After over 10 years of skiing and ski touring with our dogs; read what we have learnt
skiing with your dog Ullr the powder hound in full flight
It's hard to put into words the feeling of taking your dog with you skiing when you see them loving the exhilaration of chasing you down the mountain.
However over 10 years we have had a couple of mishaps, one very serious, and we hope that by sharing our experience of skiing with our dogs you, too, can safely share the fun of skiing with your dogSkiing and Ski-touring with your dogs, or simply walking with them in the winter in the mountains, read about our experiences over the years...
More people are now taking their dog with them when driving to the Alps for their holidays, and some may well be tempted to go skiing with them, but first there are some simple questions, such as where and how will you take them skiing, and are you proficient in off-piste skiing/ski touring?
Most resorts will not let you take dogs on a lift if you're going to ski back down with them, so the only way is to walk up with your dog and then ski down out of resort. If you don't have the necessary ski touring gear then don't worry, simply rent or buy some snow-shoes, and strap your skis to your pack, though you will have to carry your boots as well. In the Covid days when the lifts were closed, we'd see people walking up the piste towing their skis with their boots locked in the bindings :)
Over the various seasons, we've featured ski touring with our dogs and the evolution of Ullr our Powder Hound
My wife and I distinctly remember the very first time we took one of our Jack Russells out with us skiing. It was way back in 2012.
We decided to go up from Pont de l'Alpe, a popular starting point for walking and ski touring, 5k from Monetier in Serre Chevalier. We only climbed 300m or so and the ski terrain doesn't start till after half of that.
What was so obvious was that the dog just wanted to be up near the front of us, the pack, chasing down whoever was in the lead.
Trust me, they really do enjoy it.
I can't exactly recall the snow pack that day, but it was firm enough for Kiki, our Jack Russell, to give chase, and we soon learnt rule number one, which is that someone has to keep hold of the dog(s) while the leader skis off, and then let them go.
Once back in the parking a gnarly old Mountain Guide (could see his badge) came over to us, and we both initially thought he was going to admonish us for taking a dog up there, but it turned out he was enthusiastically saying how a Jack was ideal for what we'd just been doing because of their small paws (that don't sink into soft snow) and hardiness.
Over the years we have climbed to many a local summit with our two Jacks (Kiki plus her daughter, Beanie), as you can see from the various pictures.
The Jacks became very adept at running down in our ski tracks if the snow was too deep, though sometimes they would just take the fall line.
The slightest difference in the snow pack can make a major difference to your sortie. Beanie, the long-haired Jack, as you can see from the image above suffered from snowballs building up and this was nigh on debilitating at times. I have ended up skiing with a 48lt backpack to put her in for the ski down if I thought the snow might be too arduous for her (Kiki, her mother with the shorter hair never had any issues). And as you can see from the image below Beanie fitted in quite well.
The vast majority of our ski touring with the Jacks was in spring snow, which is a lot more dog friendly. However spring can bring additional issues, namely marmottes. Like powder snow, chasing towards the sound of a marmotte whistling can give them a good workout.
Thankfully the Jacks never followed any marmottes down into their dens, as they would come off far worse - marmottes have powerful claws which they need to burrow into the mountainside. However it wasn't God's smartest design move in creating a beastie that whistles loudly to let others know exactly where they are.
In Serre Chevalier, we are limited as to where we can take the dogs, as on one side of the main road running through the valley up to the Col du Lautaret is the Parc des Ecrins, a National Park where dogs are 'interdit'. But we still have plenty of options with the Col du Galibier sector where we regularly run, ski and cycle with the dogs as well as the Col du Granon.
The Col du Granon road is often devoid of snow come the end of March to around 2,000m so it's possible to drive up and park, then climb up to La Gardiole 2,753m, and that's superb terrain for skiing with the dog(s).
Atop La Gardiole is a shelter constructed of stones, though it can often be totally full of snow, but still works pretty well as a shelter when transitioning should it be windy. It has been great for various photo opportunities as well as for showing the different skis I've used over the years.
And like I said, it can be windy up there.
