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Whistler's first avalanche dog stars in children's storybook

Radar paves way for CARDA and civilian avalanche dog-handler teams
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alpha dog Radar the avalanche dog, pictured with Bruce Watt, is immortalized in story. photo by Rod Grange

The official story of the origins of the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (CARDA) usually begins with a 1978 avalanche on Whistler Mountain that could have killed patroller Bruce Watt.

But that's not the whole story.

It's true that a close call prompted Watt to push for an on-mountain rescue dog program at Whistler, which would ultimately lead to the formation of CARDA.

And it's true that the first avalanche dog, Radar, a beautiful black German shepherd, was Watt's faithful companion for nine years and is now the star of a children's book to be released this year, Radar, the Rescue Dog.

There is, however, another story behind the story — a deadly and tragic mountaineering accident that could have scarred Watt's life in sadness and pain.

Instead, he found comfort in Radar, and later Max and Quest, and the purpose he found in their on-mountain job helped him heal.

That is where the story of CARDA really begins. And Radar's story too.

It was the fall of 1976 and Watt and his best friend John Cleland were looking for duds in Whistler Bowl — avalanche bombs that don't go off when they're supposed to.

They were young men living the Whistler dream of the seventies — squatting on the side of the mountain, skiing their hearts out all winter long. Watt was a patroller, Cleland a snow cat driver. Winter was just around the corner that Thanksgiving weekend; you could smell the sweet anticipation of it in the air.

And then Cleland's dream was cut short; a simple twist of fate, a misplaced step. He lost his footing and fell. Though he was medevaced to Vancouver, he later died.

In those days there was no critical incident stress counselling to deal with the loss of his friend, or the trauma of the events that led to his death.

"It was like 'Here, have a Scotch, you'll be alright,'" recalled Watt.

He wasn't all right at all but it would take two more years, and another close call with death, before he would find a way to heal.

In 1978 Watt was caught in an avalanche with another man on the north face of Whistler.

Watt sets the scene from the Peak Chair — looking to the left on the way up that chair is a rock face near the top. The snow on that face let go on Watt, and a visiting patroller from Snowbird, on the flat spot just before the run called Surprise.

"If we had gone over Surprise we probably wouldn't have lived," said Watt. "Luckily we were only taken a short way. We were very lucky."

He was buried but with his arm sticking out he was found in short order, dug out and then immediately began helping in the search for the Snowbird patroller, who was buried for seven minutes before he was rescued. The snow was probed with skis, the patroller dug out by hands.

That's when Watt saw the opportunity to make a difference — he knew that avalanche rescue could be improved with a canine partner at his side.

With the backing of Whistler Mountain, Watt began his journey, not just of getting a dog team on Whistler but of healing too.

He got Radar at 10 weeks old and began getting involved in dog training with the RCMP and Parks Canada. It wasn't easy. There was a lot of political wrangling. Still... he found a way.

"I think the reason why I was credible from the beginning was because Whistler Mountain was a credible place that needed avalanche rescue," said Watt. "The mountain supported me 100 per cent so that really helped getting through the red tape."

Little did he know it but that decision would ultimately lead to the creation of CARDA.

Today, there are 11 dog teams on Whistler Blackcomb — eight are operational and three are training.

There are a minimum of two teams working on each mountain every day, traning and on stand-by for the rare in-bounds avalanche or any in the backcountry.

"That was sort of my therapy for the next 30 years," said Watt.

In his first year working on Whistler when he was just a puppy, Radar attended his first avalanche for training.

Doug Robertson had been skiing with friends when he decided to do one last run on his own. He was caught in a massive avalanche that began in Sun Bowl and ended in what is now known as Robertson's Run.

"We went in the next morning after blasting," said Watt, who has worked for 25 years with Re/Max selling real estate. "It was quite sad because we found his leg sticking up. If he had been with friends he probably would have been found, but he was all alone."

Radar spent his years after that educating and training. He died of cancer during the first avalanche-dog training course in Whistler.

But his memory lives on now in a children's book, written by former Pique contributor and author Janet Love Morrison.

The story has been written, and on her shelf for years, but just recently revived. Plans are in the works for a release date and launch in November.

"If there's somehow that Radar can be a tool to serve kids and create that awareness, maybe as they grow up they'll think twice about some of the choices they make," said Morrison. "The whole intent has just been to educate kids about mountain safety."

The story is about a group of kids who get lost on Whistler Mountain and Radar comes to the rescue.

Justin Trudeau, whose brother was killed in an avalanche, wrote the forward.

"(It's) a beautiful forward," said Morrison.

She also points out that a grant of $5,000 from the American Friends of Whistler (AFOW) and $1,000 from Whistler Blackcomb will cover the costs of self-publishing.

"What we want to do is launch it on American Thanksgiving, opening weekend, so we can give thanks to them on their Thanksgiving," she said of the AFOW grant.

"The bulk of the royalties are going right back to CARDA so that they can have some money for their training, their education," said Morrison.

CARDA is in its 31st year.

"It's turned into a great organization, run by incredibly good people," said Watt, now retired after 34 years patrolling with first Radar, then Max and Quest.

"I'm very proud to be part of it."