The Search Dogs and Trainers of the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol

by Carrie Cook

It’s 9 a.m. at Mountain Station—ski patrol headquarters, top of tram. I grab a cup of tea and say hello to my avalanche dog, Rosie. She’s not content on the couch and would rather be out in the elements.
I’ve taken one run so far—up the gondola, up the headwall in the dark, then down, bombing and ski-cutting with four other Jackson Hole Ski Patrollers. Avalanche hazard reduction.

Now I can relax for a few minutes while on standby duty, and the workers whom I’ve relieved eagerly head out the door.

Minutes pass. A few more patrollers arrive. Then the dispatcher’s announcement jerks me out of my tea break.

There has been an avalanche, he says. Tensleep Bowl. Skiers caught.

In fact, there has not been an avalanche, and though I know this is a practice drill, I also know that the most effective way to train for the real thing is to make the drill as real as possible. So when the call comes in, the on-duty dog handlers and their dogs jump into action.

I ask the dispatcher for details: how many witnesses and/or victims are at the site, and what is our safe approach route. Rosie listens and watches, and when I say her name she bounds toward the door with me. She knows what to do.

Our adrenaline is running high but my confidence in Rosie’s ability eases my nerves. I lift Rosie onto my shoulders and slowly ski down the slope with her draped over me like a shawl. Her ears flap next to my face in the wind.

Mountain Station and all channel one listeners, this is a drill. I repeat, this is only a drill, goes the radio rap, insuring that everyone is on the same page.

The drill site is not far away. We arrive and I establish voice contact with the witness, a fellow patroller. I ask questions how many caught, last seen points, clues like lost skis or poles on the surface and use that information to guide Rosie.

Making note of the wind direction, I let Rosie jump from my back. She is ready for the game.  Rosie, sit,  I command, rubbing her chest and allowing the tone of my voice to gain excitement. Rosie follows suit. Pumped up, I say, Go find, and she bounds off, nose to the ground.

At the top of the slide, I start to zigzag down the slope. Rosie, aware of me, stays close, yet she’s intent on picking up a scent.

Snap. She makes a sudden direction change and heads down the hill. I let her go. She’s got something.

Zeroing in on a spot, she starts to dig. I call for a shovel, probe, and manpower to finish the job and pull Rosie off.

But we’re not finished yet. This drill includes multiple burials. There are other victims to find. We continue down the slope as before, concentrating on an area where a ski was found.

Bam. She’s on another one. Again I call for more help and we dig furiously. Several feet down Rosie breaks into a cavern. Good girl, I say until I’m hoarse.

This cave looks comfortable. One of my fellow patrollers, nestled in warm coveralls and posing as the victim, emerges and greets Rosie.

Mountain Station and all channel one listeners, this is a drill. I repeat, this is only a drill.

In Rosie’s training as an avalanche search dog, praise for a successful find reinforces the previous training and makes Rosie eager to learn more. For example, the next drill will be more complicated, with the victim buried deeper and with more distracting scents nearby real situation smells like trees, buried snowmobiles, and humans searching the top of the debris.

Both dog and handler have lessons to learn. My peers observe how effectively I use the information that I got from questioning the witnesses, and how well I controlled the site. The area must be cleared of bystanders for Rosie to effectively search, and those same bystanders must be utilized in a helpful role. Critiquing is done on the spot, and the next training session is planned based on the results of this one.

The other Jackson Hole avalanche dogs Rage, Moonpie, Bailey and Pepper Corn play out similar scenarios every week at the resort. And play it truly is, making the learning quick and fun. Each dog and handler may be in a different stage of training, and the drills are set up accordingly.

Case in point: this season two new pups, Douce and Mojo, will join the team and start the step by step training that teaches search and obedience skills it takes to be a Jackson Hole avalanche dog.

Going to work with your dog, being partners during the day, and seeing progress through training all reap huge rewards for the handler. But when a real avalanche occurs and people are buried, the potential reward of saving a life looms above all. It’s what all our hard work is about.

The call comes in and once again we treat it as the real thing.

Mountain Station, there has been an avalanche.

Carrie Cook has been on the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol for 12 years and a dog handler for nine.

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