Western Appalachian Region Nordic SKI Patrol

National SKI Patrol

Western Appalachian Region

Nordic SKI PATROLS

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Would you like the opportunity to hone your skills and to develop new ones in order to make Nordic skiing safer and more enjoyable for everyone?  Training is available for qualified candidates who share our passion.  Click Join Us for more information.




Low Angle Rescue

April 12, 2026

Practicing low angle rescue, getting familiar with new gear and comparing setup and breakdown time with an older system.




Patrolling

February 14, 2026

A few images while patrolling at Kooser and the North Woods. Great weather, plenty of snow and meeting great people.




Patrolling

January 31, 2026

More images from patrolling as we enjoy the best snow conditions we’ve had in year.




On the Trail Refresher

November 24, 2025

Makeup day and extra practice making mission ridge toboggans and patient transport through uneven terrain with a stokes basket.




On the Trail and Stop the Bleed

October 4, 2025

Preparing for winter, Laurel Highlands and Laurel Summit Nordic patrollers gathered to practice tying a few knots, making harnesses with webbing, orienteering and Stopping the Bleed. Many thanks to Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital Trauma Center for their knowledge and expertise.




Back Boarding & Stokes Basket with Wheel

September 7, 2025

Reviewing how and when to backboard and testing out Laurel Summit patrol’s new Stokes basket with wheel for days where there’s little or no snow…much easier than carrying.




Mountain Travel and Rescue Skills Refresher

July 17, 2025

Laurel Highlands and Laurel Summit patrols in-person skills component for OEC Refresher Cycle C covered triage, basic care including shock, snake bites, land navigation, femur fracture, patient assessment and vital signs, substance abuse, open and closed soft tissue injuries, controlling bleeding and transportation using the stokes basket.




Laurel Summit 50th Anniversary Celebration

April 26, 2025

Laurel Summit Nordic Ski Patrol celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a gathering of current and former patrollers, mountain hosts, and volunteers at the warming hut on Laurel Summit Road. As the first Nordic ski patrol in the Western Appalachian Region, there is a long history of dedication, commitment, and cooperation between the patrol and Forbes State Forest team that has made it happen and continues to keep it going.

Ann Rahn is one of the earliest & longest standing members of the patrol. Her dedication and hard work have kept the patrol on course and growing. Ann shared some history….the two patrollers who started our patrol were Laurel Mountain Alpine patrollers – David M. Schaeffer and Bob Murray. They received area management approval to create a patrol from Bob Ache, the Pennsylvania State Park forester at that time. Like our current District Forester, Edward Callahan, Bob was always supportive. When our Patrol got a grant from the Mellon Foundation to build a patrol hut, we wanted to put it just down the road from the entrance to the alpine ski area. Bob supported this location, and he built a warming hut for the public right next-door. We are grateful to the Forbes State Forest team for their support in building & maintaining our current warming hut.

Another bit of history that is cool…. Ann Rahn and David Schaeffer were Nordic patrollers at the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, NY and they brought back the first rescue sled designed for tracked trails. What a wonderful experience to bring to our patrol! They were top notch patrollers back then, and we continue to follow their lead as we look toward the next 50 years! For more info see this article by Dave Hurst.




Nordic/Backcountry Skills

February 2, 2025

Patrollers from Laurel Highlands with instructors from Laurel Summit practiced Nordic and backcountry skiing skills at Kooser state park. Nordic skills included kick and glide, snowplow, pole drag, side step, side slip, herringbone, skate and classical techniques, telemark turns, kick turns, AVA turns, wedge turns, parallel turns and many drills in varying conditions. It all came together with a great group effort.




MTR 1 – Mountain Travel and Rescue Level 1

November 9 – 10, 2024

Patrollers from Laurel Highlands, Laurel Summit and Wisp combined efforts, learning the skills necessary for and then participating in a search and rescue scenario involving a small aircraft downed in a wooded area.

Skills included land navigation with topographic maps using UTM coordinates, inventory and gathering of essential rescue equipment, route planning with emergency rescue app SARTOPO, search and rescue basics using the ICS (Incident Command System), essential knots and harnesses, overnight camping, matchless fire building, low angle rescue and emergency rescue techniques. It all came together with a great group effort.




Nordic Backcountry Refresher Cycle B skills session

October 19, 2024

Laurel Highlands and Laurel Summit patrols annual refresher this year covered, airway and shock management, allergies and anaphylaxis, musculoskeletal injuries, lifting and transporting patients, abdominal illness and injuries, building matchless fires in a wet environment, applying traction splints for mid shaft femur breaks and back boarding and stabilizing spinal injuries.




