Training for the real thing on the ski slopes

As snow sprayed from landing helicopters, passing skiers and the frantic digging of nearby dogs Wednesday, Jonsen sat quietly by his owner, Squaw Valley ski patroller Rob Van Dyke.

The racket of helicopters, snowmobiles and crowds of people is old hat for Jonsen, a Labrador akita mix and 10-year veteran of the Squaw Valley Ski Patrol.

"I've had him up here since he was 8 weeks," said Van Dyke. "He was riding around in my jacket." Jonsen and Van Dyke were at Squaw Valley's High Camp training as a part of a new Placer County search-and-rescue group that includes patrollers from ski resorts, the U.S. Forest Service, Placer County Sheriff's Department and Care Flight.

The 20 teams of dogs and handlers can be whisked to an avalanche or a search operation by either of the two helicopters run by Placer County and Care Flight. Organizers hope the quick response and coordination of the group will help save lives in coming winters.

"It's critical that we get talent on scene as soon as possible to increase the odds of a live find," said Placer County sheriff's Sgt. Dan Ingalls.

The umbrella group brings together emergency responders from several ski corporations, an air ambulance service and two governmental agencies. In the case of a disaster, the large pool of experienced searchers from Homewood to Boreal will become a team of rescuers.

"This is a display of the relationships that we are successfully building with the resorts," said Ingalls.

The helicopter-riding canines are an integral link in the rescue system. Their hyper-sensitive noses and ability to work closely with their handlers can often mean the difference between life and death for a lost skier or avalanche victim.

"Their noses are so sensitive it is like smelling in Technicolor," Ingalls said.

During training, the dog owners practiced loading and unloading dogs from the helicopters, often with the machine's blades whirling.

For Gamble, a 14-month-old chocolate Lab, the exercise was a breeze.

"It was no problem," said Gamble's owner Chris Gray, a Squaw Valley patroller. "The helicopter is just another crazy way we get them around."

The exercises were easy under warm sun and calm skies on Wednesday, but Care Flight pilot Andy Peek, who is stationed in Truckee, cautioned that rescue operations often battle winds and snow.

"Chances are, if it is an avalanche situation, it's storming, and that means wind," Peek said.

He instructed the group on where an optimal landing area would be in the backcountry, and the unexpected things rescuers and helicopter crews can experience.

"Every situation is going to be different, that is all I can say," Peek said.

While some dogs were loading under the churning rotors, other dogs searched for a buried team member, following a method that would be used in the aftermath of an avalanche.

The searches sharpen the skills of both dog and owner.

"The handler gets trained in the process, as well," said Van Dyke.