Sled Dog Sports Magazine #19, March 2006

SLED DOG SPORTS WORLDWIDE MAGAZINE March 2006

Yukon Quest 2006

$4.99 Issue #19

Lance Mackey Wins Again!

Storm on Notorious Eagle Summit Forces Rescue!

Dog Teams Approaching Eagle Summit

Speed Mushing Manual: EXCLUSIVE Updated Chapter!

Quest 300 Winner: Brent Sass Pirena 2006: Full Race Story M RACE ORE Interview: Mike McCowan COVE INSID RAGE E! Gear Guide: Sled Runner Prep

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THE MAGAZINE OF SLED DOG RACING AND CARE DISTANCE • DRYLAND • SKIJOR • SPRINT

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Greetings, Sled Dog Sports Worldwide Magazine is a monthly publication dedicated to the sport of sled dog racing as well as the care and well being of the dogs that provide us with so much love, enthusiasm and enjoyment. Our goal with this publication is to enhance participation in the sport by presenting it as the exciting, adventurous, and high-level endeavor that it is.

Editorial Submissions are welcome and highly encouraged. We cannot, however, be responsible for the damage or loss of unsolicited materials. The best way to submit articles or photos for consideration, or to inquire about specifics and guidelines is to do so via email: info@mushing.com

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Editor in Chief / Creative Director: Greg Sellentin • info@mushing.com Editor: Amanda Byrd • Fairbanks • 907-458-0888 • editor@mushing.com Contributing Writers: Joe Runyan, Arleigh Reynolds, Jim Welch, John Schandelmeier, Eddy Streeper, Paul Bowyer, Joel Buth (skijoring), Dawn Brown (Vet Check), Nancy Cowan (History), Egil Ellis, Helen Lundberg, Ken Anderson, Jon Little, Jacques Philip, Ken Tape, Lloyd Gilbertson, Jillian Rogers.

Contributing Photographers: Heath Sandall, Craig Douce, Jon Little, Jeff Schultz, Filip Chludil, Robert Agli, Paul Bowyer, Dave Partee, Joy Green, KarlHeinz Raubuch, Todd Estes PUBLISHER: Smellydog Media Inc. - a print, video and web publishing company. PO BOX 246, 3875 Geist Road, Suite E Fairbanks, AK 99709 email: info@mushing.com • web: www.mushing.com • 917-929-6118 Issue #19 -March 2006

On the cover: A major storm hit Eagle Summit, just as mushers in this year’s Yukon Quest were approaching. The storm caused a 12 hour closing of the highway, and some mushers and their teams were evacuated by helicopter. Fortunately all dogs and drivers were safe and reunited back at the 101 dog drop. Full coverage starts on page 4.

Photo by Todd Estey.

Welcome to the 19th edition of Sled Dog Sports Magazine. As we send this issue to press, we are right in the middle of yet another exciting racing season.

Here in Fairbanks, the big races in Sprint and Distance are just starting to take shape. The Iditarod “buzz” is in full swing all around the state, and some teams are already arriving here to tune up for the Open North American Championships, the fastest sled dog race in the world.

Hopefully your mushing area has seen an abundance of the fluffy white stuff that we all hope for. Although there has been some pretty bad snow conditions in some areas like the North East, there have been some other areas that have been very good, especially with some late season snow.

Inside this issue you’ll find full coverage of the 2006 Yukon Quest, and Quest 300 race, which saw a very large field of mushers. This year’s race was one of the toughest ever, due to weather conditions and a mid-race trail re-routing. There was also plenty of controversy concerning rescued mushers. Our main report of the race was written by a handler and journalist who followed the entire race, checkpoint to checkpoint helping her musher. I also personally interviewed, Randy Chappel - the musher who lost his team on Eagle Summit, and Mike McCowan the long time Race Marshall for the Quest and North American Championships sprint races.

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Speaking of ONAC, we will have end of day photos and posts on our website: www.mushing.com in the “news” section. Stop by and get a look at some of the behind the scenes happenings and interviews I’ll be doing on 2nd avenue. On mushing.com, you can also subscribe or renew, order merchandise, and discuss stories in this magazine.

sleeping bags and other high performance gear and clothing, call toll-free today or see us on the web.

