2020 - 2021 Far West Skier's Guide - FWSA35

90th Anniversary Booklet/FINAL.qxp_90th Anniversary Booklet 12/6/20 2:08 PM Page 35

Far West Ski
Association
Cross Tracks with
the Far West Division
of the National
Ski Patrol
Dalton Swallow is a 4- time FWSA Scholarship
recipient from the McCall Winter Sports Club.
He is a member of the Park City Ski Team.

by Barbara Razo
NSP, 2016 National Ski Patroller of the Year

photo provided by Randy Lew

Our recipients include current or former US
Ski Team members Garret Driller, AJ Hurt, Lila Lipanja, and Foreste Peterson. AJ Hurt was nominated
to the US B Team for this coming season.
The funding of the scholarships come from a
number of sources: raffles, auctions, club and council partnerships, and direct contributions from club
members, clubs, and councils. The FWSA has
greatly benefitted from the generous support from
its sponsors including Whitefish Mountain Resort
(www.skiwhitefish.com), a year round winter and
summer resort; Averill Hospitality Group, a premier
choice in mountain resort accommodations; Schure
Sports, Inc. (www.karbonmail.com), maker of the
Karbon line of snowsports apparel, the US Ski
Team, and the Far West Racing Association. Their
contributions of vacation packages, snowsports apparel, and cash bring in approximately $10,000 per
year as raffle and auction proceeds, as well as direct
cash donations. FWSA also appreciates past spon- National Ski Patroller Trissa Ayala refining sled skills on Rips Run and Upper Park Run
sors Barbados Tourism, Canadian Mountain Holi- at Bear Mountain Resort, California in January, 2019. photo provided by Barbara Razo
The National Ski Patrol (NSP) was founded in 1938 in Stowe, Vermont, by the president of the Nadays, Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish
Montana, and the Vern Sprock family for their gen- tional Ski Association, Roger Langley. Roger convinced Charles Minot Dole, " Minnie " , as he was known,
that a " service and safety " organization was in order after Minnie was seriously hurt skiing. Minnie had trouerosity in supporting this program.
The Club/Council Partnerships started in ble evacuating himself from the slope. When NSP was founded, it consisted entirely of unpaid patrollers.
2009 with Skiyente Ski Club's Erin Nicole Scholar- Minnie became NSP's First Chairman. The current numbers and statistics are significant as one of the
ship joining the FWSA program after the Northwest largest volunteer organizations ever formed.
One of the few federally chartered not-for-profit organizations in the U.S., the NSP has since become
Ski Club Council program folded. Other current or
past program partners include: Bergfruende Ski the world's largest winter rescue organization. The NSP's paid and volunteer members serve on over 600
Club, Castro Valley Ski Club, Los Angeles Council patrols. Roughly 70% of all NSP members are comprised of volunteers and 97% of ski areas incorporate
of Ski Clubs, Mountain High Snowsports Club, NSP Volunteer Patrollers in their mountain operations. There are approximately 30,000 members with
Northwest Ski Club Council, San Diego Council of 27,700 of those members being volunteers. In the last thirty years, numbers have increased slightly with
Ski Clubs, and Sierra Council's Frank App Memo- the growth derived from paid professional patrollers joining NSP as well as some unaffiliated ski areas
coming into the fold.
rial Scholarship.
The NSP patrols are organized into 12 different geographical divisions worldwide plus a single diIn addition, the Far West Ski Foundation
(www.farwestskifoundation.org), a 501 (c)(3) non- vision for all paid patrollers. One of the largest and strongest divisions is the Far West Division which is
profit organization, is a valuable resource for en- made up of five regions with 42 Patrols located in the Western States of America. Members are recognized
on the slopes by the jackets they wear marked by a white cross on the chest and a larger one on the back.
couraging tax-exempt donations. n
The levels of the National Ski Patrol are 1. Patroller 2. Alpine Patroller 3. Senior 4. Certified.
Patrollers
with exemplary contributions are given a National Appointment Number. There are also levels
Go to page 73 for FWRA Officers.
of
personal
achievement given to a Ski Patroller who goes beyond the call of duty. They can be awarded
Turn to page 75 for the list of FWSA
the
Blue,
Yellow,
Silver or Gold Merit Star. The highest Honor of the National Ski Patrol is the Purple
Scholarship Program recipients.
Merit Star, which is awarded for saving a life. National Ski Patrol has an ongoing education system which
FWSA 90th Anniversary Booklet / 1930 - 2020

http://www.skiwhitefish.com http://www.karbonmail.com http://www.farwestskifoundation.org

2020 - 2021 Far West Skier's Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2020 - 2021 Far West Skier's Guide