Avalanche rescue dogs stand ready to save lives at Heavenly Mountain Resort
High above South Lake Tahoe, a unique group of first responders stands ready to save lives at a moment's notice — and they happen to have four legs.
At Heavenly Mountain Resort, a 60-person ski patrol team is supported by six highly trained avalanche rescue dogs, a critical resource when seconds can mean the difference between life and death.
"These dogs are trained to indicate on human scent underneath the snow," said Ryan McPartland, Ski Patrol Manager at Heavenly Mountain Resort. "It's really just a modified game of hide and seek."
McPartland has worked at Heavenly for 28 seasons and helps oversee the resort's avalanche rescue dog program, which has been in place for more than 30 years. While the training may look like play, the mission behind it is serious.
During a recent training exercise, we took part in a simulation designed to mimic the chaos of an avalanche.
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," McPartland explained.
Avalanches remain an ever-present danger in mountain terrain.
"Avalanches are an inherent risk of skiing," McPartland said.
According to ski patrol officials, survival rates drop dramatically with time. After 15 minutes buried, a victim's chance of survival decreases by 50 percent. After 30 minutes, the odds become grim.
That's where the dogs play a vital role, often locating buried skiers in just minutes.
"Our ski patrol does a great job ensuring everybody is safe on the mountain," said Cole Zimmerman, Senior Manager of Communications for Vail Resorts' Tahoe region. "The dogs are a helpful, friendly, furry resource for them."
Nationwide, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches each winter, according to the National Avalanche Center. Locally, the risk was underscored earlier this month when a snowmobiler was killed in a fatal avalanche near Truckee.
At Heavenly Mountain Resort, the avalanche rescue dogs train year-round, always prepared to respond when every second counts.