Many of you may be familiar with Jim Welch’s “The Speed Mushing Manual” first published in 1989. Well, Jim has given us a long awaited update to that book in this issue. He talks about dog, gear, training, and nutritional advances that have evolved since the original book came out. “The Speed Mushing Manual” has been the one mandatory “must have” book for not only sprint mushers, but distance mushers for quite a while, and we feel very fortunate to have this update printed within our pages.

One last thing, I often get stopped at races or in town here by readers who have really insightful and interesting opinions about stories that have been printed. While it is great to get this feedback, and I thoroughly enjoy the discourse, I really want to encourage readers who have something to say to write the magazine, or post on our website forum. This allows the topic to be shared by ALL of our readers, not just myself. Many of the issues we cover in the magazine are not so black and white, and constructive debate can only increase all of our understanding. Remember, this magazine is by, for and about mushers.

Enjoy the issue,

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Greg Sellentin, Publisher March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

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Yukon Quest 2006 Mackey wins toughest Quest yet

By Jillian Rogers The 2006 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race will go down in history for several reasons.

From overflow, to a blizzard that forced a third of the field out of the race, to a re-routed trail, to a new race record, this year’s running of the world’s toughest sled dog race had a little of everything. Kasilof’s Lance Mackey won the race for the second consecutive year in a record 10 days, seven hours and 47 minutes despite taking a wrong turn about 50 miles from the finish line. (The previous record was set in 1995

by Quest legend Frank Turner in 10 days, 16 hours and 20 minutes.) Three-time champion Hans Gatt from Atlin, BC, came in 45 minutes behind Mackey in second place while Carcross racer William Kleedehn was third, coming in just six minutes behind Gatt. Mackey’s trail blunder cost him a few hours and, he said minutes after crossing the finish line, he thought it had cost him the race. “I started apologizing to the dogs,” Mackey said. “When I figured out that we took the wrong trail, I wanted to cry like a baby. I thought it was over.”

This year’s trail, which was to run 1000 miles from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, had to be altered due to sparse snow cover on the last quarter of the traditional route into Whitehorse. The route change, which was voted on by mushers at the mandatory 36hour layover in Dawson City, Yukon, ran from Dawson 200 miles to the Pelly Crossing checkpoint and then back on the same trail to the finish line in Dawson. The new race route was slightly shorter than 1000 miles and forced mushers up and over the 4,002-foot King Solomon’s Dome twice, making the new route tougher than the traditional trail.

On the return trip from Pelly Crossing, Mackey stopped at the Scroggie Creek dog-drop-turnedcheckpoint, where mushers were to take their mandatory eight-hour layover before making the final push to the finish, while Gatt, who came into the final checkpoint about 45 minutes ahead of Mackey, stayed for an extra four hours.

Gatt made the decision to stay for a total of 12 hours because he ran his dogs the 100 miles from Pelly without a long rest and, he said at the finish, his team needed a substantial break.

Kleedehn stayed for 13 hours. However, if either Gatt or Kleedehn had left after the mandatory eight hours, or even an hour earlier than they did, they may have been able to beat Mackey to the finish due to Mackey’s wrong turn on the Dome. But, agreed the two Canadians, neither

would have wanted to win because of another musher’s navigational error. “Is that true, he got lost?”

Kleedehn asked race marshal Mike McCowan at the finish line. “What a disaster. Under those circumstances, I’m glad he was first here.”

As with any Yukon Quest, the decision to rest and run plays into the musher’s overall strategy.

Typically, mushers will give their teams equal rest in the first half of the race and gradually cut back as the dogs become stronger and find their running groove. Mind games at checkpoints and on the trail are also a big part of the strategy,

though most competitive veterans don’t disclose their secret plans to anyone. Some in this year’s race, however, were seen camping out on the trail waiting for their closest competitors to pass and break the trail ahead. Or, in the checkpoints, mushers will fib to each other about how long they plan to rest there. Some even lie about how long they themselves intend to sleep, wait for their competitors to lie down for a catnap, and then scoot back out onto the trail.

