Region News
National Board Elections
Hi! My name is Wendy, a patroller at Bromley Mountain, proud to run for my second term on the National Board. As a Board member, I've seen first-hand how teamwork benefits membership of the National Ski Patrol. If you have any questions, or want to talk, please call...
Transition from OEC 5 to OEC 6
With the release of OEC 6 this past July, OEC 5 is no longer the "Standard of Training" for the National Ski Patrol, OEC 6 is. All new courses will be run under the OEC 6 guidelines. To keep current you should purchase your copy of OEC 6 and review the changes. (SMR,...
Welcome to “Corona – Ski Season 2020 – 2021”
Well, we are moving into September and the ski season is fast approaching.
I wish I could tell you that it will be an amazing winter with epic skiing and riding. Mother Nature will do what she wants to do just like always. Unfortunately, for the rest of it, this season will more than likely be filled with numerous changes and unexpected events and no doubt a lot of uncertainty. The honest truth of this is, we are still unsure what will transpire. Ski areas will open or not, with crowd limits or not. Lodges may or may not be open, again with social distancing and limit issues. Restaurants may be open, with restrictions. Outdoor seating will only go so far into the season. The ski area experience as we have known it for decades will, to say the least, be different. Only time will tell, and most likely it will be an area by area struggle and decision on how things run.
So, what does that mean for Patrol?
Social distancing, PPE, hand washing, disinfecting equipment, being diligent and safe. We can do our jobs safely and professionally as long as we are careful and follow protocols.
We will try to keep you updated on what is happening and where, but even that is a moving target. The information changes daily.
Example, At the beginning of July areas supplied neck buffs for employees to wear to protect themselves and the customers. Now we hear that those same buffs may actually make the spread of Covid worse by diffusing the larger particles into smaller ones that can hang in the air longer and go farther. .
What has been going on over the summer….
NH Region 2020 Elections – Candidates
Every year NH Region holds elections. Last season it was for Southern and Central Section Chief. This autumn the Region will be holding elections for Northern Section Chief and Region Director. Nominations have closed and the candidates will be running unopposed....
Just a quick check-in….
Well, it looks like things are settling in for the long haul.
The ski season ended rather abruptly and the summer season seems to be a long way off. Mountains are struggling to decide if / when they will be able to open their respective activities. We are all facing some sort of isolation issues. Whether it is because we are unemployed waiting for things to re-open, still are working and really don’t want to be exposed to the day to day, waiting for the daycare systems to re-open so we can get back to the day to day, etc. Whatever your circumstances, normal isn’t really normal anymore.
As a Region, the NH Patrol Directors group has met to discuss the current state and is actively looking at the upcoming season to determine what (if anything) will change in regards to PPE for its patrols. National has extended the timelines for any remaining OEC 5 courses still out there waiting for final exams to September 1st, after which time OEC 6 will be the rule. The Spring Officers meeting is coming up this weekend (April 24th, 25th) via Zoom and I’m sure the coronavirus will be discussed “a lot”.
As a gentle reminder, please close any outstanding courses you may have had so we can officially button up the season.
Here’s hoping things get back to some sort of “normal” sooner rather than later.
In the meantime stay safe, stay connected as best you can and enjoy the outdoors wherever and whenever possible.
Awards Luncheon and the End of the Season
As we all try to struggle with what is going on in the nation and the world these days it should come as no surprise to any of us that we are effectively cancelling the last face-to-face event still on our spring calendar, the Awards Luncheon scheduled for May 3rd @ McIntyre Ski Area. Division wide any events that can be moved from face-to-face meetings to a conference call are being moved and any that can’t be run as conference calls are being cancelled. Hopefully this pandemic will run its course over the next period of time and we will be able to get back to “normal” albeit possibly a slightly different version of normal.
In the meantime enjoy the outdoors in any way you can, hike, bike, walk, or just sit on the porch and relax. Keep social distancing in mind, stay in touch with your family and friends and stay safe.
2020 New Hampshire Region Elections
New Hampshire Region is announcing a period of open nominations for the position of Region Director and Northern Section Chief. Below are the details, qualifications and duties. Nominations my be forwarded to the election committee members.
NH REGION ELECTION NOTIFICATION
This year, two position are open, Region Director and Northern Section Chief. Qualification and job descriptions are included below, along with NH and Division By-Laws.
Senior OEC Season wrap up
Another successful year for senior OEC program. This year’s events were held at McIntyre, Veterans Memorial Recreation Ski Area (Franklin), Ragged, Pats Peak, Crotched, St Francis School and Sunapee. It takes a lot of volunteers to run this program. Thank you to all...
Bob Brown celebrates 60 years of NSP Service
On January 16, 2020, NSP Region Director Carl Chaplin arranged a surprise event to honor Bob Brown with an NSP 60 Year Service Award.
Bob was lured to the restaurant venue under false pretenses of an important NSP meeting he was required to attend. He was there as punctual as always. He was truly surprised! Believe me, it was no easy task to pull any wool over Bob’s eyes to get him to the event but all was well in the end.
An assemblage of past and present NH Region staff members scattered through Bob’s long-tenured service in the NSP were in attendance along with a few other friends. Several individuals talked personally with Bob with fond memories of having worked with Bob in various capacities in the NSP.
The group enjoyed the evening of good food, good conversation and some reminiscent tales of days gone by. Carl Chaplin as NH Region Director presented Bob with an NSP 60 Year Service Award with matching lapel pin. Bob was very . . .
In Memoriam: Bill Phillips – Ragged Mtn. Ski Patroller
Danbury, NH-William J. Phillips III, 51, of Danbury, NH, died Saturday, December 28, 2019, at his home surrounded by friends and family after an intense battle with cancer.
He was born in Asheville, NC, on May 14, 1968. He grew up in Fairview, PA, and enjoyed several summers of sailboating with his dad, family, and friends on Lake Erie. He graduated from Cathedral Prep School in Erie and then moved out west, working on ski patrols in CO and UT. He married Jennifer McVey, a friend from Erie, and they eventually moved to Montana. After moving to MT, Bill studied land surveying and started a furniture-making business while maintaining his job as a ski patroller. After his divorce, he moved to New Hampshire to be close to family. Bill met his partner, Liz Bolton, while they were both ski patrolling at Ragged Mountain. They purchased a home in Danbury, NH, and have worked at the ski resort together for the last ten years.
Bill was an avid skier from his first experience at Peek n’ Peak in New York State at the age of six. He was an outdoor enthusiast and skiing was his passion. He enjoyed hiking, camping, woodworking, and even became a halfway decent gardener and cook. Bill loved dogs and he always had one by his side. His fun-loving, carefree energy brought people together. He made friends everywhere he went and was loved by all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.
Bill’s father, William J. Phillips, II, died in 1983. He is survived by his mother, Suzanne Phillips, and his sister, Alexandra Phillips, of New London, NH and his partner, Elizabeth Bolton of Danbury, NH; and his aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A celebration of life will be held at
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