Lost Trail Ski Area, tucked away in the Bitterroot Mountains on the border of Idaho and Montana, is known for abundant stashes, wide-open groomed runs and glade skiing, and incredible cold smoke powder. But beyond the great skiing, Lost Trail’s strong family vibe makes it a favorite with skiers from Montana, Idaho and beyond. Owned and operated by the Grasser family, this mountain has been their pride and joy for nearly 50 years. They’ve made it a mission to keep skiing affordable and accessible, so locals are able to enjoy it more than just once or twice a year. And enjoy it they do: It’s not unusual for people to grow up skiing at Lost Trail, and in turn, raising their children and grandchildren on the same runs.
That family feel extends to the Lost Trail Ski Patrol — a close-knit group dedicated to keeping the mountain safe and fun for everyone who comes to spend time on the slopes.
The more than 60-person crew is made up mostly of volunteer patrollers, with folks coming in from both the Montana and Idaho sides of the mountain to help keep the visiting skiers and snowboarders safe. And they’re not opposed to sending it down the slopes while on their breaks — the National Ski Patrol-certified individuals practically have fresh powder pumping through their bloodstreams. It’s a family-oriented team with ties to the mountain that run deep. From college skiers turned patrollers, to ski bums who fell in love and relocated to the area, to local professionals who just want to spend their weekends in the snow, people from all walks of life are represented here. The diverse group is united in their love for the mountain, the sport and each other.
“It’s a huge family. Everyone’s just really here for each other,” says patroller Morgan Throckmorton.
Morgan has been patrolling Lost Trail for the last four seasons, which is relatively new for this crew, given that many patrollers have served for decades.
On “double-duty” weekends, a team of patrollers will stay on the mountain for Saturday and Sunday shifts. “So we usually have these big potluck meals on Saturday nights where everybody gets to know each other, their families come in,” says Chris Gaughan, a fellow ski patroller. “So it’s a really family-oriented patrol. Everybody’s really close. We all raft together in the summer, so it’s not just a seasonal relationship either, which is really special.”
The members of the patrol have their specialties off the mountain — some are doctors, nurses and scientists by trade — but there’s one crucial member of the crew whose background is a little different.
Skadi is a border collie and lab mix, and she’s the resident avalanche search and rescue dog at Lost Trail. It’s her job to help retrieve skiers that become buried underneath the snow. Skadi has been coming up to the mountain since she was a puppy, hitting the lift for the first time at just seven weeks. Her training began with standard exercises to ensure that she’d take commands and behave.
“When they’re young, what you’re really trying to do is obedience and play drive. Obedience is standard — you need them to be well behaved around the mountain and have them be good with kids and people. With play drive, you’re trying to teach them this game of tug and hide and seek,” says Morgan, who, along with Chris, is Skadi’s owner and trainer.
Making “go find” a game that ends with your dog’s favorite reward trains them that “finding people gets them that reward,” she says.
As Skadi got older, she progressed to games of “pop-up,” where patrollers would position themselves in a hole and raise a hand holding a toy above the snow. This would get Skadi’s attention and lead her to the hole, where the patroller — and the toy — was located.
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“At some point you start building walls over those holes, and it gets the dog used to digging through snow to get that reward. They know where the reward is, and they’re excited to dig through snow.”
This helps the dog learn to use their nose to search and locate the rewards that are buried beneath the snow’s surface.
“That reward, and getting them excited to find people is the best thing that you can do for training them,” she says.
This strategy worked to develop Skadi’s early skills, and helped her to complete the drills she runs today.
A standard drill starts with “find” — Skadi’s start word — which starts her “ranging,” where she’s working to find the scent of a person who has been buried under the snow. When she picks up a smell, she alerts the crew, and once she pinpoints the scent, she begins to dig, allowing for the other patrollers to locate the buried person and pull them out of the snow. So far, in training and testing scenarios, her record is finding two people in less than eight minutes.
She’s been training her whole life to be a resource not just for Lost Trail Mountain, but for the greater community. Skadi’s never had to put her skills to the test in a real avalanche, but she’s ready to jump into action should a search and rescue event occur in the area.
For now, the Lost Trail Ski Patrol is happy to have Skadi as part of their tight-knit family, and she’s always ready to hop on a patroller’s back and send it down the slopes after a long day of continuing the patrol’s work keeping Lost Trail a safe and fun mountain for generations of skiers.