It’s all part and parcel to any dog race, said veteran Quester and one of this year’s race judges, Thomas Tetz, of Tagish, Yukon. But,

Opposite Page: Lance Mackey being interviews at the finish line in Dawson City, Inset: Lance gets a kiss from his wife for the victory. This page clockwise from top: The team of Yuka Honda crossing slush and overflow entering the 101 dog drop area. #1 congratulates #2, and vice versa. Lance’s lead dogs, Larry & Hobo Jim won the golden harness award, and were served steak at the Whitehorse banquet. Rookie of the year musher Richard Beattie from Two Rivers, AK. Saul Turner at the start in Fairbanks, inset: his wife Fabienne, looks on in nervous anticipation with their newborn child. William Kleedehn finished in a strong 3rd place. Head Veterinarian, Kathleen McGill kept a careful eye on dog care during the race. Photos by Todd Estey

he added, for a rookie, the most important thing should be to cross the finish line. And for veterans and rookies alike, finishing the race with a happy, healthy brood of huskies is the foremost in any strategy.

Tetz added that checkpoint routines and the efficiency in which the chores are completed are of utmost importance for anyone who wants to be competitive. Keeping the sled bag organized and never taking a wasted trip up or down the gangline is key. Races can be won or lost at the checkpoints, Tetz said. Watching a pro like Mackey is like observing a well-choreographed dance. Up the gangline, booties off; down the gangline, straw is put down; up the gangline, snacks are given, and so on. There isn’t a wasted movement in this winner’s routine.

But Mackey and his second-straight victory are but one tale on this year’s Quest, which one race official called the craziest Quest he’s ever seen.

The excursion across the rugged terrain of the Alaskan and Yukon interior began pretty much as usual. Twenty-two mushers from near and far set out from Fairbanks to the first checkpoint of Angel Creek, about 100 miles from the start.

From there, the teams head east and must face the 3,640-foot Rosebud Summit before crossing a valley into the Mile 101 dog drop and tackling the notorious 3,685-foot Eagle Summit.

This year, the overflow and glare ice coming off Rosebud and into 101 was especially bad.

Mushers came into 101 battered and bruised after repeatedly falling and dragging trying to get their team safely over the watery, icy trail.

Most dog drivers chalked it up to being the Yukon Quest, known for its challenging terrain and obstacles.

But if mushers thought they had seen the worst, they couldn’t be more wrong.

Around 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 12, fat snowflakes started to fall at the Mile 101 dog drop, signaling bad weather atop Eagle Summit.

As the leaders, which at that time included Wasilla’s Kelley Griffin and Hugh Neff who would scratch in Dawson after a discrepancy with the vets and officials, departed for the Central checkpoint, rookie mushers rested their teams at the dog drop until after dark. The winds on the summit picked up to hurricane force, and, coupled with fresh snow, created a whiteout in which mushers couldn’t even see the dogs in front of their sleds. Mackey was third into Central after clearing the summit and quickly told the group of fans and media that he’s never been that scared in his life. Gatt was the first to arrive in Central.

“Someone’s going to die up there tonight,” Gatt said, much to the shock of onlookers.

As the front pack of teams trickled in, a group of mostly rookies were just beginning their summit ordeal. Jennifer Cochran, a veteran from Fairbanks, and rookies Phil Joy, also of Fairbanks, Yuka Honda, a Japanese citizen living March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

in Healy, Saul Turner, son of Quest legend Frank Turner, Kiara Adams of Whitehorse and Quest 300 musher Jodi Rozmyn of Two Rivers were scattered on the summit when all decided to hunker down and wait out the storm. Cochran, Honda and Turner camped together while Joy, Adams and Rozmyn eventually found each other in the blinding whiteout. Early the next morning when none had arrived at the Central checkpoint, Frank Turner made a plea with officials for action to be taken.

night and the storm that is being touted as the worst in Quest history.

As of that morning, six mushers and seven dog teams with a total of 88 dogs were lost somewhere on Eagle Summit in a blizzard that would continue on into the day.

Snowmachines were launched from Central in an attempt to find the mushers who spent the night huddled together or alone in their sleds, but the weather forced the volunteer rescuers back to the checkpoint.

Meanwhile, rookie Regina Wycoff of Healy faced her own nightmare on Eagle Summit and arrived in Central around 7 a.m. Monday morning, unknowingly passing the stranded mushers somewhere on the summit that night.

