Heidelberg International Ski Club - Ski and Snowboard in Europe

The US National Ski Patrol (NSP) was founded in 1938 to promote ski safetyand to assist and rescue injured skiers. ln 1980 the United States Congress granted the NSP a federal charter "to promote patriotic, scientific, educational and civic improvement activities, including public safety in skiing and to form local patrols, consisting of competent skiers trained in the administration of Outdoor Emergency Care, for the prevention of accidents and rapid assistance of skiers sustaining accidents." The NSP is a service and volunteer organization, fully recognized by both Congress and the IRS as being non-profit and having those benefits.
	The NSP is now 27,000 members strong, mostly volunteers. NSP is divided into 12 divisions, ten throughout the United States, one in the Far East, and one in Europe. The European Division is further divided into seven patrols, of which the Heidelberg Ski Patrol is one. The other European patrols are Frankfurt, Garmisch, Ramstein, Stuttgart, Bavarian, and West Point due to its large US Army presence.
On most of the HISC trips there will be at least one ski patroller. Your ski patroller will introduce him or herself on the bus trip down and give a short ski safety briefing. The red and black jacket with the large white cross on the back is a good clue. But the dead giveaway is the big backpack or waist belt crammed with first aid supplies, only without the medicine. So, if you hurt yourself or just need a Band-Aid or sunscreen...just ask!
	National Ski Patrollers receive extensive training in outdoor emergency care, first-aid and CPR as well as in evacuation procedures, tobogganing and skiing. Senior Patrollers receive advanced training in emergency care, triage and toboggan skills, and focus on skiing in difficult terrain and adverse conditions. Many patrollers choose to further enhance their skills with avalanche, mountain travel and mountaineering training. The European Division offers the full National Ski Patroller program of Auxiliary, Basic and Senior level training for Alpine and Nordic skiers and snowboarders.
If you are interested in becoming a National Ski Patroller, look for us at the HISC socials or contact me, the Heidelberg Ski Patrol Director: Rick Bumgardner @ 0174-165-8950, or 06224-174640 or go to: http://nspeurope.org. The Outdoor Emergency Care medical classes start every year in September and last until November while the On-the-Hill classes start in January and go until March. Avalanche and mountain travel classes are normally held in April/March timeframe.
So as we like to say “Come join us in our office”, you’ll learn a lifetime skill and develop lifelong friendships. Rick Bumgardner Heidelberg Ski Patrol Director

Ski Patrol