| The National Ski Patrol System | |
| Size: | 150px |
| Formation: | 1938 |
| Status: | Congressionally chartered non-profit organization |
| Purpose: | Outdoor recreation safety |
| Headquarters: | Lakewood, Colorado |
| Website: | www.nsp.org |
The nonprofit National Ski Patrol (NSP) is the largest winter education organization in the world. The NSP provides education, outreach, and credentialing related to outdoor recreation and safety. It is currently composed of more than 31,000 members who serve in over 650 patrols.[1] NSP members, both volunteer and paid, ensure the safety of outdoor recreation enthusiasts in ski areas throughout the United States of America and certain military areas of Europe.[2] For its dedication to the promotion of public safety in skiing and other winter sports, the group was granted a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code in 1980.[3]
The National Ski Patrol was founded in 1938 in Stowe, Vermont, when the president of the National Ski Association, Roger Langley convinced the founder and leader of the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol, Charles Minot Dole, to form a national ski patrol. Dole was convinced of the need for a national ski rescue organization due to both the loss of a friend due to injuries suffered in a ski related accident the year prior and an on slope accident in which he himself was seriously injured. With Roger Langley's assistance, Charles Minot Dole organized and formed the National Ski Patrol Committee of the National Ski Association. The resulting organization became the National Ski Patrol. Upon his retirement in 1950 as president, Dole had built the NSP into an organization of 300 ski patrols and 4,000 members. Since its founding, the National Ski Patrol has worked closely with other countries in outdoor emergency care education, and has assisted in establishing ski patrol organizations in Canada, Korea, New Zealand, Israel, Turkey, Argentina and Chile, as well as the Victorian Rescue Service in Australia. In addition to its own ski safety programs, works closely with the United States Ski Team, Professional Ski Instructors of America, US Forest Service, National Park Service, and other organizations and agencies in the promotion of skiing and ski safety.[4] [5] [6]
Beginning in February 1940, Charles Minot Dole began writing to officials in the United States Army and the War Department about the need for specialized mountain troops. Dole had been inspired by Finnish efforts during the Winter War, and believed the United States should train specialized soldiers to fight in winter and alpine conditions. Due to the lobbying efforts by Charles Minot Dole, in November 1941 the National Ski Patrol was appointed by the United States Army to recruit and vet soldiers for the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment. The National Ski Patrol continued in this capacity until February 1944, by which time it had recruited around 8,000 soldiers for the 87th Regiment and eventually the 10th Mountain Division. The National Ski Patrol also assisted in training for the new troops.[7] [8]
Membership within the NSP falls under five individual categories: patrollers, medical associates, alumni members, associate members, and mountain hosts. Patrollers are those members who are actively involved in providing emergency care to injured guests and are members of a local patrol affiliated with the NSP. Medical associates are physicians who volunteer their time to assist with medical training of patrollers. Patrollers who are no longer actively involved in providing emergency care to injured guests are able to maintain their affiliation with the NSP as alumni members. Associate members are personnel who are interested in courses offered by the NSP but are not members of a ski patrol. The mountain host category of membership is reserved for individuals who participate in on mountain customer service, are expected to be able to render first aid, but not part of an organization's ski patrol.[9]
Pursuant to its mission of promoting outdoor recreation safety, the NSP has developed a number of educational programs designed to increase safety awareness and injury prevention.
See main article: Outdoor Emergency Care.
The transportation education program is designed to teach members of the NSP safe techniques for the transportation of sick or injured guests from the wilderness to safety. Specific skills taught through the NSP system include safe toboggan handling, ski enhancement, and snowboard enhancement.[10]
The NSP began instructing ski patrollers and other search and rescue personnel in avalanche safety in 1957, making it the oldest and most experienced provider of avalanche education. In addition to courses designed for the ski patroller and the search and rescue personnel, the NSP offers avalanche education to the general public. NSP avalanche education courses are based on curriculum developed in conjunction with the American Avalanche Association.[11]
Developed to improve safety of non-patroller outdoor enthusiasts, the mountain travel and rescue program emphasizes skills necessary to survive in the wilderness These skills include nutrition, wilderness physiology, weather patterns, survival skills, group dynamics, navigation, and basic search and rescue skills. This program is designed to ensure that those who venture into the wilderness have the necessary skills to do so safely.[12]
Patrollers are those members of the NSP who, as part of a ski patrol organization, provide assistance to ill or injured guests at a mountain area. To recognize and develop a continued commitment to patroller education and excellence, the NSP classifies patrollers based on completion of NSP approved courses. The classification schema is as follows: