A skier and her mountain dog friend are delighting Facebook users with a video of their exploits on the slopes.
Squash Falconer is a professional adventurer who lives in Tignes in the French Alps.
Almost every day, Bernese mountain dog Islys appears at her front door and barks to let Squash know she is ready to go.
The pair then trudge up the pistes, gaining 600 metres in height. Once that’s done, it’s time for the fun part – a swift run down the mountain, with Islys chasing Squash all the way down.
Ski touring early in the mornings before the lifts open with this one is just ace 👌Tignes GoProPosted by Squash Falconer on Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Islys belongs to Squash’s best friend and neighbour, but spends a lot of time with her adventure partner.
Although she’s very friendly, Squash is aware that Islys’ presence may not be welcomed by all skiers, so she gets up extremely early to use the pistes while they are empty.
“I get up early in the morning before the lifts open because she’s very enthusiastic and she has a tendency to leap around and want to play with skiers and tear around after them,” she said.
“It’s quite intimidating for a lot of people and you can’t sort of have a dog roaming around.”
Squash may have to bring a set of gear with her on their adventures, but Islys is perfectly equipped with her woolly coat and long claws to grip the snow.
I went out for an early morning ski tour with the dog, Islys. Here’s a short GoPro 🎥 edit I made. It’s worth watching to the end, there’s a pretty funny outtake… she is a dog after all 🤣🤣! Please share this post if you think your friends might like it too ?? Tignes Salomon FreeskiPosted by Squash Falconer on Friday, December 29, 2017
Squash shares videos and photos of her adventures with Islys and her myriad other activities like paragliding, motorbiking and mountain climbing on her Facebook page, but the dog always gets the biggest response from fans.
“I do certain projects and things for sponsors and I work really hard on my social media,” she said. “But I put a picture of the dog up and it just does better than anything!”
That’s not to say that Squash’s other posts are boring, however.
She has climbed Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro, climbed and then flown a paraglider off Mont Blanc (the first British woman to do so) and motorcycled in Baja California, Mexico.
She makes her living from sponsorship and public speaking, inspiring others to seek out their adventurous sides.
