Meet our Avi Dog Program Director

Darrel Lewko is no stranger to the Castle Mountain community. He's been skiing here since 1975. When he decided to join our pro patrol in 1999, we welcomed his knowledge of the mountain and his sincere desire to help people ski safely both in and out of bounds.

This philosophy was also the motivation behind Darrel starting the Avalanche Rescue Dog Program at Castle in 2001. He was already actively involved in mountain safety and an avid dog lover. Combining these two passions made perfect sense to Darrel. ‘Avi dog rescue is another arrow in the quiver when it comes to keeping people safe on our mountain,' Darrel says.

Since that time, he's spearheaded an outstanding Avalanche Dog Rescue program at Castle Mountain. He's put himself and his dogs through the strict training requirements set out by CARDA. It doesn't stop there, either. Darrel is continually engaged with recertification to ensure that both he and his dogs know all they can about avalanche rescue.