NSP’s Mountain Travel and Rescue Program offers a sequence of courses that prepare ski patrollers and others to manage group safety and to participate in search-and-rescue operations in the mountains, including backcountry and off-piste settings. The courses cover basic survival skills, mountain travel techniques, wilderness navigation, hazard management, mountain weather, group dynamics, environmental considerations, medical problems specific to mountain environments, search-and-rescue principles, and emergency rescue techniques, including rope work.

There are five MTR courses. Mountain Travel and Rescue Fundamentals and Mountain Travel and Rescue 1 prepare candidates to be search-team members in ground-based search-and-rescue operations. Mountain Travel and Rescue 2 prepares more experienced candidates to serve as task-force or strike-team leaders. Mountain Travel and Rescue Clinics (with no prerequisites) and Mountain Travel and Rescue Enhancement Seminars (for students who have completed MTR F, MTR 1, or MTR 2) focus in-depth on specific skills for mountain search-and-rescue operations. All courses involve hands-on field sessions; Mountain Travel and Rescue 1 and 2 require overnight field sessions.

Visit the National Ski Patrol page for more information.