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You are here: Home / Archives for Ava

Ava

Two-Day Pecan, Wine Festival Returns to Camp Verde

February 28, 2023 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Fifteen of the best local wineries within the Verde Valley will be in attendance, pouring their newest releases by the glass, bottle and case.

Saturday, March 18 through Sunday, March 19 marks the 22ndAnnual Camp Verde Pecan & Wine Festival hosted by the Verde Valley Wine Consortium and the Town of Camp Verde, sponsored by Yavapai College and the Southwest Wine Center, SRP, the Arizona Office of Tourism and Larry Green Chevrolet. Celebrating two of the area’s prime tourism draws – wine and pecans – the free festival will feature 15 Arizona wineries along with a variety of pecans for pairing, a very competitive Pecan Pie contest, a Budweiser Beer Garden, food trucks and 70+ local artisans.

 “The Verde Valley American Viticulture Area (AVA) has achieved so much acclaim since its designation in 2021 that we are expecting a great turnout this year,” said Parks and Recreation Manager Michael Marshall.

Fifteen of the best local wineries within the Verde Valley will be in attendance, pouring their newest releases by the glass, bottle and case.

Wine tasting tickets (for attendees 21+) are available for $20 in advance by visiting www.verdevalleywine.org or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/camp-verde-pecan-and-wine-festival-tickets-479518782587.

Tickets will also be available at the door for $25 per person. Both include a commemorative glass provided by the Arizona Office of Tourism and six wine tasting tickets. Additional wine tasting tickets will be available for purchase at the event.

The festival runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, March 18 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, March 19 in downtown Camp Verde (75 E. Hollamon Street). QCBN

For more information, visit cvaz.org or verdevalleywine.org.

Filed Under: Business, Education, Local News, Tourism Tagged With: 2ndAnnual Camp Verde Pecan & Wine Festival, Ava, camp verde, The Verde Valley American Viticulture Area, Verde Valley Wine Consortium, Verde Valley Wineries

Snowbowl Ski Pawtrol

February 26, 2021 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Ava the avalanche rescue dog is trained to find skiers under the snow.

At 4 years old, Ava can be found bouncing through a heavy powder day, catching a lift on the Arizona Gondola or riding on the shoulders of her handler, Hailey Hagerty, as she skis the trails at Arizona Snowbowl. Her favorite activity is playing hide and seek in the woods. For her, that means finding a human scent buried in the snow and then digging until she finds what she’s looking for.

“We put people in really shallow snow caves underneath the snow for this exercise – it’s safe and there’s plenty of air,” said Hagerty. “She uses her sense of smell. And when she does find somebody, she keys in on that spot and then alerts the ski patrollers searching by digging down and barking. Once she gets to them, she tries to get them out of the snow with a tug-of-war toy. It’s the most exciting thing in the world for her. She gets super stoked when she finds somebody.”

Ava, an English Cream Golden Retriever, is Snowbowl’s first avalanche rescue dog. She was introduced to the mountain resort when Hagerty was an undergraduate student in public health at Northern Arizona University. “My capstone project was to start this Avalanche Rescue Dog Program up here.”

As she developed her project, Hagerty pitched the idea to Snowbowl. Today, at age 26, Hagerty is an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) on Ski Patrol as well as a nurse at Flagstaff Medical Center. Ava, her dog and co-worker, grew up on the mountain and now is a mom of six pups – all of which have found homes in Flagstaff.

“When people see us, they are welcome to come over and say hello and ask about what she does and ask to pet her,” said Hagerty. “Oftentimes she is working, so you can’t pet her then. But if you’re lucky enough to catch us on the mountain, we’d love to meet you!”

Hagerty grew up in Tucson, but has been skiing in Telluride since she was 6, while visiting her family’s home in nearby Dolores, Colorado. She also has always loved dogs and learned from other dog trainers before she began working with Ava. “Ava has had years of training, we go nonstop. She comes to work about 30 hours a week and trains probably for a couple hours every day. Some of it is training on a seach and rescue drill. Some of it is training on riding chair lifts and snow mobiles and being around on mountain operations.”

Snowbowl’s Assistant Ski Patrol Director and Snow Safety Coordinator Derik Spice says dogs can be a key tool in search and rescue efforts because of their acute sense of smell and ability to cover more ground than humans. “The goal is to expand the dog program,” he said, “to ensure rescue readiness every day at the ski area, since Ava, of course, has days off, too.”

Despite avalanche safety efforts, the 2020-21 winter season already has proven to be among the deadliest in U.S. history. At least 22 people have died – more than half were skiers and snowboarders. The deadliest week in a century occurred from Jan. 30 to Feb. 6, 2021, when more than 15 perished. Included among the victims were four skiers who were caught in Utah’s Mill Creek Canyon avalanche on a steep, north facing slope on Saturday, Feb. 6. Four survived the event. Reports say they all were experienced skiers who were carrying avalanche safety gear such as beacons, shovels and probes.

Spice says avalanches are most likely to occur after fresh snowfall adds another layer to a snowpack. An overloaded snowpack can set off a slide. “We are concerned about avalanches when we receive eight inches of snow in 12 hours or 12 inches in 24 hours; significant wind transport; or even a rain on snow event,” said Spice. “The wind is a big factor, too.”

He also attributes some of the danger to more people wanting to be out in the backcountry because of COVID-19 restrictions. He says avalanche education is crucial for venturing outside of the ski area. The Kachina Peaks Avalanche Center, a local non-profit organization, provides courses and information about conditions on the San Francisco Peaks. Information can be found at kachinapeaks.org.

To reduce the risk, Snowbowl Ski Patrol members set off explosives in the upper bowl within the ski area to shake free unstable layers when dangerous amounts of snow accumulate. “One of our main jobs is to mitigate avalanche hazards before terrain can be opened to the public,” said Spice.

“The best chance for survival in an avalanche is to have a beacon, shovel, probe and a partner trained and ready to rescue,” said Hagerty. “But in the instance that they don’t have a beacon with them, a dog is their best chance of being found.”

Although Ava knows the drill and is ready to jump into action, Hagerty hopes the Ski Patrol never has to use her. “We hope she’s really here as a reminder for people to travel safely while they are in avalanche terrain, as well as just being safe on the mountain by being in control and avoiding collisions and making sure everybody has a great safe time at Snowbowl.” QCBN

By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Ava, avalanche rescue, skiing, snow, Snowbowl Ski Patrol, winter sports

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