Noticias

It’s a bright bluebird day at the top of the world — also known as the Telluride Ski Patrol station at the top of Chair 9 — and Mona is having a retirement party.

“She has been up here on the mountain since she was four months old. She put in, here on the mountain, 13 years of service,” said Erik Larsen.

Mona is one of Telluride’s avalanche dogs.

Larsen, a member of Telluride Ski Patrol and Mona’s handler, said, “Her expressed purpose is, here for the general public on the ski area, in the event of an inbounds avalanche, is for her to be dispatched into the field for that search and rescue operation.”

Mona, named for former ski patroller Mona Wilcox, is a Labrador retriever with jet-black fur and a small dusting of white around her muzzle.

A state-certified avalanche dog, Mona has helped clear scenes for events at the Telluride Ski Resort over the course of her career.

“She has been dispatched out by San Miguel County search and rescue on two events in the San Juans to go into a recovery mission,” Larsen said.

At her retirement party, Mona is snuggled on a bench in the sunshine with a sparkly disco ball collar. But Larsen noted that when the time comes, she is ready to work.

“The best thing about her is she has a switch. She can be a calm demeanor, just hanging out at the patrol station dog. When she knows it’s time to go to work, that switch flips and she goes into a completely different mentality of ‘it’s time to go to work,’” Larsen said.

Mona is part of a crew of avalanche dogs working on the mountain. The youngest are 2 years old; Mona is the most senior.

“The dogs learn from one another. They learn from mentors. They learn from the queen bee of the station. When they’re young, in those first couple years, we actively put them together to facilitate that learning experience. It’s amazing to see the young dogs learn from the more senior dogs,” Larsen said.

Mona and Larsen are close companions.

Larsen said Mona has made him a better ski patroller, and their work together is one of his proudest accomplishments.

“Having Mona, and the companionship of Mona, in both a pet capacity and also as a working dog has honestly been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. Being able to see her and train with her, she’s changed my life, and I hopefully have changed hers. It’s just really special,” Larsen said.

While Mona is taking a well-deserved retirement, the rest of the Telluride avalanche dogs — Stella, Sadie, Gretchen, Pika, SWE and Misty — are still on the mountain, working hard and keeping everyone safe.