As an assistant director of snow safety at Snowbird Ski Resort for seven years, he pits himself against fluctuating weather and snow conditions five days a week. The match is typically intense, for Cardinale fuses prowess and passion in preserving safe ski areas and protecting lives.

Lured by the skiing and scenic mountains of Utah, he hitched up a trailer in December 1992 and made a three-day car run from New York. He landed a job as a cook at Snowbird Resort, moved outside to trail crew, jumped to ski patrol, and then leaped to snow safety under the mentorship of Peter Schory, ski patrol director.

During his intermittent off-time from ski patrol, Cardinale began mountaineering with his patrol buddies. Regularly climbing with patroller Mike Morris, Cardinale has scaled such peaks as Mount Everest, Denali, Mount McKinley, Mont Blanc, Weissehorn and AmaDablam.

"I climb because it's challenging and tests my limits mentally and physically," he says. "You grow from the experiences you live. You can choose to experience . . . a sedentary lifestyle or getting in the mix. I choose to get in the mix."

His unpredictable 12-hour day begins at 5:30 a.m. and involves tracking weather and snowpack, starting controlled avalanches with explosives and helicopter bombings, and opening or closing ski areas.

"The clocks are always ticking, the skiers are always waiting, and the management wants to know when we can give everyone clearance," says Cardinale.

The pressures, pervasive dangers, and emotion-packed incidents cause his work to be both gut-wrenching and gratifying.

"You're always making decisions that can affect your life or the life of someone else. The rewards of my job are the memories of the experiences that make my life rich," Cardinale says.

He also feels a special connection with a canine colleague named Midas, a faithful rescue dog for 6 1/2 years.

Originally pegged to be a police dog but rejected by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for lack of aggression, Midas was sent down to Snowbird. Through Cardinale's gentle training and heartfelt attention, he went from skittish to "superstar."

"He's got a high drive, is a fast learner, very smart, loyal and very much by my side - he never lets me down," Cardinale says.

To him, Midas is "a buddy, a partner - even family." If a fur-flying/tail-spinning greeting for Cardinale (only after a short separation) atop Hidden Peak is any indicator, Cardinale is both pal and idol to Midas.

Lifesavers in full-friendship, they not only work and play together, they get in shape together.

Before he climbed Mount Everest last May, for instance, Cardinale would depart at 5:30 a.m. for a hike with Midas to Hidden Peak almost every day in February and March. They would be at the top waiting when the first tram filled with skiers (and Cardinale's skis) arrived.

They also perform daily rescue-training, no matter what the weather condition, practicing verbal and hand-signal commands and responses. Cardinale will regularly signal Midas to locate a buried piece of equipment or person, and expect him to undercover it within a few minutes. Midas catches the scent and retrieves with unbound energy and focus.

He was credited with making the find of two snowshoers who became avalanche victims in the Mineral Fork area in December 2004. There were no visual clues; one body was buried 4 feet deep and the other 8 feet deep.

Unfortunately having participated in 12 to 14 call-outs involving fatalities, Cardinale prefers to focus on the positive ones, even though "the other ones are harder to forget."

One of his more memorable live recoveries took place two years ago in the Cardiff drainage area in Big Cottonwood, involving a lone skier who luckily had a locator on him.

"We came in by helicopter, I put Midas in a down-stay, and my partner and I dug the skier out. He was totally unresponsive. He looked like a deer on the side of the highway," Cardinale said. "I was down trying to get his ski bindings off his skis . . . and all of a sudden he started kicking me in the legs."

After a reflective pause, Cardinale added, "It was just awesome." Recoveries like that renew his hope that he can make a difference.

He came close to losing his own life while patrolling last December when an avalanche swept him over, carried him through a group of trees and over a cliff band, taking him on a ride way down onto the run-out zone.

Cardinale says he felt it important to "get back on the horse," so after getting his hip and femur X-rayed at the medical clinic, he picked up some new equipment and went back up to examine the fracture line and finish his patrol.

"It was a very lucky time for me," he says. "Every time I go by that place I think about it."

Compelled to educate all ages on preventing mountain accidents, Cardinale delivers slide/video presentations at Snowbird Resort as well as in schools, often with Midas.

He also presents to such groups as the MIT Club of Salt Lake, and gives motivational talks on his ascents and other experiences to organizations such as the Young Entrepreneurs. In May, he will be heading for Boston to address two Harvard medical departments.

"Everyone needs to make wise decisions in the backcountry" is the message of his talks.

"I've dug out a kid who was 16 years old and I've dug out a guy who was 57 years old - they don't come from one demographic," Cardinale says.

He advises everyone: "Don't go blind into the mountains. Just think about your decisions, think about the consequences of your actions, and have fun."

As president of the nonprofit Wasatch Backcountry Rescue Team, he aims to accelerate its growth as a unit. Comprised of volunteer professional ski patrols, the team responds to winter-related incidents and provides avalanche rescue.

Cardinale says he'll continue encouraging team members to educate themselves and expand community outreach. More personally, he says he's geared to continue growing with Snowbird.

"I want to travel the world, turn new corners and climb more mountains," Cardinale says.

Learn more

For further information, contact Dean Cardinale at 801-933-2156 or visit http:// www.wasatchbackcountryrescue.org