Wycoff took off from 101 around 10 p.m. the night before, unaware of the severity of the weather on the mountain. But soon, a wall of ice and snow hit her and her team with a force that nearly knocked her off her sled. “It hurt,” she said, recounting the events at the checkpoint in the wee hours of February 13. “It was like sand hitting me in the face. I couldn’t see anything so I walked in front of my dogs looking for the trail and had to count dogs just to make it back to my sled.” Because the wind was at her back going over the summit, turning around was not an option, she added. Camping was also not in her mind. “I just wanted to get down the hill,” Wycoff said.

When she reached the top, she came across Brent Sass and Randy Chappel, two Quest 300 (a shorter qualifying race that takes place simultaneously) mushers who were trying to wait out the storm. Wycoff hollered at them to get back on their sleds and attempt the descent with her. They used the wind’s direction and Sass’s lead dog Silver to chart the course down the summit.

By early afternoon, planes and helicopters owned by the US military and state troopers were called in to pluck the terrified group off the mountain.

And after a search that included a Blackhawk helicopter and infrared technology, all racers and dogs, including the rogue team of Chappel’s, were safe and accounted for back at the Mile 101 dog drop. The ordeal has forced an outcry from the public and mushers about the dangerousness of the Yukon Quest. Some suggestions have been made to plant more permanent tripod markers along the trail going over the summit or even to bypass Eagle Summit all together, though no decisions will be made immediately.

“A lot of people risked their lives today,” praised race marshal Mike McCowan in Central.

Usually covered in a thick layer of snow, the backside of Eagle Summit was almost bare this year causing Wycoff and others to flip and drag behind their sleds on the way down. She would just be able to right herself and would hit another boulder that would send her sled into the air like a toy. Eventually, she didn’t have enough strength to right herself and opted to drag to the bottom. Meanwhile, her counterparts were having trouble just holding on to their teams. Chappel eventually lost control of sled and let go of the handlebar, watching his team of huskies disappear into the raging blizzard. He hopped into Wycoff’s sled and she brought him down the mountain.

Nearing the bottom and assuming they were very, very lost, Wycoff, Sass and Chappel stopped to assess the situation and start a fire to warm Chappel’s nearly frozen feet. Wycoff cut up some of her dog coats and wrapped them around Chappel’s feet.

After veering into a valley with waist-deep snow and getting stuck in some overflow up to their knees, the trio eventually saw a trail marker and couldn’t believe they had made through the

The race got significantly easier, comparatively speaking, after that, though blowing snow caused huge drifts on the trail for the leaders going from Central to Circle and the lead pack had to wait for trail breakers to re-cut the route.

American Summit, which can be windy and riddled with tough side-hill sections was no problem for the remaining racers and though the long run on the Forty-Mile and Yukon Rivers from Eagle to Dawson was cold and windy, it was nothing like the mushers had already faced.

Oh yeah, throw in some rain in Central and 40 below temperatures on the Pelly River and, all who have been on the Quest trail before agree that this year will go down as the toughest, and strangest, race yet.

The rescued mushers from Eagle Summit were out of the race and as it turned out, half the field would not cross the finish line. Yukoner Kyla Boivin, a veteran of the race, who suffered from a severely strained back for the entire Quest, scratched in Pelly crossing, just 200 miles from the finish. After Mackey, Gatt and Kleedehn, Healy’s Dave Dalton was fourth followed by Yukoners Gerry Willomitzer and Sebastian Schnuelle, Kelley Griffin, Michelle Phillips, rookie Ritchie Beattie, Eagle’s Wayne Hall and, a couple days later, the rookie Wycoff of Healy.

At the finish line, she flashed her infectious smile and laughed. “I didn’t want the red lantern, but at least I’m here.”

Jillian Rogers has covered five Yukon Quests for a Yukon newspaper before recently moving to Fairbanks to pursue her passion for dog mushing.

Tough weather in this year’s Quest forces tough decisions for long time veteran Race Marshall Mike McCowan.

Interview by Greg Sellentin No one said it was going to be easy, yet no one thought it would be this hard. This was a tough year to be the man in charge of the Yukon Quest. A “Perfect Storm” on Eagle Summit, the most notorious part of the race tore through the middle of the pack, forcing an airlift evacuation.

Some mushers complained about the evacuation and subsequently wanted their entry fees back.

