Avalanche Rescue Dogs Prepare to Save Lives at Heavenly Mountain Resort

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At Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, a 60-person ski patrol team is supported by six highly trained avalanche rescue dogs, a vital resource when seconds count during avalanche emergencies. The dogs are trained to locate people buried under the snow, with survival rates dropping dramatically the longer a victim remains trapped. The avalanche rescue dog program at Heavenly has been in place for over 30 years, with the dogs training year-round to be prepared for any emergency.

Why it matters

Avalanches remain an ever-present danger in mountain terrain, with 25 to 30 people dying in avalanches nationwide each winter. The avalanche rescue dogs at Heavenly play a crucial role in improving survival rates, as they can often locate buried skiers in just minutes, a critical difference when a victim’s chance of survival decreases by 50% after just 15 minutes.

The details

The dogs are trained by tapping into their natural prey drive, gradually building skills that allow them to locate people buried deep beneath the snow. “When they find something underneath the ground, it’s the best game in the world for them,” said Ryan McPartland, Ski Patrol Manager at Heavenly Mountain Resort. During a recent training exercise, the dogs demonstrated their ability to quickly locate a person buried in the snow, a skill that has proven invaluable during real-life avalanche emergencies.

• Heavenly Mountain Resort’s avalanche rescue dog program has been in place for more than 30 years.
• The dogs train year-round to be prepared for any avalanche emergency.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The avalanche rescue dogs at Heavenly Mountain Resort will continue their year-round training to maintain their life-saving skills, ready to respond at a moment’s notice when an avalanche emergency occurs.