Meet the ski patrollers and their rescue dogs who keep the French Alps safe

Alf Alderson shadows the brave Les Menuires Ski Patrol and their avalanche rescue dogs on the slopes. Photos by Olly Bowman

There are several ski patrol stations located at strategic points around Les Menuires, where teams of six patrollers are stationed Picture: Olly Bowman

I’m buried beneath a metre of snow above the ski resort of Les Menuires in the French Alps in a cold, silent, friendless world. Then suddenly there’s a scuffling sound, followed by a pair of black paws frantically excavating the snow, as Split the avalanche dog bursts through to my rescue — more of which later.

This is all part of an exercise by the Les Menuires Ski Patrol, which I’m shadowing for a day that began a few hours earlier at 7.30am on a cold January dawn.