Colorado is the heart of avalanche country. We train avalanche rescue professionals and dog teams to be ready at a moment's notice for victims in their time of need. We also strive to be a leader in community outreach and awareness about the importance of dogs as partners in search and rescue.
"We are a volunteer group who work our day jobs as ski patrollers, guides, and in other outdoor professions, and do this in addition to those jobs. Though a live find has not been had from an avalanche in North America, the closure that finding a victim brings to the family is immeasurable."
- Doug Lesch, C-RAD President
The mission of Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment (C-RAD) is to cultivate, inspire and produce dog teams for successful avalanche search and rescue.
The first Colorado avalanche rescue dogs started training in Summit County in the mid-1980s. But the real catalyst for the creation of Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment was the devastating Peak 7 avalanche outside the Breckenridge Ski Area boundary in 1987.
Eight people were caught in the massive slide, and four people without avalanche transceivers were buried and killed. The search and rescue operation took three days and required hundreds of rescue professionals and volunteers painstakingly probing into feet of avalanche debris to find the victims. Realizing the need for coordinated, county-wide avalanche response with trained dogs, the Summit County Sheriff, Summit County Search and Rescue Group, and Flight for Life helicopter service began to lay the groundwork for what would eventually become the robust statewide C-RAD program we have today.
In recent years, C-RAD has expanded its training opportunities for current and future dog teams, and we hope to continue to expand our programs, as well as our public outreach to engage our communities and inspire future generations of avalanche rescue teams
Organization name
Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment
other names
C-RAD
1987
Tax id (EIN)
81-1255598
Category
Animal-Related
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
504 Bighorn CircleMailing
P.O. Box 983Summit County, CO, US
Grand County, CO, US
Eagle County, CO, US
Pitkin County, CO, US
San Miguel County, CO, US