At the start of each winter season, ski area employees return to the mountain and reconnect with familiar faces while welcoming new team members.

This year at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, staff will be introduced to a new, four-legged addition to the team. While the furry friend may not be helping the lifties load chairlifts or the snowmakers blow snow across the slopes, the avalanche dog in training will still prove to be a valuable member of the team.

Adopted by ski patroller Darcy Forsythe back in the middle of May, Walker is a 4-month-old Labrador retriever puppy that is eager to learn about his future profession as an avalanche dog.

Forsythe was inspired to get an avalanche dog of her own after working alongside A-Basin’s avalanche team as a ski patroller. Not only did the fifth-year ski patroller find working around the dogs rewarding, but Forsythe also saw the levity avalanche dogs can bring to an often stressful work environment.

“When I got here, I ended up with pretty much the same schedule as basically all the other handlers,” Forsythe said. “I got involved through that. I did not really have an intention of getting one, but then as time went on, I realized I definitely wanted one. Just seeing the training and stuff was interesting.”

Like many avalanche dogs, Walker was hand picked by Forsythe at Bear Creek Labradors near the town of Craig. While the adoption of any dog can be stressful in its own right, selecting the proper avalanche dog requires a series of tests.

“I can personally not say enough good things about them,” Forsythe said. “They were super helpful in the process. This place is past Steamboat, and I went out like five times to look at litters and kind of see their operation that they have going on.”

Bear Creek Labradors does not say that they breed their dogs for a specific task or purpose. Rather, the company develops dogs that are versatile. Following numerous trips to Bear Creek Labradors, Forsythe was able to narrow the list of potential dogs down to two by using the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test. 

“You are supposed to do it at exactly 49 days because I guess that is when their brain is mostly fully developed,” Forsythe said. “… I had another handler from the program come with me to do the test, and it involves throwing something and seeing what the dog does.”

It was Walker’s ability to listen, eagerness towards tasks and willingness to work hard that elevated him above the rest of the puppies in his litter.

“There were four males, and Walker just wanted to tug,” Forsythe said. “That is kind of what I liked about him, and he would not give it up. It was between him and this other dog, and they pretty much scored the same. … He kind of fed off what I was doing more than the other one.” 

With Walker now officially part of the Forsythe family, the young pup has began to grow familiar with his place of work, finding all the good areas to sniff and find sticks to teethe on. 

When not exploring the mountain, Walker is being introduced to some basic avalanche dog training exercises. Forsythe hopes to have Walker reach his certification at 3 years old, but she is in no rush to get to the point. Instead, Forsythe wants Walker to have fun and progress at his own rate. 

“I want to take it at his pace because I have a lot of learning to do too,” Forsythe said. “I think it is going to be a learning curve for both of us. We have already started doing super basic stuff.”

Walker and Forsythe will not be alone in their learning journey at A-Basin. The excited puppy joins a team of four other avalanche dogs, two of whom are working toward their certification and two that have already secured their certification.

Forsythe plans to lean on A-Basin’s other handlers for guidance and support throughout the learning process. 

“This is my first dog, so I don’t know exactly what his progression should look like, and I don’t want him to overdo it,” Forsythe said. “So I kind of have to reach out to people for kind of like a little bit of guidance. The Summit County Search and Rescue Group has been pretty pivotal in their help.”

Walker will officially get his first feel of working on the snow when Arapahoe Basin Ski Area opens for the 2025-26 ski season in the late fall. For more information on A-Basin, visit ArapahoeBasin.com.

“I am just stoked to see how he progresses,” Forsythe said. “It is really fun to watch him get more excited as he is kind of learning. This is kind of what I want to do, and this is a fun thing to do while I am at work.”