West Point Ski Patrol

Evan was one of our patrollers when he was a cadet. RIP RTLW

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of 2nd Lt. Evan Fitzgibbon and Staff Sgt. George Taber.

During a Ranger School weather-induced training hold August 9 at Yonah Mountain near Dahlonega, Ga., five Ranger candidates were struck by a falling tree.

Fitzgibbon and Taber were pronounced deceased at the hospital. Three other candidates were injured in the incident. Two were treated for non-life threatening injuries and one remains stable under medical care.

Fitzgibbon was an infantry officer assigned to the Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course, 199th Infantry “Leader Brigade” at Fort Benning, Ga. He was a graduate of West Point - The U.S. Military Academy and commissioned in May 2021.

Taber was a Special Forces Medical Sergeant assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. He had served in the Army since his enlistment in March 2017.

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, and leadership of these two outstanding leaders who unexpectedly lost their lives in the pursuit of excellence.

Congratulations to our 11 new Lieutenants from the class of 2020. We would normally have a pre-graduation barbecue where we could recognize them and give them gifts from the patrol. Circumstances being what they are, gifts are being passed via dead drop scavenger hunt around West Point. Thanks to the efforts of LTC Novoselich and John for handling the logistics. We will post more pictures as they come in.

We are getting ready for the ski season! Today the Cadet Ski Patrol conducted a hill orientation for all patrollers and patrol candidates at Victor Constant Ski Slope. The day included lift evacuation practice in cooperation with the West Point Fire Department and a practice medical scenario. We are looking forward to keeping the slope safe when the snow starts flying!

I know I’m looking forward to a better lighting situation this year. It’s good to see the hill making some upgrades. Come ski with us this year.

What do we do during the summer? A little bit of everything! Today the trails are getting new lights. Still to come, fresh dirt for the Bunny Hill, snowmaking pump maintenance and some new additions to our rental fleet. Big jobs getting done to make YOUR mountain better! Thanks to all of our supporters over the years who have invested in this valued community asset. Ski you soon!

11 and a butt days until our ski patrol firstie graduate!

Ski Patrol volunteered with the annual Boy Scout Camporee and the Special Olympics this spring!

This weekend our candidates tested and became our next generation of patrollers. A huge thanks to Bromley Mountain for supporting us! We are now 16 patrollers stronger. We look forward to continuing to build this relationship in future years.

Ski Butternut, thanks for hosting us again this year. We had a small group, but a great weekend of training. The hill let us sleep in the lodge, patrol with them, and enjoy the great conditions. We're looking forward to seeing you again on March 24th.

We would like to say a huge thank you Mt. Snow Patrol for hosting us. We hope to see you all again next year!