This year there are many opportunities for people to get involved or attend clinics that give patrollers the opportunity to see what the program is all about. Look at the schedule below to see what is happening. Look for “introduction to Certified” events. They are being held all over the east this year. You can also find the events on the EMARI calendar page. Locally, we run many preparatory events to get patrollers trained for the program. Even if you don’t think that the program is for you, you may be interested in one or more of the components, such as:

The face of the ski industry is changing. Many of the events that we are running this year have costs associated with them. Unfortunately, due to the demands of the economy, ski areas are forced to tighten up their belts. In many cases the instructional staff at these events are not compensated in any way for their time, travel or accommodations. We have to bear with the ski areas while they are also trying to survive in these tough times.

This year’s annual Certified Exam and Meeting will be held in Vermont at Sugarbush South, a change from the original plan. Sugarbush offers two mountains of great skiing and will challenge every level. A very interesting interconnecting lift makes it easy to travel from Sugarbush South to the former Glen Ellen. Plans are being made for housing and will appear on the division website or via email to members and candidates shortly. Curious about the program? Come up and join us!! For all of you aspiring Certified patrollers, onlookers, and candidates, the Certified program will be offering several “Introduction to Certified” program clinics across the division. Pre-registration is required at the email addresses shown below. Please don’t make the mistake of showing up without letting us know that you are coming. Every event we run requires pre-registration. Precourses require prior approval before attending.

Applications for the Certified program can be submitted any time of year (actually, the sooner the better). The application can be found on the Eastern Division website at (click to download application). You can download, complete the application, and email to Credentials Committee Chair Karl Johnson at johnson.building@verizon.net. Be careful, the deadline for applications is 30 days before the exam. Submissions have to be made by February 25 to be considered. There is a program guide available on the same site that describes each part of the program. Caution: The avalanche module has changed. Information about the changes is in the program guide on the website. (Note: The bylaws have not been updated to indicate changes). For first hand information on the changes contact Bob Bluff at bluff@ptd.net Training for the program starts whenever you are ready. Just email me at cert372@yahoo.com and I will direct you to someone who can help get you started. REMEMBER everyone is welcome to come to the exam, but you must preregister: email certifiedpatrol@yahoo.com

Go to the EMARI.org Calendar to view this seasons upcomming events - View EMARI Calendar here

** Note: Registration for the Intro to Certified at Elk Mountain and the Windham event are done on line at Click here to register