Two different time penalties for dog care, prompted a withdrawal from a veteran musher who vowed, “I’ll never race the Quest again” Bad trails forced a re-route of the race, and although maintaining roughly the same mileage, racers had to travel through a very hilly section twice. Situations of this magnitude can send any event into a chaotic spiral. Through it all, Mike McCowan was calling the shots.

I sat down with Mike shortly after the race ended, to discuss his responsibilities to all the parties involved, and gained a little insight into how some very difficult decisions were made.

Readers can draw their own conclusions, and they will, but what I came away from this interview feeling is that if I were a sled dog in the Yukon Quest, I would want, without a doubt, to have Mike McCowan as Race Marshall.

SDS: Mike, I know that the title “Race Marshall” has different meanings at different race venues, what exactly does it mean to be Race Marshall of the Yukon Quest, the world’s toughest sled dog race?

MM: The Quest specifically states what the responsibilities of the Race Marshall are.

Basically the Race Marshall is in charge of all facets of the race. From the driver’s meeting to the post race banquet.

SDS: So, you are the last decision on all matters?

MM: I am the only decision.

SDS: Obviously in a race as big and complex as the Quest, there has to be a lot of delegation of responsibility and authority. You have all these people in different areas of expertise and authority, they all report to you?

MM: Right.

SDS: In a normal year at the Quest, a year more non-eventful than this one, what does your job typically entail?

MM: I’m involved with the race on a year-round basis. Starting once the last race ends, through the next race. I work very closely with the Race Manager, and his responsibility is for anything dealing with the logistics of the race to be in place prior to the start of the race. Things like straw, stove fuel, dog drops, aircraft fuel, all the way to making sure the outhouses are in place at checkpoints. Making sure each checkpoint manager has the things they need to run their checkpoint. That is the Race Manager’s job, but I work real closely with him to make sure everything is in place.

SDS: This is the biggest race you Race Marshall for?

MM: It is the longest race.

SDS: Are you involved with inspecting the trail?

MM: I’ve inspected some parts of the trail, and last year the Race Manager and I decided that the best thing to be able to do is run the whole trail a week before the race on snowmachines, ending up in the starting town about a week before the race.

Yukon Quest Executive Director Julie Fougeron, talks with Race Marshall Mike McCowan. Photo: Todd Estey enforcement a part of your job?

MM: At the pre-race driver’s mtg, I go through the rules that concern me the most, and answer any questions the drivers may have. Things like mandatory gear rules, use of necklines, things like that. We do require that necklines be carried for each dog, but don’t mandate their use unless we feel it is necessary due to special circumstances.

SDS: Such as?

SDS: Once the race starts, how do you travel from checkpoint to checkpoint?

MM: It could be trail conditions, or it could be dog behavior.

MM: It depends on where the checkpoint is.

Mostly we are vehicle based. A unique thing about the Quest is that all the checkpoints are vehicle accessible except for Eagle, and some of the dog drops. We do have aircraft available to us, and we also use snowmachines to get in and out of places when necessary.

SDS: This year was pretty dramatic with the Eagle storm and all that. The storm moved in really fast and caught some mushers out, so to speak. Yet I was at the pre-race meeting, and you talked quite a bit about how bad the wind and conditions can be on Eagle Summit. Did you have any warning that you could have relayed to the mushers at 101? (101, named after mile 101 on the Steese Highway is the last dog drop before mushers depart for the ascent and descent over Eagle Summit, then on into Central checkpoint)

SDS: Who provides the aircraft?

MM: It is all volunteer based, but we pay their expenses such as fuel.

SDS: How many aircraft are involved?

MM: This year we had six planes. That is a normal amount. We use Cessna 170’s, 172’s 185’s and such. There were two Navajo, nothing special, all but the Navajo are equipped with skis for landing gear. It gives you more options on where to land, more options are good.

SDS: In a normal year, how much is race rules

MM: Yes, we had the NOAA storm warning early in the morning and posted it immediately.

That was pretty much the talk of the 101 dog drop. It was also discussed at the pre-race driver’s mtg, pre-race handler’s mtg, and the pre-race rookies mtg. We made it a point to talk about the dangers of crossing this particular summit. Just driving vehicles over this route, the basic rule is you NEVER do it at night even Continued on page 11

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t h e l a s t g r e at r a c e o n e a r t h • t h e y e a r 2 0 0 6

by Ken Tape As you may have heard by now, the musher who won this year’s Quest300 and bested the harrowing Eagle Summit storm was in his first race. “This was never a race I thought I was going to win. I had no idea if we were gonna go 150 miles and those guys (the dogs) weren’t gonna get up.” claims Brent Sass, who now knows better. We sat down recently and Sass described his first race, including the storm on Eagle Summit.

