A day with the avalanche dog handlers

Behind the scenes at the resort
Training with Les Orres avalanche dog handlers

A few days ago, the snow fell heavily on the mountains around Les Orres. Heavy winter precipitation weakens the snowpack, making it highly unstable. The avalanche risk then reaches a critical level. Although the ski patrols and artificial rescue teams regularly secure the area with avalanche control plans (PIDA), the mountain can never be completely tamed.

In the event of an avalanche , the pisteurs must be ready to intervene to rescue the victims. With this in mind, PIDA members, law enforcement officers, dog handlers and their faithful four-legged companions are getting together today for avalanche training.

Come and join us for an exciting day with the Orres ski resort's guardian angels!

Immersion with mountain rescue professionals

AN INTENSE DAY OF TRAINING

"We don't train to hope, but to be ready". The day's objective is announced by Stéphane Henry, Director of Piste Services .

We take the Pousterle chairlift to the training area. The clouds overhead still seem to be laden with snow. On arrival, the Association des Maîtres-Chiens d'Avalanche des Hautes-Alpes is already present. This association brings together all the department's avalanche dog handlers: pisteurs secouristes, CRS Alpes, PGHM, firefighters and refuge wardens.

Cheerful barking welcomes us: accompanied by their handlers, the dogs seem perfectly in their element. And with good reason! They are specially trained to search for victims buried under the snow. Some are already fully active, while others are just beginning their training or undergoing an operational refresher course. The latter take advantage of the day to carry out an essential and strategic refresher session, designed to check and maintain the skills of the dogs and their handlers.

Responders set up a realistic scenario by burying a false victim under the snow. The aim of this scenario is to simulate the most critical situations. A search zone is marked out. The dog, fully committed to its mission, quickly sniffs out the terrain to find the victim buried under the snow. Unerringly efficient, it only takes a few minutes to locate the victim. The first-aid workers, equipped with probes, follow him closely to free the body as quickly as possible, maximizing the chances of finding the person alive.

KEY STEPS TO EFFECTIVE TRAINING

When you first start training, timing and precision are essential. Every detail counts to make the exercise as realistic as possible.

1. Burying the simulated victim
   A person is buried under a thick layer of snow, reproducing the conditions of a real avalanche.

2. Hide the toy
   The avalanche dog must associate the victim's scent with his toy, the pudding, which serves as a reward and motivation.

3. Bringing out the scent
   Handlers dig a hole to methodically release the scent, guiding the dog's exceptional sense of smell.

4. Launch the dog on a search
   The dog-handler pair is put into action: the dog explores the area in search of the olfactory signal.

5. Signal presence
   As soon as it detects the victim, the dog scratches or indicates the location so that the trackers can take over.

During an avalanche search, the dog must never be in direct contact with the victim. Its job is to locate the burial site and report it to the rescue team, who then take over the probing and clearing. If necessary, several waves of probing are carried out to confirm the victim's presence and ensure everyone's safety.

Dog handlers and avalanche dogs: a formidable duo!

Dog handler: more than a profession, a vocation

For Maxime Magnan, becoming an avalanche dog handler is not just a profession, it's a true passion. This summer, he chose Ava, a 9-month-old bitch, to accompany him in his apprenticeship. Since autumn, the pair have been training regularly, step by step, with rigor : learning to stay focused despite distractions, reinforcing their interest in the toy to be searched for, and progressing towards more complex victim search exercises.

" I can't imagine having a dog and leaving it at home," confides Maxime. The animal lives with its master, an essential bond that creates a relationship of trust and complicity that is indispensable during interventions.

Becoming an avalanche dog handler requires patience, regularity and long-term commitment . Initial training lasts 1 year, from summer to summer. If you pass this stage, you then move on to pre-training, before joining the full curriculum with specialized training sessions.

In the final analysis, becoming an avalanche dog handler means taking part in a profession that is both useful and demanding, where you put your passion and your time at the service of mountain safety. Behind every dog and every handler is a discreet but vital commitment to protecting skiers.

Dogs, formidable rescue companions

The Association's dogs are trained through play, never through coercion. Their training is based on searching for their toy, the "boudin", which they then associate with finding a buried person. This method enables the dog to remain focused and totally committed to its mission, transforming a vital exercise into work that's both effective and fun.

" For the dog, the objective is to find his toy... and then the person ", explains Mathieu Belenguer, a first-aid rescuer and dog handler in Les Orres.

Thanks to his exceptional sense of smell, the dog can pick up the scent of a victim under the snow, even in the presence of other people, without getting distracted. This ability enables him to cover large areas quickly.

In the mountains, certain dogs prove particularly adept at avalanche rescue, becoming veritable four-legged heroes.

German Shepherds, intelligent and hardy, tackle steep slopes without hesitation, while Belgian Malinois Shepherds, quick and alert, detect the slightest trace under the snow. Strong, sociable Labradors form a perfect team with the trackers, and tireless, focused Border Collies explore every nook and cranny with incredible precision.

Together, these loyal companions transform every rescue mission into a harmonious dance of courage, instinct and dedication.

At the end of this day of training and specialist interventions, we realize just how essential the relationship between handler and dog is for effective rescue on snow-covered terrain. These pairs, trained with patience and rigor, are an indispensable link in mountain safety, always ready to intervene when an incident occurs. Above and beyond their technical skills, it is their dedication and complicity that make them true guardians of the slopes.