Fetch!

The list of welcome sights up a mountain is usually a simple one: powder snow, blue sky, snow-caked trees, a cosy hut. But if you're unlucky enough to get buried by an avalanche, there could be no better view than Farley's nose breaking through the snow, with Fernie patroller Jennifer Coulter (Farley's handler) not far behind. This combo will save lives. Farley is just 2 years old and still in training with Jen under the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (CARDA) program. He already has the hang of things, speedily finding two buried items in an exercise in avalanche runout the size of a football pitch, though his bedside manner would be disconcerting for anyone on the receiving end - the dogs are trained to get very excited about whatever they pull from the snow, thrashing the 'victim' to and fro. After the demo search they decided to bury me (nothing personal, I was assured) to allow Farley to practise digging up a human rather than just an old sweater. I didn't have to wait long in my icy tomb, though time enough to realise how unnerving the silence could be (and they barely covered the entrance to my snowhole); and I had room to move, a bit - nothing like the vice-grip of a real burial, but still sobering. I was ready with one of Farley's search rags held in front of my face, and before I knew it he was scrabbling through and dragging me out for a thrashing tug-of-war. "It's fine to let go if he nips you," said Jen. No kidding.

Despite being so effective at rapid search, dogs are often deployed to assist in body-recovery outside of a ski area, searching avalanche debris hours after an incident has taken place. Fernie's thorough avalanche control program, with a lot of explosives fired towards the headwalls above the bowls each morning after fresh snow, along with expert evaluation by the patrollers and weather experts, should ensure that you're safe within-bounds. But as you head into one of Fernie's steeper powder pockets, it's comforting to know Farley's in his kennel at the top of the White Pass quad chairlift, from where he should be able to reach you in time to make a difference. And on a personal note, I was thinking I have a fractional advantage now that Farley knows my smell. But as someone pointed out, that could go either way...

It doesn't get better than this

Fernie, BC

A resort with a reputation for great snow usually means when I turn up it:

a) starts raining

or

b) snows so much the lifts can't run

Well, we had almost enough for B, followed in the evening by A, followed the next morning by neither of the above - just perfect fresh snow, blue skies and men with dynamite setting off avalanches in all directions. Heaven. There's nothing more to say, which is why you've got the extra big picture of www.ultimate-ski.com testing some fantastic new Arc'teryx gear while spoiling the snow on Snake Ridge.

Practice makes perfect

Richmond Park, London: the unlikely scene for a group of skiers & snowboarders to gather – no snow for hundreds of miles – but a great chance to practise transceiver search skills. Soggy undergrowth hides beacons well, so single and multiple burial situations are easily simulated. Only deep burial can’t be mimicked – a big omission that people could address this season with a visit to one of the growing number of avalanche training centres to be found in alpine ski resorts.

Even without snow, there were several lessons, some of them expected: that the Tracker DTS is good, and particularly appreciated by novices; that earphones help audio-searchers focus on the signals that matter; that the new Barryvox Pulse might be the new one to beat for multiple burials, though it showed some erratic behaviour; and finally it seemed that the (old technology) Ortovox F1 got found first, suggesting it’s a good one to wear. More generally, complete beginners learnt the essentials of transceiver searching while the more experienced got a useful recap, as well as a chance to remind themselves how difficult multiple burials are to deal with and, in consequence, the impression that we should all seriously consider strategies:

• not to get avalanched in the first place (after all, it’s not totally random);
• or if that’s too much to ask, only to have to search for one victim i.e. descend suspect slopes one at a time
  

Some of the best reading around this subject is at www.beaconreviews.com Much more than the name suggests, with in-depth info on different transceiver models, how to use them and the technical issues surrounding the business of finding avalanche victims. Essential reading. Also good is the Tracker DTS online demo of search techniques. Useful for novices and more experienced users, even if you use a different make of transceiver.

Thanks to the Snowheads responsible for organising the session and to Mark, of www.anatom.co.uk (suppliers of the BCA Tracker) for the tutorial.

Last of all practice - it makes perfect.