Park City Magazine crossed state lines last winter to witness working dogs and their handlers in action at a Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment (C-RAD) training session in Snowmass, Colorado. 

Here we introduce you to Colt, Senka, Fisher, and their two-legged partners—all of whom originally hail from this side of the Rockies and have deep ties to Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. 

Colt + Jake Hutchinson

Colt and Jake Hutchinson joined forces five years ago, when the Belgian Malinois was a mere 7 weeks old and 12 pounds. Today, the intense, large, muscular, pointy-eared canine may seem “intimidating” at first blush. However, Hutchinson is quick to set the record straight: “He’s the biggest, softest baby in the world.” Cuddly personality aside, Colt is serious about his work as a certified avalanche dog, and “ready to go” in wilderness area search and rescue.
The duo has been deployed on a few avalanche missions, where Colt cleared the snow, ensuring that no one was buried in the wake of the events. Colt has also loaned his nose to law enforcement, helping investigators by skillfully sniffing out bloody clothing items that linked an alleged killer to a murder victim (the case is currently in court). 

“Belgian Malinois are the luxury sports car of the dog world,” explains Hutchinson. “You don’t just hand them to anybody.” Hutchinson, who wanted more out of the dogs he’d trained in the past, had an inkling that the breed offered significant potential in the search and rescue realm. Turns out he was right, given Colt’s exceptionally high proficiency for tracking and trailing—as well as his ability to perform open-water cadaver search for drowning victims. 
Hutchinson has decades of experience as a dog handler, trainer, and instructor. He’s been through the mentally brutal job of search and recovery (finding deceased people) more than a dozen times, and notes that “search and recovery” tends to outpace “search and rescue” missions in the United States. Aside from his own work with Colt (and his former canine partners), he relishes the tight-knit community of dog handlers and his role as a teacher. “Obviously, I love dogs and I like helping these teams of dogs and humans connect the dots and go from this pet-owner relationship to partners beginning to understand each other—and watching the light bulbs go on.”

His ties to Park City run deep. Back in 1975, Hutchinson took his first turns at what was then known as ParkWest (which today is the Canyons base side of sprawling Park City Mountain). Although his dad was a ParkWest ski patroller, Hutchinson initially opted for a career in the Marine Corps. When a medical discharge led to “just a season” on patrol at ParkWest, that season snowballed into a 20-plus-year stint culminating in roles of snow safety director and then ski patrol director. He also served as vice president of Wasatch Backcountry Rescue for a decade.

Currently based in Crested Butte, Colorado, he works as a “free agent” for various organizations. He also serves as the technical director for American Avalanche Institute and is the snow safety supervisor for Irwin Guides. He’s also a “professional chew toy” for High Risk Deployment K9. “I get in a bite suit and get chewed on by big, scary dogs,” he says. 

Hutchinson says there’s always more to learn. “I truly believe we’ve only unlocked about 10 percent of a dog’s capabilities. It comes down to how much time, effort, and money we have to put into the process.” 

Fisher + Kate Speare

Four-year-old Fisher started his work alongside ski patroller Kate Speare as a puppy at Park City Mountain back in the winter of 2019–20. Prior to teaming up with the “high drive” black Labrador, Speare had immersed herself in the world of ski patrol dogs for six years, volunteering, learning, and serving as a second handler before taking the plunge with Fisher. When Speare left Park City to join Snowbird’s ski patrol three seasons ago, Fisher stayed by her side.

“When Fisher’s home, he’s very affectionate and loves to cuddle and relax,” says Speare of her “baseline goofball” pup. “But once he puts his vest on, it’s almost like he’s a different dog. He knows he’s at work and he knows he has to tune in tighter.… He’s an incredible partner and avalanche dog.” 

The pair was called into action last winter, when unstable snow caused road closures in Little Cottonwood Canyon as Mother Nature unleashed a series of out-of-bounds slides. One avalanche crossed Hwy 210 all the way to the top of Chickadee lift, so Speare and Fisher joined three other teams clearing that notably in-bound path as well. “We were fortunate that none of our callouts resulted in us finding anything,” she says. “Honestly, it’s a great thing if we don’t get used to it. We’re preparing to hopefully just hang out.” 

