(Photo by Katey Hamill/ Northstar California Resort) Ripp, now 1 year old and 45 pounds, is one of the dozens of avalanche rescue dogs that patrol the slopes at ski resorts near Lake Tahoe.
An avalanche requires all the wrong conditions at the wrong time. The angle of the mountain slope is important. Slopes between 25 and 40 degrees run the greatest risk of avalanches. Those are also ...