Welcome!

National Ski Patrol
Western Massachusetts Region
Thunderbolt Ski Patrol

MOUNTAIN TRAVEL AND RESCUE 1 ("MTR1")

with emphases on pre-course preparation, backcountry travel, and hands-on practice

This course is designed for the motivated student willing to commit to significant pre-course study and preparation. The goal is to utilize the inherently limited in-person time only for those learning opportunities that are not available through published educational resources.  The course also requires hiking and overnight camping gear, an accompanying fitness level for sustained hiking with a loaded overnight pack, and the ability to live in backcountry conditions for a two-day/one-night trip. 

All of this is toward fulfillment of the official NSP description for an MTR1 course:

"This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to travel and work in reasonable safety and comfort in the outdoor environment, and to be an asset to a search and/or rescue team, including possible overnight operations.  Field practice includes practice in navigation, travel, survival, basic search and/or rescue exercises, and an overnight campout."

For an understanding of what additional advanced training beyond the MTR1 level would entail, you can review this MTR2 course website (or an integrated Avalanche Level 2 course).  And here are some pictures of the 2011 and 2013 courses.

Greylock Maps

The first four maps listed below are free, and the first three are required for the course.  Either print out multiple copies of each on regular paper, or -- preferably -- print out one copy each on waterproof material.  The commercially produced maps are described here and will be presented at the course, but are probably not worth purchasing.

1. The DCR Mt Greylock Reservation winter map provides excellent trail details, although some other aspects are lacking as compared to a USGS topographic map.
2. The DCR Mt Greylock Reservation summer map provides some additional information not included on the winter map.
3. A custom map (which prints best on legal-sized paper) has been produced specifically for the course, with GPS field data superimposed on the USGS map.
4. New England Cartographics produces a Mt Greylock map, but as of the 2002 5th edition, the contour interval is 100 feet, the details are rather coarsely rendered, the paper material would quickly disintegrate in the field, the map and meridians are rotated to magnetic north (without even a note as to the actual declination), no tics (whether UTM or lat/long) are provided, and the scale is 31,680.
5. The Williams Outing Club produces a map for the Northern Berkshires, which can be purchased on its own or with the North Berkshire Outdoor Guide book.  The current version is in its 10th edition.  As of the 9th edition, the contour interval was 18 meters (59 feet), details rendering was excellent, and both UTM and lat/long tics were included.  But the paper material would quickly disintegrate in the field, the meridians are aligned to magnetic north, and the scale was 50,000. 
6. The AMC produces a map for the Northern Berkshires, Southwestern Massachusetts, and Wachusett Mountain Reservation, which can be purchased on its own or with the Massachusetts Trail Guide book.  The current version is in its 9th edition.  As of the 8th edition, the contour interval was 100 feet, details rendering was okay, the paper material would disintegrate almost immediately in the field, the map was rotated to 16.5 degrees west (as opposed to aligned with true north or even the 14.5-degree magnetic north), the tics (both UTM and lat/long) mainly lacked numbers, and the scale was 47,520.
7. The AMC previously produced a "Shaded Relief Map of Mt Greylock State Reservation" (through 1995 at least) on waterproof material, but it no longer seems to be available.  The 30k scale and large geographical coverage make it somewhat cumbersome in the field, but the tear-proof material somewhat compensates for that drawback.  More importantly, the 50-foot contours and other details are finely rendered, plus both lat/long and UTM tics are provided.  Unfortunately, although the map is aligned to true north, the meridians are aligned to magnetic north, which is useful if lacking a compass with adjustable declination, but otherwise confusing.
8. The Berkshire Natural Resources Council seems to have inherited the discontinued AMC map described above.  Meridians are now aligned to both true north and magnetic north, but unfortunately the map is now printed on regular map that will not last very long in the field.

In Memoriam

Your course instructor Jonathan Shefftz never became a university professor like his father, Melvin Charles Shefftz, yet he nevertheless owes both his skiing and teaching skills to Professor Shefftz.

You can read about read about the late Professor Shefftz here:
http://www.wildsnow.com/5508/melvin-charles-shefftz-eulogy/

And here are some remembrances from former students of Professor Shefftz:

“[. . . ] a fellow former student and admirer of your father. I took two of his courses at Binghamton. I had been a Russian linguist in the military prior to going to school and this fascinated your father, which resulted in many spirited conversations after class. He remains the brightest memory from my academic career.”

“I started my Binghamton career intent on being a lawyer.  Then I took his European history survey. Your father filled the room with commanding intellect and passion and changed my life. I have been teaching history at a small private school in NYC for the past fifteen years. Prof. Shefftz is the reason I have been so happy doing what I have been doing.”

