SSAA - Southeast Ski Areas Association

SLOPE SAFETY IN THE SOUTHERN DIVISION

The Southern Division of the National Ski Patrol covers the 17 resorts of the Southeastern
Ski Areas Association (SSAA).

Each skier and snowboarder should learn the Your Responsibility Code, which is recognized by
the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and the National Ski Patrol (NSP).


Your Responsibility Code

Always stay in control, and be able to stop to avoid other people or objects.

People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.

You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.

Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others.

Always use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.

Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.

Prior to using any lift, you must have the knowledge and ability to load, ride and unload safely.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN JOIN THE RANKS OF THE NATIONAL SKI PATROL? Learn how and where to apply at the national website
at www.nsp.org or at the Southern Division website at www.southernnsp.org.

Did you know the National Ski Patrol was established in 1938 and was the first national on-slope rescue organization serving ski areas and the public? NSP founder Charles Minot Minnie Dole was motivated to establish a national organization after he broke an ankle skiing and had to be dragged down a slope on a piece of roofing tin from a farmer's outbuilding, and after a close friend perished on the ski slopes. Modeling the national group after Vermont's Mt. Mansfield ski patrol, Dole worked hard to build its membership, which reached 4,000 members serving 300 ski patrols by the time he retired as director in 1950. Today the NSP counts approximately 27,000 individuals and 600 ski patrols as members.

Did you know that that National Ski Patrol is intimately connected to the famed 10th Mountain Division of World War II? Prior to the war, Dole and other members of the National Ski Patrol met repeatedly with U.S. General Marshall to push the idea that the country needed troops specially trained for high-altitude winter combat. Marshall eventually agreed, and the 10th Mountain Division was born. Applicants for the highly skilled troops were screened by the NSP, and many were NSP members, marking the only time in U.S. history that a civilian organization was officially a recruiting arm of the U. S. Army. This special mountain unit famously fought in the Italian Alps and throughout Europe. When the war ended, many returned to create ski areas and fill other pivotal roles in the burgeoning U.S. ski industry.

Did you know the NSP was the first cold weather research and development group for the U.S. Army? At the Army's request, early volunteer NSP members helped conduct research on cold weather/mountaineering clothing, equipment and sleeping gear prior to World War II. NSP members tested gear in mountainous regions of the United States during the coldest days and nights they could find.

Did you know the Southern Division of the National Ski Patrol extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from Florida to West Virginia? The National Ski Patrol is divided into nine divisions throughout the United States, plus two others serving Europe and Asia. The NSP divides the United States geographically to include all states, even Alaska and Hawaii. Though not all states are home to ski areas, the work of today's NSP has evolved from solely on-slope winter rescue to four-season outdoor emergency care. The NSP's medical curriculum, Outdoor Emergency Care, has been providing comprehensive medical training to NSP members and affiliates since it was introduced by the organization in (year).

Did you know that NSP members from the Southern Division provided emergency care when a bomb exploded at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta? Since the first Olympic Ski Patrol was established to provide medical services at the Squaw Valley Winter Games in 1960, NSP members have been found volunteering on medic staffs at summer and winter Olympic games, both in the United States and other countries. NSP members also bring their medical know-how to assist other outdoor sporting and community events including biking, river rafting, hiking, equestrian competitions and county fairs.

Did you know the National Ski Patrol trains ski patrollers for snowsport resorts in the southeastern part of the United States? The ski resort members of the Southeastern Ski Areas Association use National Ski Patrol member patrollers to staff positions at ski resorts in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama. It takes about a year of on- and off-hill training for a candidate to reach the Basic Patroller level, but the result is worthwhile for the person, the resort and the community.

Did you know approximately 1,200 patrollers serve the Southeastern Ski Areas Association area? These patrollers provide medical coverage to SSAA member resorts during the winter season. Many of these patrollers continue rescue work throughout the spring, summer and fall in a variety of paid and volunteer positions. An NSP member could be just around the corner on any given summer day.

Interesting Links

National Ski Areas Association

Lids on Kids

National Ski Patrol

Southern Division NSP

Professional Ski Instructors of America

Snowmonsters

Terrain Park Safety

Contributor:
R. Morgan Armstrong is the Southern Division Director of the National Ski Patrol,
and a General District Court Judge for the Commonwealth of Virginia.