Buried deep in snow at 2,100 metres (6,889ft) in the ski resort of Chamonix in the French Alps – in the shadow of Mont Blanc – a scurrying sound is coming from above.
It’s followed by panting and scratching, then a paw breaks through the white stuff and the head of an excited two-year-old golden retriever, named Utah, emerges: a highly trained mountain rescue dog.
Utah has sniffed out the presence of a human (me). And I’ve been ‘saved’ in the wild snowscape of the Grands Montets ski area.
Welcome to a day in the life of the Chamonix ski patrol team.
Each winter, around 300 people are rescued by the crack local patrol team, while more than a thousand rescues take place across Chamonix, which comprises the challenging areas of Grand Montets, Brevent, Flegere, Balme and Les Houches.
Typical injuries involve knees (75 per cent of callouts), head and shoulders (15 per cent) and ‘the rest are other parts of the body’ says Christophe Boloyan, ‘chef de piste’ of Chamonix’s Grands Montets Ski Patrol.
To provide an insight into the workings of a typical alpine rescue squad, Christophe has granted MailOnline Travel a behind-the-scenes experience of a day on the rugged mountain.
The demonstration of an avalanche rescue, conducted regularly to keep dogs’ instincts alert, follows an early morning start, taking a cable car at 7.30am in almost complete darkness amid heavy snowfall. The resort is due to open to the public, all being well, at 9am – and the mountain is eerie with no one else about.
MailOnline Travel’s Tom Chesshyre finds out what goes on behind the scenes to keep pistes safe in the French ski resort of Chamonix. He’s pictured above in the Grands Montets ski area, buried in a snow cave for an avalanche dog-rescue demonstration
Tom waits to be sniffed out by Utah (right), a highly trained mountain rescue dog
Avalanche ‘rescues’ are conducted regularly to keep dogs’ instincts alert. Above – Utah with one of the ski patrol team
A member of Chamonix’s Grands Montets Ski Patrol
From the top of the Plan Joran lift, it’s a tricky traverse in a murky snow flurry to the ski patrol’s HQ, a low, nondescript building with a handful of rooms, including one with chairs around a long table occupied by a team of ski patrollers in tailor-made Helly Hansen-branded black-and-yellow uniforms – fitted with special pockets in the arms for avalanche bomb ignitors.
It’s the morning team briefing. There are 25 patrollers on Christophe’s team, plus 12 snowcat piste-groomers and three artificial snowmakers.
All are men. ‘We’re working on it,’ says Christophe, when I ask about the gender imbalance.
Christophe gets down to business, conveying that he has already recorded the latest data from a weather station, establishing that 15cm of snow fell overnight, with a further 5cm predicted if flurries continue as expected until 1pm. So far this winter, at the mid-January time of writing, there has been more than 300cm of snowfall in Chamonix, contributing to a mountain ‘base’ of 142cm.
The wind is fine for the lifts to run, we’re told. When gusts exceed 40mph, some at the top – at 2,800m/9,186ft – may have to close.
From time to time, avalanche explosions boom outside as other members of the ski patrol already on the mountain detonate gas bombs utilising a network of pipes laid down at strategic points, as well as solid explosives.
These are carried out to clear landscapes where regular snowslides occur close to groomed pistes, and ideally need to be completed before 9am, although when extra bombs are required the resort’s opening can be delayed until as late as noon. This, however, is rare, and on most days the resort is ready on time.
Christophe explains current conditions to his team and allocates ‘sweeps’ to check groomed pistes are clear and ensure all fencing marking trails is in place.
‘Here the level of skier is quite high. People are not beginners,’ he says. ‘So you don’t get as many accidents as in other resorts.’
