature provided last winter. Many of our mountains will be opening over the next few weeks and...