The Summit County Rescue Group is asking hikers to consider their dogs limitations after a pair of pups had to be rescued from Quandary Peak last week. This Great Pyrenees summited the peak but couldn’t continue down due to exhaustion and torn pads on its paws.
Photo from Summit County Rescue Group
Dogs serve as valuable companions for many rescue workers in Summit County, responding to dangerous slides with the Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment team and helping to sniff out lost hikers in the backcountry.
But sometimes it’s the dogs that need rescuing, as was the case last week when Summit County Rescue Group volunteers helped a pair of exhausted pups off Quandary Peak.
Photo from Copper Mountain Resort
Philanthropy is running high in Summit County.
Copper Mountain Resort’s Play It Forward Wednesdays program ended this month, raising $67,640 in the span of 13 weeks for 13 nonprofits. Each nonprofit received $5 per online lift ticket purchased on select Wednesdays.
Though it raised less than the inaugural Play Forever Fridays last season, which brought in more than $69,000, Copper considers it a success.
“We are really happy with that number,” Copper spokesperson Olivia Butrymovich said. “We didn’t know what to expect going in. We moved the day to Wednesdays and were very productive with those sales.”
Play Forever Fridays got cut short last season due to the pandemic, and the program was rebranded to Play it Forward over the summer and expanded to aid pandemic relief on top of assisting environment- and sports-focused nonprofits. Because Friday was a popular skiing day, Copper moved the fundraising dates to Wednesdays to drive midwee
On February 16, a fatal avalanche occurred near Rand, Colorado, involving a group of six snowmobilers. It buried two and killed one while running 350 feet downhill with enough force
Thereâs little doubt that this team is the cutest on the hill at Grand Targhee Resort, but these four-legged, cold-nosed patrollers arenât just here for the ear scratches. These highly-trained canines have a critical job: the GTK9 squad is always ready for avalanche rescues.
The avalanche dog program, started in the mid-1990s, is an integral part of the ski patrol at Grand Targhee Resort. Keeping the program up and running depends on the support of donors, explains lead handler Casey OâConnor. Typically, the nonprofit hosts an in-person fundraising event known as the âPowder Pigâ Fundraiser. Of course, the pandemic has forced the organization to reimagine their efforts this year, and theyâve shifted the event online.