Blogs: 2012

Sue Purvis and WBR dog handlers, shared thier skills this week and the 20^th Annual Worldwide Winter Wilderness Medicine Conference this week in Park City.  WBR teaching skills are ever ready and extra fresh after the WBR In-House Dog School two weeks ago, and great weather made for fun in the snow.

Angus and I have been a team for nearly 4 years now at Sundance Resort.  We completed our first Level A test at Deer Valley two years ago.  We were excited to come off a great WBR dog school at Brighton and Solitude and head back to the Cottonwoods to test this year.   

Provided by: David Budge, Mountain Guide, Utah Mountain Adventures

On Wednesday, February 29th the Utah Avalanche Center will be giving a "Know Before You Go" presentation at the Utah Olympic Park.  This is an introduction level presentation for backcountry users in Utah.  Sean Hopewell and Parley will also be on hand to discuss Wasatch Backcountry Rescue's role in the avalanche community.  It's free to attend-come join us!

Where: Utah Olympic Park Museum

When: Friday, February 29th at 7:00PM

It was another great year for participants at the Wastatch Backcountry Rescue In-House Dog School.  A wide range of dogs, handlers, educators, and volunteers gathered at Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon for the four-day training. 

Atomic Backcountry Skis, Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, and Level Nine Sports are hosting a free avalanche awareness clinic Friday February 24th.  The free clinic will include a multi-media presentation by Wasatch avalanche professionals and guest Snowbird ski patrollers.  They will speak on safety in the backcountry and sidecountry for your travel and recreation.

Every year the WBR selects one avalanche dog team and one handler to attend the ARS Avalanche Dog Handler Training Course in Andermatt, Switzerland.  This year, Sean Hopewell and Parley from the Utah Olympic Park along with Dan Costaschuk from Canyons were selected to attend.  This agreement between the WBR and Alpinerettungshweiz is essentially an exchange program where WBR handlers can learn training techniques from one of the oldest dog programs in the world.

It is an even numbered year, which means the WBR Dog School is ramping up and getting ready to train in-house WBR member teams.  Next season (2013), an odd numbered year is available for enrollment for public and International teams by application.

Local WBR dog handlers train on basic and advanced field work, dog socialization, puppy instruction, ranging, beacon search, probing techniques, modern shoveling techniques, dog agility, dog obedience, and the Swiss four phase method.  Next week the crew hits Brighton Ski Resort to build on their skills.  Check in next week to see how the pups and handlers measure up to these rigorous standards.