2D Backcountry Patroller School Held At Pike Glades
March 26, 2026
Bernie Marvin
Pike, NH – Members of the National Ski Patrol assembled the first weekend of March 2026 at the Upper Valley Stewardship Center in Pike/East Haverhill, NH, for another weekend of rescue training at this popular Northcountry mountainscape and ski area.
The training course began at 8 AM on Saturday, where the dozen patrollers skied up Iron Mountain, a prominent peak on the backside of about 1800 acres located within the boundaries of the Stewardship Center.
They based their operations on the Warrior's Cabin, a former warming hut about halfway up the mountain, at an elevation of 2200 feet. Tentage for all participants was located there.
The theme this year was "out-of-bounds, lost skier." It was a search-and-rescue-based course. Heading up the training program was Orest Ohar of the New Hampshire Backcountry Ski Patrol, affiliated with the Granite State Backcountry Alliance.
He is one of five founders of the "New Hampshire Backcountry Ski Patrol which operates exclusively for the Granite Backcountry Alliance.
The training began on Friday evening, at the Stewardship Center staff meeting, followed by being ferried up in the mid-mountain cabin to set up base camp. With all the tents set up outside in the 20-degree weather, the staff held another meeting at dinnertime, and it was off to the sack for a busy Saturday and Sunday.
He said the classes still stress patient extraction by carry-in slit toboggans, but the surrounding theme will be preparing for lost skier searches. Saturday, the attendees met for a gear review and safety briefing.
Orest Ohar is one of five founders of the "New Hampshire Backcountry Ski Patrol" (NHBSP), which operates exclusively for the Granite Backcountry Alliance (GBA).
"We are two separate organizations. GBA's mission is to develop and maintain human-powered winter recreation ski glades, ensuring they remain accessible to the public. NHBSP is a "medical backcountry rescue unit" managed by GBA, set up to improve the safety of its members and the public attending GBA events. We serve year-round, including during community glade cut events during autumn months, as well as in the winter when GBA takes to the slopes on skis and snowboards during fundraisers, races, and ski festivals," ski patroller Ohar said.
GBA has an ethics education program known as Ski Kind, which is augmented by safety education programs that promote safety, self-reliance, and wilderness rescue. Both organizations serve GBA members and the public backcountry skiing community.
He explained the situation: "The difference between ski resort Patrollers and Backcountry Patrollers is that our rescues are often far from roads and access to the EMS system. The Backcountry Patroller's job is to locate, extricate, and evacuate patients injured deep in the wilderness and bring them out to local EMS waiting at the roadside. At a ski area, a rescue takes approximately 20 minutes. In the backcountry, rescuers must be prepared to work overnight to rescue their patients," Mr. Ohar said.
They then skinned up to the summit of Iron Mountain, with educational interludes along the way. There was the first Glade ski for area recon, with students setting up their camp. At 11:30 AM, toboggan laps began with skinning back to the summit.
Dinner was held at 6 PM at the Warrior Cabin. There was an SAR presentation, an SAR night Evolution and Navigation, and a 9 PM campfire and R&R. Sunday broke cold and clear; breakfast was held at the base camp, with a discussion with New Hampshire Fish and Game Officer Christopher McKee on an informant SAR discussion.
Another SAR session was held, then the team broke camp. Loaded their gear to be ferried down the mountain and prepared to ski the return leg to the base. On Sunday at 1 PM sharp, the event concluded at the Stewardship Center, and everyone headed home.
The training course began at 8 AM on Saturday, where the dozen patrollers skied up Iron Mountain, a prominent peak on the backside of about 1800 acres located within the boundaries of the Stewardship Center.
They based their operations on the Warrior's Cabin, a former warming hut about halfway up the mountain, at an elevation of 2200 feet. Tentage for all participants was located there.
The theme this year was "out-of-bounds, lost skier." It was a search-and-rescue-based course. Heading up the training program was Orest Ohar of the New Hampshire Backcountry Ski Patrol, affiliated with the Granite State Backcountry Alliance.