“Your dad was a fine professor and helped all of us get started as young historians in the formative years of the doctoral program. His History of History boded well for all of us. I have often thought of him in my long career here.”

“I was an avid student of Mel's from 1995 to 1998 and I think I must have taken about 5 courses from him.  I also bombarded him quite regularly in his office hours.  Mel's the reason why I found out about democratic socialism – with both of my parents Republican-leaning I certainly don't think I would have found out about this on my own.  And, finally, I was one of the students that Mel discouraged from going to law school.  I am so glad that he convinced me, along with Warren Wagar, to pursue a doctorate in British history.  This fall I am going to be teaching a survey lecture course in Modern Britain for the first time.  I can still remember that course fondly – it was Fall of 1995, my very first semester on campus.  He will surely be missed.”

“I first took a class with Mel in 1966 or 67, and went on to take several more. [...H]e was brilliant, and almost supernaturally learned. [...] Mel's lectures often were hilariously funny.  My recollection is that I spent half his classes furiously writing notes, and the other half gasping like an asthmatic at his jokes.  What I most admired about Mel though – what I really loved about him – was his unusual and often touching personality. Though passionate, Mel had no malice (well, perhaps I should say little malice) and while he had pride in his own talents, it was not the sort of pride that required him to denigrate others in order to feel better about himself. He also had a deep honesty: in the midst of a heated debate, if his opponent brought up some fact that counted against Mel's position, Mel would acknowledge that his opponent had a point, and then modify his argument to make it more nuanced, more subtle, to encompass both the essence of his own original position and the point his opponent had made.”

Instructor Bios & Contact

To contact any of us, simply leave a comment with your email address (which will be kept private and not publicly posted).

Despite the volunteer status of the two lead instructors (since they earn their livings off the snow), they bring many professional credentials to their teaching, as well as many years of ski touring experience. And in addition to their NSP instruction in avalanche safety and mountain travel/rescue courses, both have undergone additional avalanche instructor training from the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (“AIARE”), and both are members of the American Avalanche Association.

Instructor of Record

Jonathan Shefftz patrols for Northfield Mountain and the Thunderbolt Ski Patrol. He is a PSIA-certified ski instructor for both alpine and nordic, U.S. Ski Association alpine race coach, organizer of a ski mountaineering race series (with personal wins at seven different venues), member of the Governing Board of the American Avalanche Association, recipient of the NSP Eastern Division Outstanding Nordic Patroller of the Year award (as well as runner-up at the national level), and organizer (as well as past presenter) for the Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop. His avalanche training includes Level 1 from the National Ski Patrol and both Level 2 and 3 from Chauvin Guides International. In addition to the Northeast, his ski touring and ski mountaineering has mainly been in the Sierra and especially the Pacific Northwest (having skied from the summits of eleven volcanic peaks above 10,000 feet, including Rainier as the highest and Glacier Peak as the least accessible). He has published extensively on the assessment (both quantitative and qualitative) of avalanche incidents and also written comprehensive reviews of avalanche beacons and other ski gear.

Instructor

Mark Renson is a National Ski Patrol Alpine Senior Patroller and member of the Mad River Glen and Mount Washington ski patrols. His U.S. avalanche training includes Level 1 from Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, Level 2 from Chauvin Guides International, Level 3 from the American Avalanche Institute, and the National Avalanche School. He also has a Canadian Avalanche Skills Training (“AST”) Level 2 Certificate via the Ski Mountaineering Leadership Course from SME. In addition to the Northeast, his ski touring and ski mountaineering has mainly been in British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies.

First Aid

If you are not an NSP currently certified Outdoor Emergency Care ("OEC") Technician, then you must send proof to the IOR of at least the typical two-day introductory first-aid and CPR course.

Better yet, take a Wilderness First Aid course, and even better, an Advanced Wilderness First Aid course. Providers include:

SOLO

NOLS

Wilderness Safety Council

Wilderness Medical Associates

If you are an OEC Technician, then read the Wilderness appendix of the OEC Fourth Edition
(Unfortunately this material appears to be omitted from the Fifth Edition.)

Pack and Gear

By the end of September, complete this checklist in either xls or pdf format, and email it to the IOR (as listed on the registration form).

