My cousin Martha-Ann, while attending Steamboat Mountain School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado volunteered to be buried under twelve feet of packed avalanche snow in order for dogs to practice finding people buried in avalanches. After a drive to Rabbit Ears Pass, a mountain range that has an affinity for avalanches, the Search and Rescue team fitted her with a beacon as a failsafe, in case the dogs couldn’t manage the search. With a backhoe the team dug a 12 foot hole, creating a little snow cave around the size of a single man tent. Then she crawled into the cave. The environment wasn’t too drab as she was situated with the luxuries of a sleeping bag with pad and a headlamp for reading. The workers then backhoed the snow on top of the cave. In contrast to the cold and windy blizzard outside, Martha Ann described her confined compartment as her very appealing silent snuggery. As the time passed, the body heat she generated melted the snow above her making the snow cave damp. Melted snow that turned her snuggery into a subpar dwelling rife with gelid moisture. After an hour of being buried, the dogs found her and drew the attention of the search and rescue team by barking and pawing at the snow. Once her location was discovered the team was able to dig her out of the packed snow. She was greeted by a smiling German Shepherd.
