YOUR AD HERE »

Aspen Snowmass’ newest avy dog is building his confidence

12-week-old Benji is already deep in his training

News |

River Stingray

Share this story
Benji, a three-month-old golden retriever, plays at the base of Aspen Mountain on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Aspen. Benji will be trained as a new avalanche dog for Snowmass Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

For Louise Zemlicka, she knew right away that Benji was going to be Aspen Snowmass’ newest patrol recruit and future avalanche dog.

“There’s just something about Benji,” Zemlicka said of the first time she saw him at the breeder’s, sporting a green collar. “He kept coming back to me. I just had this connection with this dog.”

Now, 12-week-old field golden retriever Benji is already deep in his training to join Zemlicka, originally from Sweden, on the slopes of Snowmass with ski patrol. Zemlicka told The Aspen Times that after 10 years training horses for police, she moved to Aspen and joined ski patrol because of the opportunity to be part of the on-mountain canine program.

“I knew that I loved training animals, and I knew that I loved doing something that matters,” Zemlicka said. “This summer, my boss asked me if I was ready.”

Zemlicka said she did extensive research to find a breeder with a good reputation and healthy puppies. She ultimately chose the same breeder that provided Buttermilk with its ski patrol dog, Ruby.


“Welcome to the team, Benji!” Aspen Snowmass wrote in an Instagram post announcing Benji. “His new rigorous responsibilities include stick assessment, constant sniff checks, zoomies in the fall leaves, and he always naps next to his radio — just in case duty calls. It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it.”

So far, Benji’s training has consisted of a lot of confidence building, which Zemlicka said she facilitates by getting him outside to experience nature, people, and get comfortable with everything. When he eats, she’ll make a lot of noise so he won’t get phased by the sound of bombs on the mountain for avalanche mitigation. There has also been a ton of play.

Benji, a three-month-old golden retriever, sits for a treat at the base of Aspen Mountain on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Aspen. Benji will be trained as a new avalanche dog for Snowmass Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

“We play a lot, that’s the main reward for finding people,” Zemlicka said. “We’re playing a ton of tug, getting him thinking that’s the best game in the world.”

Zemlicka said Benji’s favorite toy to tug with is one of her sheepskin slippers, which she retired as a slipper for Benji’s training.

Beginning in November, Benji will be heading to the Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment program, also known as C-RAD, in Frisco for more intensive training, and then begin work with Zemlicka on the mountain in November and December. While he’ll initially just be getting used to the ski hill and riding the lift, as soon as he’s ready he’ll start more serious search and rescue training.

This training will include runaways, which Zemlicka explained as having someone hold Benji’s harness while she runs away with a toy and ducks behind a tree, then have Benji come after her. The training progresses to become more difficult, where Zemlicka will hide before Benji can even see her, prompting him to use air-scenting to find her and the toy. He will ultimately advance to where Zemlicka will dig a hole in the snow and hide there so Benji understands where he can find people, by finding his handler and his toy.

“People don’t realize how much training is behind it,” Zemlicka said.

Benji, a three-month-old golden retriever, relaxes with his trainer on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Aspen. Benji will be trained as a new avalanche dog for Snowmass Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Zemlicka expects Benji to be fully trained and ready for real work by 2 years old. At that point, Benji will join Zemlicka on the job and spend his days at-the-ready in case they’re called to an avalanche.

“In a perfect world, he’s never going to do any work,” Zemlicka said. “We hope we’re never going to need him because we do so much avalanche mitigation.”

After his completion with C-RAD, Benji will also be able to be deployed out of the ski area to participate in rescues with Zemlicka out-of-bounds via helicopter.

“The dog is going to be the quickest way to find someone,” Zemlicka said of utilizing the canine team.

Show CaptionsHide Captions

While Benji hasn’t met his canine coworkers yet, he will this upcoming Monday, Nov. 3, as everyone comes back to work for the winter season. For those who spot Benji and Zemlicka on the mountain while out on the slopes, Zemlicka asks everyone to stop and let Benji come up to them if they want to say hi, instead of approaching him on a board or on skis.

Looking past this winter, Zemlicka also works with bike patrol in the summer and has plans to certify Benji as a wilderness search and rescue dog as well.

Sunrise Rundown: Headlines. Breaking News. Local Updates.
What’s happening in Aspen, in one click.

Sign up for the Sunrise Rundown at AspenTimes.com/newsletter

Share this story
Instagram
See more