Skiing and ski touring with the Jacks was relatively stress-free. There were actually more issues when walking with them just above us up the mountain side in our extended 'back garden' in the summer season, with them giving chase to both boar and deer. They always came back, but what was often only 10 minutes always seemed far longer.
In terms of distance and elevation, I think the longest the Jacks did was circa 16km and 900m making it up to the Italian Frontier, and they seemed to still have way more energy than us humans.
When our third dog, Ullr joined the Jack Pack (he thinks he's a Jack Russell as he grew up with them), we did a couple of ski tours together but the Jacks were over 10 years old and gradually slowing up (they are now 15 years and 13 years old, still going strong but now prefer duvet days to ski touring adventures).
What quickly became obvious with Ullr, is that a larger dog is faster, stronger, more of a handful and lessons were quickly learnt in the summer after he joined the famille.
Ullr is half Huskie, half Collie, and the Huskie half of him is very much the hunter. It wasn't long before we bought a GPS Tractive tracker for him, which has since saved many an anxious moment as I can see him disappearing up to a kilometer away. What is always amazing is that he returns pretty well to the same place he zoomed off from.
Apart from the GPS tracker. he also has a bright orange collar with his name and our mobile number on it. The bright orange means that, should there be hunters about in the autumn, hopefully they might spot him first before mistaking him for a deer.
I must admit to having more than a few mini nightmares when it comes to wildlife and dogs, and now there is one sector where I think twice about taking him as there are many boar and deer. I know from visiting a vet that a cornered boar can inflict severe damage with his sharp tusks.
As he matures Ullr is slowly learning that a deer can outrun him, and I think he would think twice about a bouquetin/ibex which have no fear and stand their ground. In fact once while having a picnic with the Jacks, we had to evacuate our position as the bouquetin were becoming a little too interested in us, on a par with playful bullocks, or protecting their young. Anyway we didn't hang around.
Apart from the obvious wildlife, we also have wolves very close to us, and we often see evidence of them. My concern is that Ullr could pick up the scent of one.
So basically forests with dogs are best avoided when ski touring or keep your dog on a leash until you clear the treeline.
And now a quick word about harnesses. Like many people we used the ubiquitous Julius-K9 harness, and when starting out on a ski tour with his natural Husky enthusiasm if you were harnessed to him he would definitely help pulling by 25 percent or so. We know this by looking at each others heart rate figures, comparing them with when he is pulling you or not.
However, now we do not use the K9 harness or any harness as we have seen him trap himself unable to move as his front leg has slipped through the harness akin to hobbling a horse. And the other paranoia of a harness is that he's almost been caught by branches tangling in the harness, so they are a big fat NO from us, unless of course you do not let your dog run free.
For sure, there is an argument that you could keep a dog on a leash when climbing up and then let him off for the descent as all they are interested in is chasing you down, but all it takes is a marmotte whistle close by and the temptation is just too much, and I have had a couple of Fenton* moments.
Exhibit A below, but he was not even a year old :)
*Classic video of a dog called Fenton chasing deer in Richmond park with his exasperated owner giving chase.
When ski touring with dogs goes wrong it can be a disaster
When Ullr was into his second season, I did an early season (lifts not open) ski tour in November up the pistes here in Serre Chevalier with a friend and his dog. Unfortunately, Ullr was still young and over-enthusiastic, managing to get himself too close to my friends ski tips with dreadful consequences, which is detailed here. We really did think his ski-touring journey might be over.
But as you can see he's back, and hopefully fitter and stronger, though after a big day he does seem a little stiff, but then so are we all.
In some of the videos you'll hear us talking to each other even though we're 200m or so away, and that can often be to tell each other to release Ullr and or to say where he is in relation to each other. We're using the Cardo PackTalk and it's great aid when up the mountain with your four-legged companion(s).
More recently,I've been using the E-Mtb to ski-tour as an approach tool with Ullr, especially in the spring as even though the roads are closed to cars there's enough traction on the hardpacked snow for a bike.
And we're often asked should Ullr wear a transceiver?
Now while that might read like a sensible idea to protect your beloved dog, just think about what could happen. Should you get caught in an avalanche and should you or the rescue teams successfully trace the receiver how would you feel if it was the dog and not your partner?
Below are a selection of some of our favourite videos.
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