Beaver Creek, CO Introduces Four Avalanche Rescue Puppies

At Beaver Creek in Colorado, there are four new avalanche puppies being introduced to the working life of the resort. Bridger, Juniper, Honey, and Basil are all going to be much-loved--and much-needed--members of Ski Patrol at Beaver Creek.

For the next two years, these pups will be training for C-RAD (Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment) validation with the help of their handlers and the Ski Patrol team.

Bridger, an American Pointing Labrador Retriever, was born on January 31st of this year, and is currently in training. Her handler is Alex Oberg, and Oberg has been on the Patrol for 5 years.

Oberg said, “if Bridger could figure out how to strike a match her next crime would be arson. Until the day she dies she will deny pooping in the Lower Patrol Room hallway and will continue to frame Juniper, but she is a pretty dang cute dog, and I love working with her. She is smarter than I look.”

Juniper, the framed dog, was born on April 31st of this year, being younger than Bridger by a few months. Juniper is a Flat-Coated Retriever and is also considered to be in training.

Her handler, Adriana Morken, has been on Ski Patrol for 7 years and says that Juniper is "the least energetic out of the bunch. She can be mischievous when she wants to be, but usually she is very sweet and quite tenacious which makes her a great dog to work with.”

Honey was born on May 7th, 2024, is a Small Münsterländer, and is currently In training. Her handler, Lisa Keim, has 8 years under her belt on the patrol team.

Keim said that being a handler was always a goal of hers. "I have a huge passion for animals, and I love that I get to bring Honey with me to work every day and work with her in the field.”

Lastly, Basil, a British Labrador Retriever, was born on May 26th of this year. Her handler, Chris Schino, has been on the Ski Patrol team for 7 years and says, "when I entered the search and rescue world, I thought it was time for a dog. What’s better than working with your best friend? I love taking her to work and seeing her grow and learn every day.”

We're excited to watch these pups grow and become hard-working patrol dogs for Beaver Creek. It's tough work, but we know that they're up for it.

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