Skiing's Unsung Heroes - Ski Patrol Rescue Dogs
Larry Olmsted
Skiers and snowboarders love snow. So do dogs. When you hit the slopes out West this winter, you may notice Man’s Best Friend riding the lifts, cruising around piggy-back on snowmobiles, running behind a skier, or just chilling out. Take the time to give them a good petting. After all, they are there to save your life.
The ski patrol rescue dogs of Heavenly ski resort in Lake Tahoe ride the lift to work – and love their jobs.
Virtually every Western (and European) ski resort has a canine staff, a team of highly trained rescue dogs who use their speed, on snow agility and incredible sense of smell to locate buried avalanche victims faster than any known alternative. It is believed that one dog and its handler can do the job of 150 trained human searchers in the same amount of time. For much of skiing history, this canine safety net has been hidden behind the scenes, but resorts have given them an increasingly public persona in recent years – and guests love them.
Read the whole story from Forbes.
Larry Olmsted
Skiers and snowboarders love snow. So do dogs. When you hit the slopes out West this winter, you may notice Man’s Best Friend riding the lifts, cruising around piggy-back on snowmobiles, running behind a skier, or just chilling out. Take the time to give them a good petting. After all, they are there to save your life.
The ski patrol rescue dogs of Heavenly ski resort in Lake Tahoe ride the lift to work – and love their jobs.
Virtually every Western (and European) ski resort has a canine staff, a team of highly trained rescue dogs who use their speed, on snow agility and incredible sense of smell to locate buried avalanche victims faster than any known alternative. It is believed that one dog and its handler can do the job of 150 trained human searchers in the same amount of time. For much of skiing history, this canine safety net has been hidden behind the scenes, but resorts have given them an increasingly public persona in recent years – and guests love them.
Read the whole story from Forbes.
