Awards

Welcome to the awards section of the ESR website. 

My name is Leilani Connolly, and I’m a fifty+ year former member of the Heavenly Area ski patrol now an Alumni. After holding many of the offices in our local patrol, and a few in the Eastern Sierra Region, too, I was encouraged to take on the position of awards advisor, a positive job in which well-deserving patrollers are recognized for their contributions to the National Ski Patrol.

It’s never too soon to recognize someone for their dedication to the NSP. Recognition by one’s peers is a small payment for a large contribution of hours spent patrolling the ski slope, teaching a class, or attending meetings. Behind each of the honorees listed below is a patroller who took the time to sit down and write a nomination. Be that patroller!

NSP has two categories of awards, the outstanding awards (see the list below), and all others such as national appointments, distinguished service awards, certificates of appreciation, merit stars, angel pins, and service pins. Go to the NSP website, and download chapter 12 of the Policies and Procedures Manual.  The information you need is under Resources, then Document Library, and then Governance for the P and P Manual; for the award forms, look under the Award Forms tab. The criteria for each award is listed. Also, I can mail or email copies of previous well-written nominations for you to use as examples.

Awards take a while to work themselves through the system as they are reviewed by a number of people. Only outstanding award nominations have an absolute deadline (March 15 for ESR); allow at least sixty days for all nominations to be reviewed and approved.

Eastern Sierra Region Awards

For more information, contact:

Leilani Connolly
ESR Awards Program Administrator
Heavenly NSP


Awards History

Outstanding Administrative Patroller

Outstanding Alpine Patrol

Now awarded as Large or Small Alpine Patrol

Outstanding Large Alpine Patrol

Outstanding Small Alpine Patrol


Outstanding Alpine Patroller

Outstanding Instructor

Outstanding Nordic Patrol

Outstanding Nordic Patroller

Outstanding Mountain Host Unit


Outstanding Mountain Host (Individual)


Outstanding Alumni







Outstanding OEC Instructor

Outstanding Paid Patroller

Outstanding Patrol Representative

Outstanding Patroller (Formerly Auxiliary)

Outstanding Young Adult Patroller