All The New Snow A Great Opportunity For Avalanche Dogs To Brush Up On Skills
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - With new snow measured in feet in the high county, over 20 teams of avalanche dogs and their handlers from across the state of Colorado joined forces to train at Arapahoe Basin on Tuesday.
The teams brushed up on their skills digging out "victims" in the deep fresh powder. They also had four hours of flight training time with Flight For Life helicopter crews. Those crews shuttle the dogs and handlers to avalanches in remote areas of the state.
So far 2016 is one of the deadliest avalanche seasons in years, prompting new alerts from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, according to Jake Hutchinson, the lead instructor from the American Avalanche Institute.
"These dogs could be called at a moment's notice to respond to avalanches anywhere in the state, and we need to make sure all of the teams are getting the same level of training," Hutchinson told CBS4's Matt Kroschel on Tuesday.
In Colorado, ski resort ski patrols all maintain K-9 avalanche teams. Those can be used outside the resort during emergencies when a local sheriff requests a dog to help in search efforts.
The C-RAD training allowed younger dogs to practice new commands they will use when they become certified.
Throughout the year the dogs and handlers must train for several hours in order to keep their avalanche rescue certification.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.