Bring your fully assembled pack ready to go for the course's Saturday morning start, when we will inspect and discuss all our packs.  (For a presentation and discussion of a daytrip pack, you can review this blog post.)
We will travel throughout the weekend with all of our overnight gear, so everything must fit inside or be tightly secured to the outside of your pack.  Here are some quotations to keep in mind:

• “Our packs should be small and dense.” - Joe Stock, IFMGA fully certified mountain guide
• “Our packs should weigh . . . success.” - one of my partners before our Rainier summit ski
• “Remember that ‘speed is safety.’” - Mark Houston and Kathy Cosley, Alpine Climbing:  Techniques to Take You Higher
• “Be sure the group knows in advance that there will be an emphasis on moving fast; then leave for dead those who won’t comply.” - Craig Connally, The Mountaineering Handbook:  Modern Tools and Techniques That Will Take You to the Top

So as to achieve these goals, before the course, be sure to practice:

• unpacking and repacking everything;
• setting up your tent and other overnight gear;
• cooking dinner;
• treating water; and,
• hiking at a steady pace over steep off-trail terrain with all your gear (including overnight items), eating and drinking along the way, without having to stop to rest.

Some additional items to bring or at least consider, along with other related thoughts:

• For navigation, in addition to the sighting mirror compass with adjustable declination as noted on the gear list, bring printouts of the free maps from this list.  If you opt to bring a GPS, then load this gpx file.  Also, although a barometric altimeter is a highly critical tool for navigation, if you don't already own one, and are pressed for cash at the moment (but note that NSP members can order Highgear products through the Accessories Catalog and Promotional Offers page), then you can forego one for now.
• For ropework, bring your accessory cord and webbing for knot practice during the course.  Other gear for mechanical advantage systems will be provided by the instructors (including ropes of course).  Feel free to bring your own gear too if you'd like, but that is strictly optional, or at least review this detailed list of such gear.
• Your ski patrol name badge to help with initial introductions.  
• Extra FRS/GMRS radios will help our coordination when we sometimes split into separate groups.
• Certain items you can arrange beforehand to share with one other fellow student.  On a real trip these could be shared with even more partners, but for the course the sharing is limited to just two people per shared item so as to ensure full engagement by each student in preparation, tent setup, and cooking (with mandatory use of a stove, for training purposes, even though for a "real" one-night trip you could easily get away without one).
• Animals getting into our food and/or trash (which we will of course pack out) is probably not a concern at this time of year, but use your own judgement here.
• Bring sufficient clothing and related items (especially shelter) as if the course were taking place during winter weather, so as to train for such conditions.  (This essentially rules out a bivy sack, unless you really think you could sleep out overnight in such a fashion during harsh winter weather.)  Therefore, your completed gear list should have only a few items at most that are conditional upon whatever the actual weather forecast is for the course weekend, since you need to be prepared for both potential below-freezing temperatures and above-freezing precipitation (i.e., our pretend winter).  And although all the multiple pairs of gloves might seem excessive, if this course were being conducted in winter -- as would be an MTR2 course (whether on Mt Greylock or combined with Avalanche Level 2 in the Northern Presidentials), for which this course is preparation -- then you would definitely need this because of all the rescue digging in snow.
• If you have winter travel gear (i.e., backcountry skiing or snowboarding setup with skins, avalanche rescue equipment, helmet, and steep-snow climbing gear), then bring that for the Sunday afternoon show & tell (and emergency sled construction), but such gear is not mandatory as we will not be traveling with any of it.  (So keep it in your car upon arrival Saturday morning.)

On-Line Courses

By the end of September:

1. Complete this self-paced incident command course and email the FEMA Certificate of Achievement pdf file to the IOR address as listed on the registration form.
2. Register for this self-paced Mountain Weather course and complete the quizzes for “Part 1: Foundation Topics” (and the other parts too if you have additional time and inclination). On the initial registration form, enter the IOR email address as listed on the registration form for automatic notification of your completion.
3. Complete this self-paced Leave No Trace course and email the jpg certification file that is generated at the very end of the course (after the scoring screen and upon entry of your contact information . . . or just generate a screen capture once your score and "congratulations" appear on the screen).
4. Complete this self-paced map bearing course and email the certification file (save as a picture file) that is generated upon successful completion.  

Knot Practice

As shown in the required reading and on-line, practice these knots:

• Overhand knot
• Figure 8 knot  (all variations)
• Butterfly knot
• Double Fisherman knot
• Water knot
• Clove hitch
• Girth hitch
• Prusik hitch
• Muenter hitch

If you do not already own climbing gear, then buy a five-foot section of 5mm accessory cord and a five-foot section of tubular webbing at a climbing or outdoor shop.  Bring this accessory cord and webbing with you to the course for further practice.