He is one of five founders of the "New Hampshire Backcountry Ski Patrol which operates exclusively for the Granite Backcountry Alliance.
The training began on Friday evening, at the Stewardship Center staff meeting, followed by being ferried up in the mid-mountain cabin to set up base camp. With all the tents set up outside in the 20-degree weather, the staff held another meeting at dinnertime, and it was off to the sack for a busy Saturday and Sunday.
He said the classes still stress patient extraction by carry-in slit toboggans, but the surrounding theme will be preparing for lost skier searches. Saturday, the attendees met for a gear review and safety briefing.
Orest Ohar is one of five founders of the "New Hampshire Backcountry Ski Patrol" (NHBSP), which operates exclusively for the Granite Backcountry Alliance (GBA).
"We are two separate organizations. GBA's mission is to develop and maintain human-powered winter recreation ski glades, ensuring they remain accessible to the public. NHBSP is a "medical backcountry rescue unit" managed by GBA, set up to improve the safety of its members and the public attending GBA events. We serve year-round, including during community glade cut events during autumn months, as well as in the winter when GBA takes to the slopes on skis and snowboards during fundraisers, races, and ski festivals," ski patroller Ohar said.
GBA has an ethics education program known as Ski Kind, which is augmented by safety education programs that promote safety, self-reliance, and wilderness rescue. Both organizations serve GBA members and the public backcountry skiing community.
He explained the situation: "The difference between ski resort Patrollers and Backcountry Patrollers is that our rescues are often far from roads and access to the EMS system. The Backcountry Patroller's job is to locate, extricate, and evacuate patients injured deep in the wilderness and bring them out to local EMS waiting at the roadside. At a ski area, a rescue takes approximately 20 minutes. In the backcountry, rescuers must be prepared to work overnight to rescue their patients," Mr. Ohar said.
They then skinned up to the summit of Iron Mountain, with educational interludes along the way. There was the first Glade ski for area recon, with students setting up their camp. At 11:30 AM, toboggan laps began with skinning back to the summit.
Dinner was held at 6 PM at the Warrior Cabin. There was an SAR presentation, an SAR night Evolution and Navigation, and a 9 PM campfire and R&R. Sunday broke cold and clear; breakfast was held at the base camp, with a discussion with New Hampshire Fish and Game Officer Christopher McKee on an informant SAR discussion.
Another SAR session was held, then the team broke camp. Loaded their gear to be ferried down the mountain and prepared to ski the return leg to the base. On Sunday at 1 PM sharp, the event concluded at the Stewardship Center, and everyone headed home.
At the top of Iron Mountain, the class reviews the two types of rescue toboggans the class practiced with that weekend. The top toboggan is a Fiberglass split litter with conventional sled handles attached for control. The tub-like sled is also a split-in-half toboggan known as a “four-handle sled.” These are popular in Europe and in western Unites States. Seen left to right are Sherry Chang, Chuck Boyd, James Achard, Brandon Csongradi, Martin Csongradi, Orest Ohar and Laura Styer. Photo by Cathe Neuberger.
The group is about to strap on an “EMT Rescue Mannequin” onto a SKED SLED. The mannequin is used in place of a live human during technical rope rescue practice. Seen in the photo is Backcountry Instructor Linda Helms. Photo by Cathe Neuberger.
NH Backcountry Ski Patroller Orest Ohar, at left, also affiliated with the Granite Backcountry Alliance, briefs staff and students at a recent Backcountry Patroller School at the Pike Glades in Pike, NH recently. Their course began at the Upper Valley Stewardship Center and included training with the Search and Rescue-based theme of “out-of-bounds, lost skier.” Seen left to right are Orest Ohar, Laura Styer, Rachel Tobler, Sherry Chang, Brandon Csongradi, Linda Biyd, Michael Adamskowski and Martin Csongradi. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin
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