Senior Application / Deadline

We are quickly approaching a deadline for applicants for the Senior Patroller program. That deadline is December 1, 2019. Senior Patroller is tailor-made for members who aspire to perform at the upper levels of skiing/snowboarding, emergency care proficiency, and other skills used while patrolling. In addition, the Senior Program prepares patrollers for leadership roles within the NSP.

The program consists of core and elective requirements for on-hill activities including Ski or Snowboard skills and Toboggan handling skills, off-hill activities in Outdoor Emergency Care skills, and taking three electives with courses such as Ski or Snowboard or Toboggan Enhancement Seminars, Instructor Development, Mountain Travel and Rescue, Avalanche, PSIA/AASI, or CPR Instruction.

Training opportunities exist, but with advisement from your patrol director, the candidate needs to seek out support from patrol on-hill resources, and scenario opportunities from their area's OEC staff. 

Very specific program requirements are contained in the National Ski Patrol Central Division website. On-hill testing is done by the Eastern Michigan Region and includes the mandatory pretest at Pine Knob on February 9, 2020, and the test at Boyne Highlands on February 22, 2020. Senior OEC testing is also done at a EMR Region level and includes an optional OEC practical pretest at Pine Knob February 8, 2020, and the final OEC practical test at Pine Knob on March 14, 2020.

Requirements include having a full year of patrolling under your belt before you start your senior training, and the permission from your Patrol Director. You will also need to have your Alpine rating at your local resort in order to begin the on-hill portion of Senior.

To apply for Senior, talk to your patrol director and visit the Senior Application on this website by December 1 in order to fill out an application.