Up to the 101-mile dog drop, conditions had been passable, although overflow was a problem. Coming up Rosebud, the team had enough power that Sass, who jogged the ascent, picked up two 10-lbs. slabs of meat that had been discarded by Quest mushers. Once above treeline, Sass snacked his dogs (see photo), and experienced his “Rocky (Balboa) moment” when Chena Hot Springs pilot Zach Knaebel buzzed tourists so close that they made eye contact with Sass. It was a date that Knaebel and Sass had arranged one week earlier (noon on Rosebud), and Sass was right on schedule. He dropped off of Rosebud and rested the dogs as he watched heavy clouds consume the summits behind and ahead.

Our support of The Last Great Race on Earth is our way of saying thanks to our loyal customers in Alaska and the many volunteers who help make the Iditarod ® possible. We at Cabela’s sincerely wish all the mushers the best of luck and safe travels. For daily race updates & information visit www.cabelasiditarod.com.

© 2006 Cabela’s, Inc.

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C ABEL A ’ S IS A PRO U D S P O N S O R O F T H E I D I TA RO D®, T HE L AS T G R E AT R AC E O N E A R T H .

Coming through the 101-mile dog drop, Sass counted the only four teams ahead of him in the yard and realized that if he could push over the summit and stay on schedule, he would have a good chance of winning the race. With the wind at his back, he dropped two dogs and blew through the yard. Soon, treeline was left behind, winds increased, and the ascent on Eagle Summit became progressively more insane. But the winds remained consistently from behind, and Sass “never got off the runners once going up to Eagle Summit.” The trail was well-marked, and the dogs – with Silver (named after local microbrew “Silver Gulch”) in the lead – wanted to pull through the conditions.

At that point, Sass encountered a musher coming down off the summit, one who had turned around at the top after reportedly seeing Phil Joy and Jennifer Cochrane drop off the backside.

The musher communicated the severity of the conditions, but Sass kept ascending, one marker at a time, until he spotted a headlight behind him that turned out to be two-time Iditarod finisher Randy Chappel. Sass was grateful for the company of a stranger, knowing that, “In this situation, two is better than one.”

At this very moment (11:30 pm Sunday night), less than one mile away, I was stranded in my car, on the road, at Eagle Summit. I had

February 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

aspirations of photographing mushers as they crested the summit that night, but that plan was now beyond optimistic. The drifting snow, zero visibility, and gale-force winds granted me my desert island. About that time, Brent’s dad, Mark Sass, crept up to the pass in the dog truck and invited me to join the small caravan of handlers.

Mark, who broke trail on snowmachine for last year’s Quest, was Brent’s handler for this year’s Quest300. He and I had watched at the 101-mile dog drop as teams came through and conditions deteriorated. As I sat in my shaking car at the pass, I wondered how any musher could make it through under the prevailing conditions. What Mark and I didn’t know, was that at that moment Brent was cresting Eagle Summit.

Brent has been mushing for three years now, and a couple seasons working with Trail Breaker Kennel afforded him a glimpse of the experience and skill necessary to be a competitive musher.

Both winters included 1500+ miles behind the dogs, and a speedy 700-mile training run from Manley to Nome last year. Brent is currently training and giving mushing tours and tutorials out at Chena Hot Springs Resort. His dog yard – Wild and Free Mushing – now numbers 28 strong, with lineage from Trail Breaker Kennel and Goldstream Valley resident Kurt Wold. Six of Sass’s twelve dogs in the race, including leaders Silver and Madonna, were direct descendents from Wold’s bloodline.

Back on the Quest trail at Eagle Summit, Silver and Madonna followed Chappel’s team markerby-marker the remaining distance to the crest, before dropping off the back edge into oblivion.

At this point, the wind direction changed from consistently behind to swirling. Immediately they lost the trail markers and Chappel’s team got tangled. They decided to turn the teams around and travel back to the top for a trail marker, but Chappel’s team wouldn’t follow.

