It’s early afternoon and I’m sitting on a ridge just below the top of the Plan Joran cablecar on Les Grand Montets ski area in Chamonix. Whiteout conditions that brought at least six inches of fresh powder to the resort this morning are finally starting to abate, and when ski patroller Bernard Luc lets his golden retriever off the leash, he bounds off giddily sending plumes of snow up into the air in his wake.
Whether they’re riding the chairlift or running between their master’s legs as they ski downhill, patrol dogs like Utah draw smiles and shrieks of glee from passing skiers, but they're here to perform an essential safety role.