Reading and Review Quiz

Read the following two texts:

• NSP's Mountain Travel and Rescue (second edition, 2012:  currently, least expensive price is from the NSP Accessories Catalog, although best deal is from Amazon if adding other products to reach minimum purchase for free shipping) – all chapters.
• Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering, by Martin Volken, Scott Schell, and Margaret Wheeler – Note that avalanche-specific sections you can skip over include:  Chapter 1's avalanche safety equipment; Chapter 2's sections other than “Tour Planning” and “Human Factors and Group Dynamics”; Chapters 4, 5, 7 (skinning, skiing, and transitions between the two); and, Chapter 10's “Avalanche Companion Rescue.”  Other sections that – while useful – are nevetheless beyond the scope of this MTR1 course include Chapter 6's sections other than “Anchor Basics,” “Anchors on Snow,” and “Seated Belays”; and, Chapter 10's “Crevase Rescue” other than the Direct Haul 3:1 system.

Based on this reading, complete the review quiz by the deadline noted in the student checklist. (You can use either doc or pdf file formats -- note that although you can't edit the file at the current google docs website location, you can download it to your computer as a doc file, or even then upload it to your own google docs folder and edit it there.)  The quiz will not be graded (especially since some of the questions are designed more to elicit thinking rather than any particular well-defined answer), but it will be reviewed for completeness.

Student Checklist

Actions to be completed by the end of September:

1. Complete required reading and email completed review quiz to IOR.
2. Pass FEMA course and email certificate to IOR.
3. Pass mountain weather course (which should be automatically emailed to IOR).
4. Complete Leave No Trace course and email certificate to IOR.
5. Pass map reading course and email certificate to IOR.
6. Complete gear checklist and email to IOR.
7. Practice the specified knots.
8. If not an NSP OEC Technician, send proof of first aid and CPR course to IOR.

If the above items are not received in their entirety on time, you will receive one warning email. If the situation is not corrected immediately to the satisfaction of the instructors, your registration will be cancelled and you will not be allowed to attend the Fall Session.

Registration Form, Release Form, and Fees

To register, complete the registration form and release form, then return both forms (preferably by scanning and emailing) along with two separate checks (the old-fashioned way) for the first two fees noted below to the Instructor of Record ("IOR") as noted on the registration form.


If you have trouble downloading the forms, just leave a comment below with your email address (which will remained unpublished) to receive the forms via email.

The course fees comprise two different components, payable separately, so as to minimize the amount of money going through the course instructors:

1. Include a check payable to "NSP- Eastern Division": either $7.50 for National Ski Patrol members or $15 for others.
2. Include a separate $50 check payable to the IOR (as noted on the registration form) to cover instructor costs.

Course Format and Dates

The course's overnight field sessions are typically held on a fall weekend.  This may be supplemented with indoor study sessions on some preceding evenings in a Berkshires town location.

The field sessions begin by meeting at 8:00 on a Saturday morning at the Mount Greylock Ski Club.  (Note that the ski lodge is more akin to a backcountry hut, as it lacks running water and electricity.)
Your pack should be ready to go for a two-day/one-night backpacking trip, complete with food and initial water (to be supplemented by naturally available sources, with appropriate treatment).  We will begin the course with an indoors show & tell of the instructors’ packs, followed by a detailed inspection of each student’s pack.  Students who are not sufficiently prepared must leave the course at this point and will receive an Incomplete grade.

Once we are all ready to go, we will spend all the rest of the weekend in the field, learning the following activities by actually doing them (as opposed to just talking about them inside) as a team:

• navigating and traveling to various destinations, both on-trail and off-trail
• adjusting travels plans accordingly for current and anticipated weather conditions
• staying properly fueled and hydrated
• managing clothing systems for the outdoor environment
• implementing Leave No Trace ("LNT") principles
• setting up tents and other sleeping arrangements for the night
• conducting a missing-person(s) search employing ICS principles
• rigging mechanical advantage systems with ropework skills
• providing wilderness emergency care
• constructing emergency shelters
• practicing patient extrication/evacuation

We will return to the Ski Club lodge Sunday afternoon for a show & tell of winter travel gear (including practice with emergency sled construction and an overview of some very basic ice axe and crampons instruction) as well as a final course debriefing, concluding by 5:00 in the evening.

You can view -- and encouraged to bring with you -- this comprehensive checklist for all the topics we will cover, and how we will cover (i.e., already covered through the assigned reading and review quiz, already covered through other specific assignments, to be covered via travelling and sleeping in the field overnight, and/or to be covered by specific activities in the classroom or in the field.)

Finally, note that dogs are prohibited.  Also, attendance at the course is restricted to enrolled students. Friends, family, etc., are certainly welcome to join in the many recreational opportunities available to the public at the Mount Greylock State Reservation, but they should not plan on listening in, observing, tagging along, etc. during course activities.