National Ski Patrol Agreement

Backcountry Access Signs Sponsorship Agreement with NSP

July 7, 2009—Lakewood, Colorado – Backcountry Access (BCA), a leading manufacturer of snow safety equipment, has signed a sponsorship agreement with the National Ski Patrol (NSP). The diverse BCA product line includes Tracker DTS avalanche beacons, shovels, probes, backpacks and snow study kits. The Boulder, Colo.-based BCA is dedicated to avalanche awareness and education, a commitment that includes a variety of efforts to target backcountry users. These include the creation of more than 60 beacon parks worldwide that promote the practice of locating buried transceivers, extensive research on avalanche statistics and rescue techniques, the inclusion of an easy-to-read avalanche awareness guide in all company catalogs, and avalanche education tours.

“BCA is clearly a leader in its field. The National Ski Patrol is very excited about this opportunity to partner with BCA to help promote avalanche safety and awareness,” states NSP Executive Director Tim White. “We look forward to a long and successful relationship that will benefit NSP members and the public.”

BCA’s partnership with the NSP will be education-focused; the company plans to support a rewrite of the NSP Avalanche Fundamentals textbook. The new textbook is slated for release the beginning of the 2009/2010 season. NSP members will also be eligible for a discount on BCA products, including the much-anticipated Tracker2 beacon and Float 30 avalanche airbag, which will be released in fall 2009. “With the Tracker DTS being North America’s most widely used avalanche beacon, we’ve had lots of inquiries from patrollers, wondering why they can’t order our products through NSP. Thanks to our exciting new partnership, now they can,” said BCA Vice President of Marketing and Sales Bruce Edgerly. “We hope this leads to even more opportunities in the future as we expand our product line to include avalanche airbags.”

NSP members will be able to order BCA products for the 2009/10 season using a discount code available on the “Promotional Offers” page in the log-in “Member Services” area of nsp.org. A pilot pro purchase program that began last winter was very successful. More information on Backcountry Access can be found at backcountryaccess.com.

About the National Ski Patrol
The National Ski Patrol is a Federally Chartered nonprofit membership association dedicated to serving the public and the mountain recreation industry. For 70 years, the NSP has been at the forefront of safety and emergency care education programs. The association's 27,000 members represent 98 percent of the nation's patrollers. For more information access www.nsp.org.