Support AARF--Alpine Avalanche Rescue Foundation

Alpine Avalanche Rescue Foundation (AARF) is an Alpine Meadows-based foundation to support avalanche safety and education for the public and professional rescuers throughout California.

AARF, similar to woof (but not quite), spreads their message through their furry, four legged friends with a keen nose.

Yes, the cute avalanche dogs.

Here's one of the legendary members of the team, Walter , who went viral on social media for his lift loading finesse. He has a great story, and even has a book that's written about his life.

You can support the cause by buying a limited edition AARF shirt that is exclusively available at the patrol shack at Sherwood.

But these dogs aren’t just mascots. They’re hard workers, and can perform tasks that their human coworkers just cannot do.

They are valuable assets to ski patrollers doing their daily routines, but even more valuable in an avalanche search and rescue scenario. These dogs are trained from when they are just weeks old to find any trace of human scent under the snow.

Humans do have large brains and thumbs, but we have issues moving through snow and our noses aren’t that good.

Avalanche rescue is a time crunch, and that’s where the hounds come into play.

While a whole search and rescue team bumbles and fumbles around in the snow with their probes and beacons, a well trained avalanche rescue dog can track a day-old scent that’s buried five feet under the snow in just a few minutes.

Alpine Meadows at Palisades Tahoe is all too familiar with avalanche concerns and the use of dogs. During the avalanche disaster of 1982 at Alpine, Bridget, a German shepherd, was the first avalanche dog in North America to find someone alive.

This has led Alpine to be a pioneer in avalanche safety. Bridget and her handler, Roberta Huber, are widely credited with legitimizing the use of dogs in rescue situations, and that legacy continues on today.

The dog crew is strong, and that makes me feel safe. You can meet the whole squad here on AARF’s website.