Avalanche! Hasty Search: The Care and Training of the Avalanche Search and Rescue Dogs - Softcover

Burnett, Patti

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0944875955 ISBN 13: 9780944875957

Publisher: Doral Publishing, 2003

Synopsis

Describes avalanche dog training, clearly and comprehensively, and shows the value of a deep handler canine relationship.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

On Wednesday, February 18, 1987, the largest, most lethal avalanche accident occurred in the history of the Summit County Rescue Group on the Peak 7 Bowl, just out of bounds from the Breckenridge Ski Area. To access this terrain, people skied past three warning signs advising of uncontrolled avalanche slopes.

Many people had been yo-yo skiing that winter day, riding the Breckenridge lifts, leaving the resort through the boundary ropes, skiing Peak 7, re-entering the ski area, and then riding the lifts again.

Two skiers decided that they would hike to the top of the peak in order to gain elevation and a few extra turns, since everyone else had been taking a lower traverse into the bowl. At 2:04 pm, ski patrollers and guests riding the Peak 8 T-bar lift witnessed two large avalanches that ran almost concurrently on the northern side of Peak 7. Nine skiers were caught in the accident, with four completely buried, two partially buried, and three just caught but not buried.

Considering the magnitude of this search operation, logistics and organization went very well. Breckenridege patrollers started a beacon search within 18 minutes of the accident. There were 83 volunteers within the first hour of the event. Interagency cooperation was impressive. Some of the equipment used included a helicopter, 4 snow-cats, 16 snowmobiles, 2 metal detectors, a ground radar unit, a command trailer, 2 ambulances, 130 probe poles, 2 tents, 2 generators, and 60 radios.

Three dog teams responded to the mission the first day. For Hasty and me, this was our first experience on a real mission, and to this day, Peak 7 is the largest avalanche I have ever searched. ... By 5 pm there were 200 rescuers on the deposition. At 5:15 pm, a probe line located one of the victims beneath four feet of snow. At 6:00pm, darkness forced the suspension of operations.

On day two, 4 rescue dog teams and 300 probers waited as Colorado Heli-Ski assisted with avalanche control measures. ... Close to noon, probers and metal detectors found the second and third victims buried four and seven feet deep.

.. By the third day, Hasty and three dogs from Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs (RMRD) in Utah responded. At this late stage in the search, we realized that the two generator-warmed tents were directly upwind of the deposition area. The generator fumes saturated the area, making it nearly impossible for the dogs to find scent. We had the tents relocated amd were able to get a positive alert on the remaining body. ... After six hours, we located the final victim under three feet of snow. He was only 30 feet from the top of the deposition. All of the victims had died from traumatic asphyxiation.

Fifty emergency agencies from across the state expended a total of 344 man-days or 6169 man-hours on this mission, according to Tom Randolph. One or two skiers triggered the combination hard slab, soft slab avalanche. The

fracture of the two combined slides measured 1300 feet wide and 4 to 10 feet deep, running an amazing 1600 vertical feet. The deposition covered 23 acres, with a debris depth of 8 to 18 feet.

Lessons learned: The newspaper quoted some of the locals who frequently flirted with the backcountry risks that skiing out-of-bounds was "better than sex." The question each person who fits this demographic should ask himself is, "What will the repercussions be for my friends and family if they have to dig my lifeless body out of a frozen tomb?" Will that also be better than sex?

Just because a slope has moguls does not make it immune to slides. Peak 7 was covered with moguls on February 18.

The Peak 7 avalanche drove home the importance of building more comprehensive avalanche education. ...

Search strategy is very important. Take the time to meet with the cooperating dog handlers. ... Introduce the dogs before initiating search operations. ... Carry marking wands for dog alerts and make sure they are a different color than the red, blue and yellow flags used to mark probed areas, safe routes in and out, and clues. ... Always probe before shoveling on a dog alert. ... Train dogs with distractions and around fuel-operated machines that the dog will encounter during a search. ... Do not be afraid to voice any concerns that you have to Command when appropriate, if there are measures that can be taken to increase the dogs' effectiveness.

Edition details

• Publisher: Doral Publishing
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0944875955
• ISBN 13: 9780944875957
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208