Region News

Hi All.

Hopefully this finds you all safe and healthy.

We’ve come to the end of what will go down in the books as one of the strangest seasons on record.

Weather wise, we had a tremendous snowfall early in the season, followed by a rain event that negated most of that snowfall. Followed by a dry stretch that lasted into February. We had some snow in February but then basically nothing in March except regularly above average temps by 15 to 20 degrees. Several ski areas had the lowest seasonal snowfall totals they could remember, and when the snow finally returned (in April) most mountains were already closed…

And then there was COVID.

First off — I’d like to wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. I can honestly say I’m not sad to see the door close on 2020.

We’ve started out the year on a very positive note with the State of NH adding Ski Patrol to the list of First Responders eligible for the vaccine in the Phase 1a group. I’d like to thank those that participated in the effort to get the state to agree, bravo… An email was sent out to all the Patrol Directors with information on how to register their patrol rosters with the state.

That’s all for now –

Stay Safe and enjoy the skiing…

Carl

Carl Chaplin
NREMT, NSP & PSPA Certified
New Hampshire Region Director

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….

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.

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.