Avalanche educators from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center set up a beacon park near the Lindley Park pavilion Tuesday evening. Thirty people arrived with probes and shovels while frisbee golfers putted through the same grass. The contrast went unremarked.

Instructor Sarah Holmquist, 34, buried three transmitters under sod and timed each search. She has taught this clinic for six Septembers. The snow usually arrives in November. Last year it arrived in October. The year before that, December. She plans for all three.

“We practice when the ground is soft so the shoveling technique translates,” Holmquist said. “Also the pavilion has a roof if it rains.” A golden retriever named Biscuit dug up a transmitter before any human found it. The group clapped.

Mike Dornan, 42, drove from Belgrade after his shift at the asphalt plant. This is his fourth clinic. He skis the northern Gallatin Range most weekends January through April. He keeps his beacon batteries at 90 percent year-round. His partner thinks this is excessive. He thinks it is insurance.

Two MSU students rented gear from the Outdoor Recreation Center at 406-555-0192. They had never held a probe. By the third drill they were hitting the target in under four minutes. The frisbee golf league paused their round to watch the final scenario. Someone offered a high five. It was accepted.

The clinic ended at dusk. Participants packed probes into ski bags that smelled of last April’s wax. Holmquist reminded everyone to check the forecast before Thanksgiving. The first storm is only a calendar page away. Biscuit found a tennis ball someone lost in July.