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 three validated Avalanche Rescue Dog teams: Jennifer Coulter and Farley, Steve Morrison and Mojo, and Forest Latimer and Tarn. The team of Kirk Gutzman and Lily are retiring this season but you will still see them up on the mountain from time to time. Both Jennifer and Steve have acquired pups recently in anticipation of their dogs retiring in the next year or two. Jennifer has Pika, a female Malinois and Steve has Neko, a male Labrador Retriever. Kirk is set to pick up his new pup Digger, a male Labrador Retriever in the spring of 2011. Mojo, a male Chesapeake Bay/ Labrador Retriever X is validated with the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (CARDA).
Mojo, a male Chesapeake Bay/ Labrador Retriever X is validated with the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (CARDA).
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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 over to you, extend your hand to let him sniff, but please 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, BC. 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 has been a Professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association since 2002 and currently serves on the Explosives committee of the CAA. Mojo is generously sponsored by Horizon for all his nutritional needs. Please click on the Horizon logo for a link to their website for additional information on this Canadian company and its' products, a proud supporter of the Fernie Alpine Resort Avalanche Rescue Dog Program.
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Jennifer Coulter and Farley, a male Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, completed their first validation in 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. Another exception would be when they are doing obedience practice at the top of the chairlift. Farley might just want you to throw his toy in exchange for showing you a cool trick! Look for him jumping into his handler's arms to ride up to work on the chairlift. Jennifer has been a ski patroller at Fernie Alpine Resort since 2001 and is a professional member of the CAA. Jennifer also represents CARDA as the current Vice President and an instructor for up and coming avalanche dog teams in Western Canada.
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Forest Latimer and Tarn, a male Border Collie, completed their first CARDA winter course in Whistler, BC in early December 2009. Tarn and Forest did countless training searches last season and early this season in order to prepare themselves for their first validation attempt at the CARDA Winter course in January 2011, held right here at Fernie Alpine Resort. This was succesful and the team is Fernie Alpine Resort's newest validated avalanche rescue dog team. Tarn is young and full of vigor, so please respect his need to learn the ins and outs of becoming a working dog. Forest has been a ski patroller at Fernie Alpine Resort since 1998, and is on our avalanche forecasting team. He is a Professional member of the CAA, as well as being an avid backcountry ski tourer.
Farley and Tarn both feed on a raw diet, kindly sponsored by Top Hand Supplies Ltd.
For more information on their raw food products please click on the link above.
Upon attaining avalanche rescue dog status, the team is available for callout through the Provinicial 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, often 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 or contact one of our handlers.
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 Wardens. The RCMP and Parks Canada handlers are of the highest caliber and expect all CARDA 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 and if time allows. This may be of interest to schools and other educational groups.
Contact:
Fernie Alpine Resort Ski Patrol (250)423-2426
Email: patrol@skifernie.com
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