The Northfield Mountain Nordic Ski Patrol (Northfield, Massachusetts) is an organization of volunteer first responders trained and nationally certified in winter safety, outdoor emergency care, cross country skiing, land navigation, mountain travel, search and rescue, and winter survival.

According to the Berkshire Eagle, the 75^thAnniversary Thunderbolt Ski Race drew 85 competitors Saturday to Mount Greylock. The course, which drops 2050 feet in 1.6 miles, was described as icy, and most skiers fell at some point. Western Massachusetts NSPers, including Bob Presutti of our patrol, provided coverage.

Race results (places & times) are now online. Take a look at the 144 race photos in a slide show. Visit the Thunderbolt Skirunners and Thunderbolt Ski Run websites.

The patrol will hold its annual banquet on May first at Johnson's Farm on Wheeler Avenue in Orange, same place as last year. More information, including menu options, appeared in January's Rattlebone.

In his eighth try at the American Birkebeiner, Brett Marquand of our patrol achieved his best time yet, breaking the three-hour barrier in 2:55:49. He cruised through the 50 km (31 mi.) skating course at a pace of 5:40 per mile or 10.6 miles per hour, passing 700 other skiers after the 9 km mark. Brett finished strong, improving his pace to 5:21 per mile (11.2 mph) after the halfway point.

The 2010 American Birkebeiner (37th annual) attracted over 5,000 racers to North America's largest cross-country ski marathon. For more on the Birkie, click here. View the 2010 promotional video and aerial footage of the race.

The last patrol meeting of the season will be held at the Visitor Center at 6:00 PM, Sunday, March 14. If you wish to join us for pizza at 5:30 PM, please let Tom Deam know.

Annual elections are on the agenda.

This last day of springlike skiing was great. The mountain is now closed for the season, and staff is already dismantling the ski shop. We'll see you all next year.

The January issue of the Rattlebone is now online. It contains important information about upcoming events and the annual banquet. Download it from the patrol website.

Congratulations to Joannie Duris for another nice issue.

The patrol joined the NSP system 35 years ago this month.

The morning ski conditions report from Northfield Mountain is available in three ways:

• Daily Ski Report download with photos, snow conditions, and suggested wax.

• Snocountry daily snow report

• The mountain's toll-free, 24-hour snow hotline, 800-859-2960

The latest (ANNUAL 2009/10) issue of SkiTrax magazine contains a full-page article about Northfield Mountain. The review of the mountain is positive and includes a bit of its history.

The writeup appears on page 12 under Day Ski Resorts.

The writer, Dorcas Wonsavage, is a three-time ('88, '92, '94) nordic Olympian.

The Winter 2010 issue of Eastern Division's Trailsweep is now online and in your mailbox.

Its 16 pages lead off with Division Director Rick Hamlin's remarks on recruitment issues. Page two announces the CRREL Winter Sciences and Survival Seminar and registration information. Three articles address the Nordic Master program and avalanche courses.

For thirty-one years, Mountainfilm in Telluride Festival has achieved a reputation for exciting, high-adventure short films which target adrenaline junkies. The festival also screens documentaries on culture, nature, and environmental issues. The best of these, about a dozen each year, go on tour around the country and world.

Mountainfilm in Telluride comes to Hampshire College in Amherst on Saturday, 27 February, as part of the Five College Outdoor Festival. Screening time is 7 to 10 PM.

The Northeast River Forecast Center (NERFC) publishes this daily map of snow depth in the Northeast. It will be updated automatically every day on this web page. View it here or at NERFC.

To see an animation of the last 31 days' snow cover, click the above map. Click the back arrow to return here.

The Five College Outdoor Festival returns to Hampshire College on the weekend of February 26–27, 2010! The festival is an annual celebration of outdoor recreation, wild places, and the spirit of adventure. Activities include clinics, kayaking, speakers, and a climbing competition.

The weekend highlight is the Telluride Mountain Film On Tour, a showing of prize-winning films on social and environmental issues and on extreme adventure. The screening is scheduled for Saturday evening from 7 to 10.

The Eastern Division and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) will be hosting another excellent Winter Sciences and Survival Seminar on Saturday, March 27, 2010, in Hanover, NH. The facility conducts research and development in materials and equipment for use in cold climates. This has been a popular event, as the speakers are authoritative and the program relevant to our needs. In past programs, national- and world-class presenters addressed avalanches, cold weather injuries and clothing, chronic illness in the backcountry, GPS theory, and search dogs. Field exercises conclude the day. Details are now available in the latest Trailsweep.

The program is open to both patrollers and non-patrollers.

Visit the CRREL web site here

These documents became available on February fifth:

• Information Sheet
• Seminar Agenda
• Registration Form

Northfield Mountain opened today (December 12) for skiing. Conditions were rated good to excellent, although some upper trails were closed. The mountain will be open Sunday, and future plans depend on the weather. Check before coming up here. Call 800-859-2960 to confirm operation.

The first snowstorm of the season has struck, and the results are seen on the NOHRSC (above) and NERFC websites. Revisit these maps throughout the snow season.

The patrol will hold its annual refreshers on the weekend of December 5 & 6. The OEC Refresher is scheduled for 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday. The On-The-Hill Nordic skills refresher will take place Sunday. Check the October Rattlebone for details.

The Eastern Division of the National Ski Patrol held its annual business and training meeting of Avalanche, Mountain Travel & Rescue, and Nordic (AMN) instructors at Northfield Mountain in September for the third year in a row. Our facility continues to receive rave reviews.

Forty ski patrol instructors from throughout the northeast gathered here for outdoors skills reviews and practice. They camped out Friday and Saturday nights at Barton Cove.

Visit the event web site here

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Last updated March 14, 2010
by Webmeister Bill Schweikert

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