POWDERFALL 2024 – NOW ACCEPTING SESSION PROPOSALS

Overview

The planning for Powerfall 2024 is well underway and the time is here to submit your session proposal! Powderfall is an anticipated biannual national event, in which NSP patrollers and hosts come together to share ideas, sharpen skills, HAVE FUN, and bond with each other, forming lifelong connections and memories. Part of what makes Powderfall an event that keeps people coming back is the quality of the education sessions and opportunity to learn from each other. Powderfall could not happen without the contribution from all the presenters, and we are excited to see what you bring!

Presenters will receive complimentary event registration, which includes access to the full event’s sessions, meals, activities, discount items, and more! Continue reading to learn more about the proposal submission process and what we’re looking for in Powderfall 2024!

Theme

Throughout the event, we are focusing on the theme of RENEWAL. NSP is in an optimal position to REimagine what’s possible as we move forward into NEW frontiers. As an 85-year-old organization, NSP has had an incredible impact on the outdoor community and industry, thanks to the vision and dedication of our members and supporters. From this foundation, we have an opportunity to refresh our perspectives and re-envision the future. Powderfall 2024 will provide a forum for all those who are passionate about NSP’s mission and vision to come together in the spirit of community and collaboration, to learn from our history, and to see our impact and opportunities in the outdoor safety and rescue industry in anew. We are encouraging new ideas, forging new relationships, growing in new directions, recruiting new members, and bringing in new perspectives.

Presenters: We encourage YOU, our members, partners, and leaders, to think about this theme of RENEWAL and how your presentation can help revitalize and move the organization forward for future growth. For example, if you are offering a session you have offered in the past, think about a new way to teach it or how you might attract a new audience. Or, how can your session help other patrollers look at an old challenge in a new way?

Powderfall Audience

In preparing your submissions and presentations, please consider our Powderfall audience: the whole National Ski Patrol community. This includes primarily volunteer and professional (career) patrollers and host members, as well as affiliate members, partners, sponsors, alumni, and leadership. In the spirit of RENEWAL, please consider how your presentations can celebrate the current and encourage the new patrollers to join in on the fun and camaraderie of life in the National Ski Patrol.

Who can present?

We will consider proposals from any NSP member or the wider NSP community. All NSP disciplines and programs will be represented, and we would love to see more from our young adult and women patrollers.

Session Topics

In addition to the theme, this year, we want presenters to think about how their session aligns to our core values, as these are the foundation of our organizational culture and operations. In your session proposal, we would like to know how your presentation incorporates these core values, as well as the topic you’ll be presenting. In the submission form, you will be able to select which of the following topics are most relevant to your session.

Session Formats

Sessions will be held in 3-hour blocks and can either be conducted in a classroom (conference room), on the hill, or have both a classroom and on-hill component. The ideal presentation will be engaging and involve some level of audience participation, even in more presentation-oriented sessions. In your submission, please indicate which type of session and location you are proposing and how you will engage the audience.

1. Demonstration: Showing a skill or technique
2. Facilitated Discussion: Hosting a discussion with the audience
3. Hands-on Session: Participants engage in practicing / demonstrating
4. Presentation (classroom) session: Lecture / presentation style
5. Panel Discussion: Facilitated discussion amongst panel guests.

Submission Process & Criteria

We are seeking high-quality, relevant sessions that are aligned with the event’s theme of RENEWAL. Proposals are open to all NSP members and wider community and selected based on the following criteria.

Accepted proposals will:

• Be clear and connected to the event theme
• Be aligned with NSP’s mission and pillars
• Serve to advance the organization as a whole and/or the program it falls under
• Be relevant to the audience
• Be provide an engaging and high-quality experience

Every proposed session will be reviewed with these criteria and go through the same approval process to determine acceptance. Accepted presenters will be given a complimentary registration for the event. Presenters will provide a copy of the final presentations in advance of the event. Please see the additional information for presenters in the next page.

Please note the following key dates:

• August 31 – Call for proposals is open
• September 30 – Proposal submission deadline
• November 10 – Proposal review & acceptance/rejection
• November 30 – Presentation schedule announced
• March 20 – Presentation submission deadline (at least 3 weeks before event for logistics)
• April 10-13 – Event attendance and presentation

To submit:

Only one presenter will submit the proposal, as the primary presenter and author. The primary presenter needs to create an account, using the “Submit Proposal” button. Once you are logged in, please submit the requested information. You can add up to one co-presenter. If you have additional collaborators or speakers, you will have an option to add them as collaborators in a subsequent field. If you have additional documentation or information for us to consider, please include that in your proposal. To submit your proposal, you must agree to the terms & conditions and hit submit.

*Please note: You must click “Save” at the bottom of the form to save your draft. You can save a draft for up to 7 days before submitting.

The proposal portal will close at midnight, MT, on September 30th and you will be notified once your proposal has been accepted or declined in November. You can edit your proposal at any time before then. Please reach out to powderfall@nsp.org with any questions.

Please be as detailed as possible in your proposal. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing what you submit!

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT – DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 30, 2024