My Black Shepherd was the quickest dog to ever pick up avy rescue that I've
ever seen. I buried my buddy (with avalung) in a pit ~3 feet deep, 300
yards from where my dog was tied up out of line-of-site, wandered around the
snowfield for quite a bit before going back to her to avoid the possibility
of her just following my tracks to him. When I told her to 'go get it' (a
keyword we had been using since she was a puppy to find hidden articles,
inlcuding people under blankets, behind bushes, etc.), she stuck her nose to
the ground and started a classic 'Z' search pattern. Her pattern carried
her right past where my buddy was buried, she passed right near the spot
where he was buried, just beyond it she cocked her nose in the air, spun
around on her heels and actually dug him up. She repeated this type of
performance enough times that we stopped testing her after a couple of
years.

Shepherds have wiry hair which very few snow conditions will stick to, they
are extremely intelligent, and mine has showed an amazing ability to
tolerate the freakin idiot Labs that people insist on brining into the
backcountry with no manners or training. She has been attacked numerous
times, always giving the lab, husky or chow a look like, sheesh, what an
idiot. She did have to put one exceptionally persistent doby on it's ass
one time. Should have seen the stupid owners face, like "hey I have a
doberman, it's supposed to be bad ass". She sent it home shivering. By the
way, they are excellent climbers too, she summated 15 14ers with me
(including winter ascents) before she had to retire to family
hikes/skis/snowshoes.

14ers, what can I say, Colorado boasts 54 (depending on which list you
accept). Californians like to point out that they have a few and get their
nose bent out of shape and try to equate us with Texans. Well...they can
have the freakin place, people climbing all over each other has been my
experience with the Sierras. Try to make a day trip and bag Whitney and see
what comes of it, took me two years to get a permit, and then all I saw was
**** strewn about the mountain above 12,000 feet and at the base of the East
face.

Alaska, ahhh...if one could find gainful employment and not have to ****
ugly fat chicks (99% of unattached Alaskan women) it would be paradise.

Oh, back to the original posting on this thread, I'm not seeing a lot of
folks lining up to sign this guy up for a NYE climb. I would suggest Mt.
Bross (from the East, 3 to 4 hrs. depending on fitness), Mt. Elbert (from
the East, 3 to 4 hrs.), or even Mt. Sherman (again from the East 2 to 3
hrs). Eastern aspects get the early light, which can make snow conditions
unstable, so get an early start. Late December snows are not known for
great stability.
I had an incredible day on La Plata (North-Western slopes) in April, about
3100 vert of crampon/ice axe work on moderate slopes, stay away from the
steeper aspects, get up on the ridge early and enjoy the views and the trek.
My recollection of Shavano is that the Western slopes (most likely approach,
specially in winter) are pretty steep and somewhat grassy, very good terrain
for avy conditions. Quandry is a nice winter climb, but somewhat long and
you can't see the approach very well from the trailhead (or even the
highway) which makes it difficult to assess the conditions up higher. Nice
skiing on the descent when conditions are even fair though.

Vinnie

"Kurt Knisely" wrote in message
...
In article
, B.
Cooke says...

On Tue, 30 Sep 2003, Bob Lee wrote:

avalung and inflatable balloon backpack thing are debatable items.
Hey,
how about an avy-rescue dog? Those are handy.

Too funny... Every once in a blue moon I ski with my roomate; his Husky
is
quite proficient as a rescue dog (or so I've been assured). Problem is:
the damned thing hates me, so I doubt its utility.


I can visualize the headlines now... "Man rescued by dog, bleeds to death
from
bites"

I've seen a number of Labrador Retrievers trained as Avy dogs. I guess
they
have good sniffers and lots of energy, but I'm not sure I've ever met a
"smart"
one?

-K