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Show Canyon Reporter, April - Mid-May 1995. 2 School for Page 5 Avalanche a pom Wasatch Want to be saved? It’s best to stink! ~ by “Rippin” RossPeer Dcoutesteatl tik here, I Canadian Mounties, ; led the think, as I clearly watch ~ instruction. He helped prowater drip from the ceiling. fessionalize the Wasatch ski of my coffin-sized snow pit. areas’ dog programs and vis- ~ aging ment. every sign of excite- The seminar began frightening - experience. snow, diffusing outward as it Some flinched and cringed travels to the surface, form- _ in spite of their handler’s © ing the shape of a cone. It is Sunday with lectures in a soothing. Even after it fin- the handler’s job to recog- an its the area almost every year Cliff Lodge meeting room. ished, Latt’e, a nine month nize that a dog might detect avalanche dog training search drill. My pit is carved into a roomy cavern. Plenty of light filters through to test and validate the dogs... With the exception of a few - old Border Collie from Big a victim’s scent cone in more the chunks of snow used to than one spot and otherwise interpret the dog’s reactions. When a dog detects a nar, inviting ski areas from Sky shook behind her handler Allison Silva.| “She was real skittish,” Silva said compassionately. am a victim in This year Sue Lather, Snowbird’s dog breaks, an obstacle course ~ and socialization drills, the program director, expanded the semi- dogs slept through most of the day. scent “She didn’t like that at all. it alerts - barks, whines, digs, or otherwise attracts attention. Rescuers then probe and dig the area, praising the dog. Look, she’s still freaked out.” But the dogs soon forB6t about the helicopter once When the victim is. uncovered, the dog usually _ - they began the search drills, the part of the training the dogs consider play time. A search drill involves a_ live volunteer victim lying in says hello with a sloppy kiss before the handlers reward it a snow pit dug out in the form of a cave. Patrollers conducting the drill plug the - opening with chunks of snow allowing plenty of light, air, and sound to filter. its way in and out of the | _ This apring the — Wiloflawer Lounge is | featuring their cave. fanwes pizzas jor Aftet buried, the ica the rescue are just $3.00 each, daily team con- | from F ta 6 p.m. - sisting of a dog, a handler, and _ as far away as Taos Tahoe. She also added Jim but at least I could read in ~ Winder of the Salt Lake here - if, of course, I had de County Sheriff’s Department book. Twenty from to the training schedule. dogs ski areas all over the | — Snowbird ski area. First the teams practiced _ boarding a helicopter. Thad Moore of Lifeflight. made a short speech on safety issues before the drill started. has worked part time as for two years. He has avalanche rescue. learned from rescue dog’ The three day seminar used everything from helicopter drills to buried vic- teams in Europe and Canada. tims, honing the skills of res- cue dog teams, an increasingly reliable and professional element of snow Safety in1 the Wasatch area. — “Dogs can do the same amount of work as 400 probers,” said Peter Schory, Snowbird’s Assistant - Director of Snow Safety and a founder of the dog pro-— grams. Gordie Burns, a former. dog handler with the - the teams met for field train‘ing at the run-out of Tiger iff dogs for seven years and - Solitude’s training consultant seminar in some fun and excitement as Tail on the west side of ered at Snowbird last week training _ dogs were allowed to have _ Winder has trained sher- | -intermountain region gathfor a ~ : rescue. The patrolman “You all right “Keep him away from who buried me speaks to me in a voice only slightly muffled by | the snow. Pow: there?” he asks. I tell him I am fine. Sady, a Golden Retriever with silky hair, is searching Atk about our other spectals available ~ avalanche. The handler releases the dog, says, Monday, however, the and. [have no way to escape, through May 8. arrive at the scene of the hypothetical Bruce Ewert- friend of many, master of none. _ Photo by Ross “ManyWords” Courtney hide me from the rescuers. probers, _“Search!”, during the dame tame period, and directs the dog in a zig zag pattern across the slide path in Dinner reseroationas - 742-299) ext, 1042. Vv - search of the victim’s scent. Scent takes the path of least resistance through the the pilot so he doesn’t try to fly with us,” Moore said. _ =Moore then fired up the -rotors while Burns led each team one by one through the procedure. The handler climbed aboard after instructing the dog to sit and for me, patiently sniffing the wait outside with another surface of the snow, longing for a trace of my scent. She is directed by Glenn patroller. Once inside, the handler called the dog to follow with a leap. Cattone, a patroller from Breckenridge. He talks to her the whole way, encour- jumping into a loud heli‘copter wasa new - as well as _ For some of the dogs, Quality Cycles for Dirt & Pavement Kona, ProFlex, LiteSpeed, Jamis, Slingshot, Fat Chance, Bianchi, Marin, Eisentraut, Salsa, Bontrager - Parts, Accessories, Clothing, Footwear, Repairs, Rentals 702 Third Avenue SLC - PTT I 533-8671 |
