The Avalanche Rescue Dog program is an integral part of the snow and avalanche program of the Fernie Professional Ski Patrol. We have a long and proud history with this program and are striving to maintain well-trained teams and a strong roster of up and coming canines and their handlers. Retired Senior Avalanche Rescue Dog team of Robin Siggers and Keno were credited with the first live find by a CARDA dog team in December 2000.

A lift operator was buried in a pre-season avalanche for 20+ minutes and undoubtedly will never forget the heroic efforts of Keno. Every year on the anniversary of the avalanche, the liftie's mom would treat Keno and Robin. Keno passed away at the age of 12 years in March, 2007. There is a memorial to him at the top of Shakey's Acres which was dedicated on the last day of the 2006/2007 season.

The Teams

We currently have four validated Avalanche Rescue Dog teams. This allows for a validated rescue dog team to be on duty at Fernie Alpine Resort on each and every operational day.

Mojo, a male Chesapeake Bay/ Labrador Retriever X is validated with the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (CARDA).

Mojo is a happy, social dog with an energetic search drive. His love of people, which is quite evident if you watch his powerful tail wag, is most likely the basis of this drive. You’ll often see him on the mountain or riding the lifts in his distinctive orange working vest bearing the CARDA logo. Although he loves to play, please consult his handler Steve Morrison before approaching him and please refrain from calling him to you. If he comes to you, please extend your hand to let him sniff, but try not to move your skis or snowboard, as he is unaware of the damage your edges can do to his paws!

Together with Steve, the two form an Avalanche Rescue Dog Team, having attained their first validation in January 2005 at Whistler, B.C. For information on attaining such status and minimum requirements for entering the CARDA program please click on the CARDA logo above or go to www.carda.bc.ca.

Steve has been with the Fernie Patrol since 1995, coming from the Whistler Mountain Ski Patrol prior to moving to Fernie. In May 2005 he was elected to the CARDA Board of Directors and in May 2006 was elected Secretary-Treasurer. Steve is also a Professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and serves on the Explosives committee of the CAA.

Lily, a female Golden Retriever X, along with handler Kirk Gutzman, attained their first validation at the annual CARDA SAR Course, January 2006 in Golden B.C. Lily's long legs and paws assist her well for powering through Fernie's snowy winters. She is in heaven when she's at work and with that strong drive to go to work, comes a very curious nature. Please respect this and ignore her if she approaches you. For avalanche rescue dogs, one of the most common injuries is a cut from skis or snowboards. These can put the dog out of action for an extended period of time and sometimes even end their career. Always ask the handler first before approaching. Kirk has been a patroller at Fernie Alpine Resort since 2000 and this year he will be instructing new CARDA handlers with their pups at the annual CARDA Training and Validation course being held at Fernie Alpine Resort from January 5-12, 2008. Kirk will also be taking the CAA Level 2 for Ski Operations course this year.

Both Mojo and Lily are generously sponsored by Horizon for all their nutritional needs. Please click on the Horizon logo for a link to their website for additional information on this new Canadian company and its' products, a proud supporter of the Fernie Alpine Resort Avalanche Rescue Dog Program.

Dave Hawrys and Murdoch, a male Golden Retriever, were successful in attaining their first validation at the annual CARDA validation and training course held in January 2007 in Whistler B.C. Murdoch has an insatiable search drive, which coupled with his curiosity and mild temperament makes him a very efficient and easy-to-handle avalanche rescue dog. When the going gets tough, the weather gets bad or the snow too deep, Murdoch can rise to any occasion, with his “no fear” attitude. You can sometimes find him out in some of Fernie’s steepest terrain with his handler Dave. During the down times when he is not training you might find him doing PR at the top of the lifts. If you do see Murdoch on the mountain please do not call out to him, but feel free to ask Dave if you can approach them; Murdoch and Dave would love to meet you.

Jennifer Coulter and Farley, a male Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, completed their first validation in February 2007. Farley packs some great energy into his 40 lbs. and lives to hear the command word "SEARCH". Farley is very focused on his owner and his job and would rather ignore strangers unless they happen to be buried under the snow. Although he does not like to be petted at work, he is working on some tricks he likes to show off when he has time! Look for him jumping into his handler's arms to ride up to work on the chairlift.

Jennifer is a seventh year Ski Patroller at Fernie Alpine Resort and is also busy this season with obtaining her CAA Level 2 Avalanche Safety for Ski Operations certificate. Jennifer was elected to the CARDA Board of Directors at the AGM in May 2007. She also continues to be very involved with Fernie and District Search and Rescue.

Murdoch and Farley both feed on a raw diet, kindly sponsored by Top Hand Supplies Ltd. For more information on their raw food products please click on this link:

Upon attaining avalanche rescue dog team status, the team is available for callout through the Provincial Emergency Program for any snow rescue work.

This includes:
• Transport by helicopter, snowmobile, snowcat, and ski lifts
• Travel on foot with handler on touring skis
• Backcountry rescue
• Ski area rescue

Training

The dog team trains daily, year-round.
Training includes:
• Regular obedience sessions
• Hidden article searches (usually clothing) the location of which are unknown to the dog and sometimes to the handler as well.
• Live quarry searches where a person(s) are hidden in small snow caves, preferably in actual avalanche debris, and where the location(s) is unknown to the dog or dog and handler.

During the winter ski season, the teams endeavor to do at least two search scenarios per week, using well-scented large wool sweaters as hidden articles. These are best for imitating live human scent without having to use live quarry buried too deeply or for long periods of time. If you are about to give some of your old sweaters fitting this description to a charitable organization, please consider contacting the handlers care of patrol@skifernie.com. We gratefully accept all donations of suitable articles if they can be brought to the mountain! If you wish to make a tax-deductible charitable donation to CARDA, please click on the link at the top of the page for more information.

All the training and rescue scenarios for the purpose of certification involve attending a week-long course every two years with validation annually as well as a two day course usually held in early May. The training is conducted by CARDA in conjunction with the RCMP dog service and occasionally, Parks Canada Alpine Specialists. The RCMP trainers are of the highest caliber and expect all handlers to practice professionalism at all times. Without this co-operation between CARDA and the RCMP it would not be possible to reach the high standards required for avalanche rescue work.

Rescue Dog Demonstrations

Demonstrations are available on request with sufficient advance notice. This may be of interest to schools and other educational groups.

Contact:
Fernie Alpine Resort Ski Patrol (250)423-2426
Email: patrol@skifernie.com