Ropes and Low Angle Rescue Training

July 8, 2024

Patrollers from Laurel Highlands, Laurel Summit, Blue Knob, Canaan Valley and Wisp Nordic and Alpine ski patrols gathered at the Shaffer Run warming hut to practice the teamwork and skills necessary to perform safe and efficient low angle mountain rescues.

We had a great time. Delicious food, good company and the bonding that comes from the shared experience of training together to prepare for worst case scenarios. All in order to make a safer and more enjoyable winter experience.




Laurel Highlands and Laurel Summit Nordic Ski Patrols Welcome our Four New Patrollers

June 30, 2024

Todd, Shaun, Cheryl and Rebecca
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First ever all Nordic OEC class
Todd, Shaun, Cheryl and Rebecca

Congratulations to Rebecca Bradnam of Laurel Summit Nordic and to Todd Lepley, Shaun Moon and Cheryl Ritts of Laurel Highlands Nordic ski patrols on completion of their Outdoor Emergency Care certification and on their graduation from candidates to Nordic Ski Patrollers. Also, special thanks to the instructors for their time and effort putting together and conducting our first all Nordic OEC class. We’re looking forward to sharing many hours on the trails this winter with our new patrollers.




Sue Lee Receives 2023 Western Appalachian Region Patroller of the Year Award

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Congratulations to Sue Lee on receiving the Western Appalachian Region Patroller of the Year award for her dedication to patrolling, teaching, recruiting and all the behind the scenes work that goes into building and maintaining a highly skilled and well run patrol at Laurel Summit.

Sue began as a volunteer in 2010 and has been a patroller for 11 years. She has been sharing her knowledge as an OEC (Outdoor Emergency Care) and MTR (Mountain Travel Rescue) instructor for the past five years. She served as treasurer for the past several years and in the spring of 2023 was elected patrol director at Laurel Summit.

In 2023, Sue completed the NSP Nordic Senior program which provides enhanced training in managing emergency scenarios, toboggan handling, Nordic skiing skills and also prepares patrollers for leadership positions within the NSP.




Welcome New Patroller Eric Vaughn

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Laurel Highlands Nordic Ski Patrol is pleased to welcome and announce the addition of Eric Vaughn to our patrol.  Eric is an experienced NSP Nordic, Backcountry and Alpine Patroller who has recently relocated from from Denver, Colorado to Washington, DC.  No stranger to hours behind the wheel, Eric served as a primary patroller with the Panadero ski patrol, located three hours south of Denver.  He also volunteered as a secondary patroller with the Bryan Mountain ski patrol  https://bmnsp.org before joining us. 
His rich background of experience includes:
 
NSP OEC (Outdoor Emergency Care) instructor
Search and Rescue
General mountaineering and ice climbing instructor
National Speleological Society (NSS) member
Cave rescue volunteer 
Volunteer forest fireman (Colorado)
 
Please join us in welcoming Eric to our patrol.




On the Trail Nordic Skills Refresher

October 21 2023


The Laurel Highlands and Laurel Summit Nordic ski patrols were busy on a rainy fall day at the Mighty Oak pavilion in Koosher state park, preparing for the winter ski season by reviewing land navigation, low angle rescue skills and assembling a mission ridge toboggan from the materials we carry in our travel packs.

Hot coffee, steaming apple cider and a warm fire were greatly appreciated and helped keep the cold damp weather at bay.




Ropes and Low Angle Rescue Training

October 7 – 8 2023


14 Patrollers gathered at the Shafer Run warming hut to practice setting up a ‘Z’ pulley system and Stokes basket to rescue volunteer victims over a low angle hillside off Shafer Run trail.

Day 1 – review anchors, knots, Z pulley setup, handling Stokes basket.

Day 2 – Practice low angle rescues and working smoothly as a team.

It was a great weekend, fun educational and we all walked away with more knowledge, deeper understanding and confidence that we can perform low angle rescues smoothly, efficiently and in a timely manor.




Three Ways to Enhance Balance and Stability for Cross Country Skiing

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Use these exercises to Improve your balance and stability during the off season so that you’ll be ready when the snow arrives.




Cross Country Skiing for Beginners

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Welcome to the oldest winter sport in the world. Here’s lots of info on what it is, gear, what to wear, safety, etiquette, conditioning exercises and dream destinations in Sweden and Norway.