A Brief History of the NSP
Written by Shirley Cummings
The short version of the history of the National Ski Patrol is that it was founded in 1938 by Minot (“Minnie”) Dole. The longer version begins with two ski accidents: the first was a fractured ankle to an insurance agent (Minot Dole) from Greenwich, Connecticut who was hurt in Stowe, Vermont in 1936. At the time of his injury, there was no one to rescue Dole except his friend, Frank Edson, and a skier-by who found a piece or corrugated tin and brought him down the mountain. Two months later Minnie’s good friend, Frank was in a ski race, and fell—fracturing an arm, 4 ribs and suffering lung collapse from that ski accident. Frank Edson died the next day. The impact of these two incidents made a lasting impression on Minnie and eventually led to his founding of the National Ski Patrol.
At that time, another of Dole’s friends, Roger Langley, NSA president (who would later become National # 3) asked Dole to chair a ski accident study for the National Ski Association (now US Ski Association) and to set up a provisional patrol for the 1938 national downhill and slalom races. That went well, and Langley asked Dole to expand on the idea of a provisional patrol on a national basis throughout the US. Dole formulated his concept of patrols patterned after Parsenndienst, a patrol in Davos, Switzerland; but unlike the Swiss patrol, members of the new national patrols in the US did not charge for rescue or care.
Dole adopted the motto “Service and Safety” which ski patrols still live by today. He had to fight to have safety as one of the priorities because many ski enthusiasts of his day thought that making skiing safer would make skiers be seen as sissies. The American Red Cross was charged with developing a course and book on “Ski Safety and First Aid”. All patrollers had to pass the Standard (18-hour) Course_ as well as the (10-hour) Advanced Course and the (10-hour) Course on Special Winter Rescue. He patterned the national organization of the NSPS (for years was known as the National Ski Patrol System) after the NSA organization, first naming 7 geographical divisions throughout the US and later expanding the divisions to 9.
Dole believed strongly that any volunteer organization must implement an awards program. With that in mind, he established two levels of patrollers—local and national. “Locals” skied at their own mountain and “Nationals” could roam and were welcomed at any mountain at which they wished to ski. Nationals were appointed and had to show demonstratable leadership, skiing and first aid skills. Later proficiency in avalanche and mountaineering were added. Dole nominated his NSA president friend, Roger Langley, to be National #1. National #2 was awarded to Roland Palmedo who started one of the in early Eastern patrols and was prime backer of the 1936 Womens Olympic Squad. Eventually Dole was awarded National #3. During the first year of its inception, the NSP awarded 91 National Appointments to patrollers across the US. The double-triangle (6-point star) was used to symbolize a patroller who had received a National designation. The 6-point star is still used today.
Minnie Dole is also known as the “father of the Tenth Mountain Division” of the US Army. That is the short version of the origin of that elite army unit; the long version is that concept of the 10th Mountain Division was one that took a long time to develop. In 1940, almost 2 years before Pearl Harbor, citizens in the US were anxious about the possibility of an invasion. One very chilly night, Minnie Dole sat with 3 friends around a fire at a Vermont ski lodge discussing the war and what seemed to be working. They made special note of the success the Finnish ski troopers had against the invading Russian army. Minnie remarked that the Finns with their all-white camouflage suits, white skis and winter survival skills were an impressive and successful unit. Minnie said: “What this country needs are mountain troops trained in winter warfare and accustomed to the kind of weather and terrain we have right outside our window tonight.”
At first, Dole tried to meet with army officials but made no headway. In the summer of 1940, Dole wrote to President Roosevelt to advocate using skier skills in the armed forces and suggested that it was “more reasonable to make soldiers out of skiers than it was to make skiers out of soldiers”. He also made a thorough study of the current winter training and military tactics being used in Europe. But the Us Army moves slowly. Also, during that same time, because of the country’s fear of infiltration and sabotage, the US Army called on skiers to act as scouts and to map the mountainous trails and terrain of possibly future military importance. The NSPS was designated as official coordinator for these scouting missions and “wilderness patrols” were put under the guidance of the NSPS. In the meantime, the NSPS became increasingly involved in winter rescue. Most impressive was its involvement in the rescue and/or recovery of bombers and crew which had crashed while flying missions over US mountains.
The results of conflict in August 1941 in the mountains of Albania—where 25,000 were killed and 10,000 were frozen to death—motivated the US Army to see the importance of “mountain troops”. Thus, the First Battalion of the 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment was born; this regiment would later be re-named the Tenth Mountain Division of the US Army. Members of this regiment were on skis 8 hours a day, six days a week, five to six months of the year. Much of the training of this elite army unit took place in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, primarily at Mt Rainier in Washington and Mt. Hood in Oregon. The Tenth Mountain Division members were remarkable in many ways. They were an all- volunteer unit. Many of the members knew each other from past ski competitions, prior friendships or other skiing encounters. The training they received in winter survival skills and rescue techniques were superior.
The National Ski Patrol was the only civilian organization in charge of screening applicants for that very specialized army unit, The Tenth Mountain Division. When members of that Tenth Mountain Division returned from World War II, many of them eventually opened ski resorts across the US.” The popularity of skiing increased so much after World War II that skiers began to depend on ski patroller services and to expect that a ski patroller would be available to provide rescue and care whenever needed. That became the resort standard.
In 1980 the National Ski Patrol received a very rare US federal charter for its “legacy of altruism and service”. As chartered, the NSP annually reports directly to the US Congress.
