British Association of Ski Patrollers 30th

Get your place booked on this years AGM and the Grand Ball

You are cordially invited to celebrate 30 years of BASP and Scottish Snowsport at Perth Racecourse on Saturday 7th October 2017. Proceeds of the Ball and the Fund Raising Events on the night will raise money for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) and SARDA.

The event starts at 6:30pm -7:00pm and includes:

- a 3 course meal, 

- Stand up Comedy Show from Doctor Ahmed

- Charity Auction for a years supply of tatties, original framed art from Bill Smith, a chair from the original Glenshee Cairnwell Chairlift and an all area season pass and much more…..

The tickets are £38.50 per person and can be bought singly or in multiples. Its also possible to book a table of 10. We only have 200 tickets available and these will be sold on a first come first served basis.

About SCAA

Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) was formed in 2012 and launched our helicopter air ambulance in May 2013 to assist the Scottish Air Ambulance Service (SAAS) to deliver front-line care to time-critical emergencies across Scotland. SCAA provides a fully equipped medical helicopter that can be deployed from its central base at Perth Airport to incidents across the length and breadth of Scotland.

Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance works in close cooperation with the Scottish Ambulance Service who provide the paramedic staff that crew the helicopter. SAS tasks the SCAA helicopter across Scotland through their Ambulance Control Centres.

Our charity is not supported by any statutory funding and the service is funded solely by donations from private individuals, companies and community trusts.

For more information, please visit: https://www.scaa.org.uk/

Doctor Ahmed. Laughter is the best medicine!

We are delighted to confirm that as part of the Charity Ball, Doctor Ahmed will be performing his stand-up comedy show ‘Doctor in the House’. Doctor Ahmed is a doctor, currently based in London. His show highlights some of the funny things which arise in a GP clinic on a day to day basis in a light hearted way. It looks at the human condition and the doctor patient relationship from a playful and interesting standpoint.

The show has been met with great success and was totally sold out in Perth Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

To read more about Doctor Ahmed, see http://www.doctorahmed.net/

Now there is a sight to behold! Cairngorm, Glenshee, Glencoe and Nevis Range Patrollers digging snow profiles on the first Log Book avalanche day up at Glencoe. 

I can well remember my first introduction to BASP with Doctor Bob up at Glenmore Lodge in 1989 when the fledgling association was both finding its feet to represent Scottish ski patrols and also seeking a way to provide some off season income to patrollers from first aid training. For a number of weekends it was up the “planet lodge” for first aid training with RGIT and also instructor training.  Over the years the association has prospered with at one point nearly 200 associate members and also training thousands in first aid and emergency care.

Things have moved on since “Ernie” the training officer would go around the resorts giving the patrollers mountain skills training to a much more “in house” training by each resort. This is good, but we are apt to become a bit insular unless we also look out for training and cross fertilise by working with each other as each area has its unique challenges. This is personal development as a ski patroller.

 

Ski Patrol can have its challenges. Not least the weather!

Things wax and wane but I can’t help but notice that the AGM’s are maybe quieter and less well attended and maybe we are so “in house” oriented we have forgotten we are an association of likeminded souls with a common interest.  Back in the early days the AGM was to further the training and expertise of Scottish patrollers and encourage the personal development of associate members who may want to become voluntary patrollers or just support the association. I don’t think that has changed but if less folk make the effort then it’s a poorer event. Last season was a snow disaster, but so were the seasons for a decade following the formation of BASP. This is Scotland after all!  Despite all the hype and snowy pictures of the alps each season its no better for them if you work and play below 2,200m. So we have to be resilient and as upbeat as those who had the foresight and confidence to get BASP up and running. An association is only as strong as its members and you get back if you put in. So my plea is for folk to remain involved and be active in the association.

This year sees an anniversary for the association and a Grand Ball to celebrate what we all have in common. That is the love of skiing, the mountains in winter, our ski patrol friends from at home and abroad, and the privilege of helping others in trouble. Kate our chair is putting a lot of work into make this gathering a success. Make it easier for her by getting your shit together and making a commitment to this momentous occasion to celebrate the hard work done by those working in the background for all these years, and those that have seen the association through its tougher times. Make this years AGM your priority, have your say on the associations future and enjoy a great social.

So folks get your shit together and get over to the AGM and ball. It must be some event as Fiona has dug my kilt out!

Snowy 1994  Maybe this season ...................