Speare, who is also a registered nurse in the pediatric ICU at Primary Children’s Hospital and the ER at University of Utah Hospital, is not unfamiliar with high-stress environments. The job of being a ski patrol-avalanche dog team has its nerve-racking side, she says, and requires a “mental ability to bounce [into action] as quickly as possible,” especially on high-hazard days. Since Fisher is an A-level certified dog, the team could be deployed anywhere in Utah via Wasatch Backcountry Rescue (WBR).

“You’re not only doing the resort work, but you have to be prepared at all times, keeping extra gear with you, making sure you and your dog are ready for a callout at any point. You could be in the middle of your workday and suddenly, you’re getting flown to an [avalanche or disaster] site.” 

Despite the challenges of the gig, Speare loves taking her best friend to work and being a part of the remarkable, tight-knit dog handler community. She’s also hopeful that the skiing public is cognizant of the reality that avalanche dogs are at the heart of serious business. Avalanche dogs are working dogs, not fluffy resort mascots.   

“The dogs are really, really cute, but they’re at work,” says Speare. “Be respectful of their space—you’re essentially skiing by with sharp knives on your feet that could cut them—and ask handlers if it’s OK to greet their dogs.”  

Senka + Craig Orum

Senka—a.k.a. Ski Utah’s “Miss September 2023”—is a seasoned avalanche and FEMA-certified Utah Task Force 1 dog, who’s worked alongside Powder Mountain ski patroller and Salt Lake City firefighter Craig Orum since he adopted her from Pack ’N Pounce shelter at 13 months old. The 7-year-old, friendly Belgian Malinois is “all about working,” explains Orum. And a rewarding game of tug-of-war is her “paycheck.”

For Orum, who’s been on Pow-Mow’s ski patrol for 27 years, the shift from a fascination with avalanche science to search-and-rescue dogs was a natural progression. “The dogs just amaze me,” he says. “Watching them work, seeing right when they catch an odor, then working to find it, just with their nose; it’s impressive every time, no matter how many times I see it.”

The Senka-Orum team has been deployed to both snowy and rubble-strewn landscapes. Two years ago, Senka was the first dog on the scene to clear a pile of snow left in the wake of an inbounds slide at Powder Mountain, and just last year, Senka successfully located a lost inbound skier there, too. In 2020, the team drove to Medford, Oregon, in the aftermath of wildfire destruction, where Senka’s live-scent skills were unfortunately not needed, given that the destroyed town’s victims didn’t survive.

Last season, Senka started suffering from diminished eyesight, which means her FEMA-type work—teetering on the wreckage of collapsed buildings—is probably over. However, per the eye doc’s orders, the snowy landscape of avalanche dog turf remains fair game. The team has subtly shifted how they search, using occasional, auditory point-of-reference reminders as needed, and adjusting tactics to capitalize on Senka’s biggest strength—her nose.

Two years ago, when she was re-certified at Alta Ski Resort, she found two people buried a meter deep in a football-field-size area within seven-and-a-half minutes. She still outperforms many of her cohorts. “Once you deploy her, she seems to go into her little scent world,” says Orum. “And she’s like, ‘It doesn’t matter that I can’t see that well, I just use my nose now.’”

BE SAFE OUT THERE: AVALANCHE SAFETY

As enticing as backcountry powder stashes may be, they’re also potentially fraught with danger. Here are the basics of how to prepare for adventures in avalanche terrain.

Ski or ride with at least one experienced & knowledgeable buddy. 

Get educated before you head out of bounds with a minimum of Level 1 avalanche training so you can recognize and avoid dangerous situations. Classes are offered via Utah Avalanche Center or AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education). 

Have a plan and stick to that plan; however, when faced with a risky situation, adjust accordingly. As ski patroller Kate Speare says, “We live in such incredible terrain, so it’s easy to get pulled in … but know when to step back and be comfortable speaking up about it.” 

Pack the right gear—beacon, probe, shovel, and a way to communicate—and know how to use all those tools to save yourself and others. 

Know the risks of the moment. For updated forecasts, check out Utah Avalanche Center; its hotline is 888-999-4019.