Minnie Dole was the founder of the National Ski Patrol System. He set the goals, the organizational levels, the training requirements, the awards incentive program and spread the patrol spirit de corps across the US. When he retired in 1950, he had built the NSP into an organization of 4000 members and 300 ski patrols. Today in 2018, the NSP has approximately 30,000 members and 650 patrols.
At that time, another of Dole’s friends, Roger Langley, NSA president (who would later become National # 3) asked Dole to chair a ski accident study for the National Ski Association (now US Ski Association) and to set up a provisional patrol for the 1938 national downhill and slalom races. That went well, and Langley asked Dole to expand on the idea of a provisional patrol on a national basis throughout the US. Dole formulated his concept of patrols patterned after Parsenndienst, a patrol in Davos, Switzerland; but unlike the Swiss patrol, members of the new national patrols in the US did not charge for rescue or care.
Dole adopted the motto “Service and Safety” which ski patrols still live by today. He had to fight to have safety as one of the priorities because many ski enthusiasts of his day thought that making skiing safer would make skiers be seen as sissies. The American Red Cross was charged with developing a course and book on “Ski Safety and First Aid”. All patrollers had to pass the Standard (18-hour) Course_ as well as the (10-hour) Advanced Course and the (10-hour) Course on Special Winter Rescue. He patterned the national organization of the NSPS (for years was known as the National Ski Patrol System) after the NSA organization, first naming 7 geographical divisions throughout the US and later expanding the divisions to 9.
Dole believed strongly that any volunteer organization must implement an awards program. With that in mind, he established two levels of patrollers—local and national. “Locals” skied at their own mountain and “Nationals” could roam and were welcomed at any mountain at which they wished to ski. Nationals were appointed and had to show demonstratable leadership, skiing and first aid skills. Later proficiency in avalanche and mountaineering were added. Dole nominated his NSA president friend, Roger Langley, to be National #1. National #2 was awarded to Roland Palmedo who started one of the in early Eastern patrols and was prime backer of the 1936 Womens Olympic Squad. Eventually Dole was awarded National #3. During the first year of its inception, the NSP awarded 91 National Appointments to patrollers across the US. The double-triangle (6-point star) was used to symbolize a patroller who had received a National designation. The 6-point star is still used today.
Minnie Dole is also known as the “father of the Tenth Mountain Division” of the US Army. That is the short version of the origin of that elite army unit; the long version is that concept of the 10th Mountain Division was one that took a long time to develop. In 1940, almost 2 years before Pearl Harbor, citizens in the US were anxious about the possibility of an invasion. One very chilly night, Minnie Dole sat with 3 friends around a fire at a Vermont ski lodge discussing the war and what seemed to be working. They made special note of the success the Finnish ski troopers had against the invading Russian army. Minnie remarked that the Finns with their all-white camouflage suits, white skis and winter survival skills were an impressive and successful unit. Minnie said: “What this country needs are mountain troops trained in winter warfare and accustomed to the kind of weather and terrain we have right outside our window tonight.”
At first, Dole tried to meet with army officials but made no headway. In the summer of 1940, Dole wrote to President Roosevelt to advocate using skier skills in the armed forces and suggested that it was “more reasonable to make soldiers out of skiers than it was to make skiers out of soldiers”. He also made a thorough study of the current winter training and military tactics being used in Europe. But the Us Army moves slowly. Also, during that same time, because of the country’s fear of infiltration and sabotage, the US Army called on skiers to act as scouts and to map the mountainous trails and terrain of possibly future military importance. The NSPS was designated as official coordinator for these scouting missions and “wilderness patrols” were put under the guidance of the NSPS. In the meantime, the NSPS became increasingly involved in winter rescue. Most impressive was its involvement in the rescue and/or recovery of bombers and crew which had crashed while flying missions over US mountains.
The results of conflict in August 1941 in the mountains of Albania—where 25,000 were killed and 10,000 were frozen to death—motivated the US Army to see the importance of “mountain troops”. Thus, the First Battalion of the 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment was born; this regiment would later be re-named the Tenth Mountain Division of the US Army. Members of this regiment were on skis 8 hours a day, six days a week, five to six months of the year. Much of the training of this elite army unit took place in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, primarily at Mt Rainier in Washington and Mt. Hood in Oregon. The Tenth Mountain Division members were remarkable in many ways. They were an all- volunteer unit. Many of the members knew each other from past ski competitions, prior friendships or other skiing encounters. The training they received in winter survival skills and rescue techniques were superior.
The National Ski Patrol was the only civilian organization in charge of screening applicants for that very specialized army unit, The Tenth Mountain Division. When members of that Tenth Mountain Division returned from World War II, many of them eventually opened ski resorts across the US.” The popularity of skiing increased so much after World War II that skiers began to depend on ski patroller services and to expect that a ski patroller would be available to provide rescue and care whenever needed. That became the resort standard.
In 1980 the National Ski Patrol received a very rare US federal charter for its “legacy of altruism and service”. As chartered, the NSP annually reports directly to the US Congress.
Minnie Dole was the founder of the National Ski Patrol System. He set the goals, the organizational levels, the training requirements, the awards incentive program and spread the patrol spirit de corps across the US. When he retired in 1950, he had built the NSP into an organization of 4000 members and 300 ski patrols. Today in 2018, the NSP has approximately 30,000 members and 650 patrols.
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