SUMMIT COUNTY - I am buried deep into a frozen snow slope. The first thing I notice is it isn't dark. Light somehow filters through the snow, casting a bluish tint onto everything.
The other thing I realize is how quiet it is. Nearby, the Timberline Express lift is depositing by each arriving chair a multitude of skiers on this busy winter weekend at Copper Mountain Ski Resort. Music blares from speakers at the lift, yet the only noise audible is an occasional squeak of ski boots in the snow. Several feet and hundreds of pounds of snow can have that effect.
Time becomes distorted as five minutes seems like five hours. Just when I feel forgotten about, there is a peculiar noise - a faint shuffling sound of scraping . Soon greeting me, as a little sunshine pours into the snowy burial, are a pair of golden, furry paws.
The paws are replaced by the amicable visage of Tracker, a 6-year-old Golden Retriever mix. Her job is done now, I am the last of three avalanche victims spotted and rescued during her training exercise - all in less than 15 minutes.
I was somewhat reticent about volunteering for the avalanche activity practiced by ski patrol at Copper Mountain. I previously was socked and shaken by an avalanche several years ago while climbing in the Cascade Mountains. I learned firsthand how powerful a punch snow could possess. Even though the slide measured up only to my knees, it plucked me from the gully I was climbing up, and sent me cascading down 100 feet before I was able to escape from the slide's path.
The lesson learned was avalanches are serious business. That lesson hasn't been lost at Copper Mountain. While inbounds avalanches are extremely rare, the resort staffs eight handlers and avalanche dogs - just in case.
Nothing is more efficient than man's best friend in locating avalanche victims. All of the dogs, including Tracker and her coworker Cascade, and the trainers practice at least once a week to stay sharp, because in avalanche rescues, time is of the essence.
"After 30 minutes after burial, your survival rate decreases significantly," handler Chris Sutton said. "Sometimes (Cascade) has worked as fast as four burials in under 10 minutes. Sometimes it takes him longer. It really depends on the conditions and how the scent is coming to the surface."
While it is serious business for Sutton and fellow handler John Reller, it is all fun and games for their charges.
"Basically for him it is all play drive," Sutton said. "He finds a victim, he gets a toy. It's very rewarding. Naturally a Golden Retriever is very sociable, so they really enjoy playing with the victims in the cave."
The dogs and handlers also stay on top of their game by out-sourcing to missions outside of the ski area's boundaries. The canine teams at Copper Mountain work in cooperation with Flight For Life Colorado, specifically the chopper based in Frisco, on backcountry rescues. Reller, tenured 18 years as an avalanche dog handler, has taken part on quite a few of those missions - a number of them with somber endings.
"Even when you don't have a live find, you can at least bring some closure for the family and the friends of the victim," Reller said.
A third and unofficial mission for the dogs and their handlers is public relations. Reller said he has been greeted by several raised eyebrows when visitors find out the role of the cute canines.
"At first it is, 'Aww, look at the cute dog'," Reller said. "And then they ask what they are here for. And when they find out they are surprised or interested to learn more on what they do."
Said Lauren Pelletreau, communications manger at Copper Mountain: "I just know from personal experience you walk into a patrol headquarters, it's just great to see their wagging tails and smiling faces."