Chamonix (above) comprises the challenging areas of Grand Montets, Brevent, Flegere, Balme and Les Houches
Each winter, around 300 people are rescued by the Grands Montets Ski Patrol
More than a thousand rescues take place across Chamonix each winter season. When wind gusts exceed 40mph, lift systems may have to close
Patrols sweep groomed pistes to make sure they are clear and to ensure all fencing marking trails is in place
Most of the ski patrol callouts at Chamonix (above) are caused by loss of balance, reveals Tom, rather than collisions, which are ‘about one to two per cent’ of incidents
At others, you can expect more than double the number of mishaps. Most of the ski patrol callouts at Chamonix are caused by loss of balance – sometimes on tricky off-piste slopes when skiers are pushing themselves to the limit – rather than collisions, which are ‘about one to two per cent’ of incidents.
The mountains, of course, can be deadly. There are an average of ten traumatic deaths a year across French slopes, according to the Domaines Skiables de France.
Prior to MailOnline Travel’s behind-the-scenes tour of Chamonix, the most recent fatality had been that of a 25-year-old man who died in a 500-metre fall on a steep, ungroomed, technically challenging couloir at Aiguille Verte in another part of the resort in April 2024.
And, highlighting the potential dangers of skiing off-piste, a 55-year-old British man tragically died in an avalanche measuring 1km long and 400m wide at Grand Montets, a mere five days after our visit.
There is an average of one skier fatality a year across Chamonix, the usual cause being heart attack, says Christophe. A sobering statistic.
The lifts open, it’s time to patrol the slopes – with snow still falling heavily.
Laurent Langoisseur, one of the ski patrolmen on Christophe’s team, leads the way, conducting a mountain tour. Netting and ropes protecting skiers from precipices need to be checked. Laurent also shows how patrollers’ skis can be used to ‘cut’ (break off) snow near slopes that could cause small snowslides.
The day of MailOnline Travel’s visit is rated ‘considerable’ in terms of avalanche risk, Laurent says. It’s three out of five in the rankings on the European Avalanche Danger Scale, which is below ‘high’ and ‘very high’ risk but above ‘limited’ and ‘low’. Skiers coming to the resort are warned of this risk on signs by lifts.
Skiers have appeared on the slopes, although it’s still quiet due to the poor visibility in the continuing blizzard.
Tom is shown how the bright orange toboggans-with-stretchers work
The team stops to check some important piste-marking posts near the treacherous black (expert) slopes at the top of the Bochard cable car
The cost of a mountain rescue can range from 80 euros (£67) to 1,200 euros (£1,004)
We stop to check some particularly important piste-marking posts near the treacherous black (expert) slopes at the top of the Bochard cable car at 2,765m/9,071ft. From this spot you have brilliant views across to Mont Blanc, western Europe’s highest peak at 4,805m/15,764ft.
Admiring the scenery, Laurent explains what it’s like being a snow patrolman.
He reveals: ‘Because it’s a seasonal job [for the ski season from December to April], you’ve got to cover the rest of the year. I do guiding for hikers during the summer. Others do carpentry. We have a good camaraderie. It’s that kind of job: you need your buddies.’
His working schedule, he says, is around ten hours a day for four days a week.
Traversing back to the snow patrol HQ, we perform the mock avalanche rescue – requiring me being buried in a snow hole – and then Christophe rejoins us to show how the bright orange toboggans-with-stretchers work, using a vacuum system to secure those with spinal injuries.
The cost of a mountain rescue can range from 80 euros (£67) to 1,200 euros (£1,004) depending on whether a helicopter, brought in by calling a separate mountain rescue team in the valley, is required. These costs will be covered by those with travel insurance – available for sale on top of lift tickets for three euros (£2.50) a day. Which seems more than reasonable.
The day continues, mercifully, without incidents – and Laurent, aged 58 from Normandy (a veteran ski patroller of 30 years’ experience), accompanied by another team member, conducts a final ‘sweep’ of the mountain after 4pm when the lifts have been closed.
The all-clear is given – and we repair to the Le Argentero apres ski bar at the foot of the runs. After waking at 6am, it’s been a nine-hour day on the slopes.
The beer tastes good, but what’s even better is that a day has gone by safely on the mountain.
We all raise a glass to that.
• More information: seechamonix.com, fips-skipatrol.org, hellyhansen.com/ski-patrol.