They decided to hunker down. As they settled in, rookie Quest musher Regina Wycoff of Healy came by and convinced them to brave the conditions and continue down the face. “That is why we went down the mountain,” Sass recounts. “She never had a downer moment out there.” All three mushers proceeded down, with Silver in the lead. It was 30 yards at a time, with no trail and no visibility. The three mushers – strangers before meeting each other moments earlier on top of the mountain – now stuck closely together.

Still well above treeline, the trail entered a

Photo: Ken Tape

i d i t a r o d

Brent Sass wins Quest 300

Brent Sass, overcame the blizzard on the Eagle Summit descent, lost his team, regained his team thanks to lead dog Silver (pictured above), gave a ride to a stranded racer and still won the 2006 Yukon Quest 300. rocky section and Sass, still leading, decided to walk ahead and see what awaited them. “I don’t know if there are any cliffs on Eagle Summit or not, but at this point there could be anything.”

Once below the teams and out of sight, he heard commotion carried to him in the gusts. Little did he know, Sass’s dogs had pulled the snow hook and were headed down the mountain. As he looked through the darkness, wondering what the problem was, he saw his team through the blowing snow, and Silver veered sharply, bringing the team to him. “I love you Silver!”

Sass yelled through the blizzard.

As they descended through the blizzard, at some point Sass recalls seeing Chappel’s headlight assume a low bouncing trajectory for a considerable distance. Chappel was hanging on. Eventually the light stopped in the darkness.

Despite a valiant effort, his team had gotten away. All three mushers were deeply concerned about the dogs, but they realized after a futile search that they needed to get to Central for everyone’s safety. Wycoff rode double with Chappel for miles after that, while Silver broke trail ahead. Silver managed to find the Quest trail after somehow descending into the correct valley. Sass is quick to admit that this outcome was a combination of an experienced and unstoppable lead dog, and a good bit of luck.

Pouring over the map later, he has only a vague idea of where they traveled. continued on next page

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Photo: Ken Tape

Continued from next page

Because the trail was continually disappearing in deep and extensive overflow, Sass reports, “It was stressful all the way to Central.”

The group of three mushers and two teams pushed on. Although cold, Chappel remained willing and active in his own rescue, handling the emotional trauma of the situation with remarkable composure. After a considerable distance with Chappel, Wycoff decided to rush ahead to Central and sound the alarm, leaving Chappel to ride with Sass the remainder of the way.

After a short wait, Sass and Chappel decided to go for it. Crossing one of the countless sections of overflow, Silver found the correct trail where Wycoff’s team had erred. As a result, Sass and Chappel made Central before Wycoff, at which point it became clear that many teams were unaccounted for. Silver and the team, with Sass at the helm, had completed a 12-hour, allnight, 45-mile run. Meanwhile, Denny and the snow plow arrived to escort my Subaru to the stranded dog trucks (including Wild and Free’s Mark Sass), and eventually down to Central.

Brent greeted us upon our arrival, having beaten us by five hours.

Roland Waldispuehl arrived in Central six hours behind Sass, and Waldispuehl had traversed the summit alone. As Sass said, “He had his own crazy story.” Indeed, Waldispuehl thought he was returning to 101-mile from an unsuccessful summit crossing, when he encountered a group of snowmachine rescuers who informed him that in fact, he was on the trail to Central. Not all mushers were as lucky as Sass and Waldispuehl, and several had to be airlifted from Eagle Summit or nearby valleys.

Fortunately, all mushers and dogs survived the ordeal.

With the Summit drama behind him, the rest of the race contained merely the background noise of wilderness dog-mushing: fatigue, paranoia, a broken sled, overflow, and the like.

Amidst those obstacles however, Sass recalls serene moments on Birch Creek, “The moon was out, the northern lights were out, and the dogs were movin’.” The run out of Central was 10-hours, followed by another 10-hour run to the finish, winning him the qualifier.

Shortly after the rescue on Eagle Summit, I had a chance to sit down with Randy Chappel, Aliy Zirkle, and Alan Moore and discuss the events. Randy was driving a team comprised of about half of his dogs and half Aliy’s. Randy is a veteran of 2 Iditarods, and many other long distance races, and is a very experienced musher.

Upon learning that dogs from his yard had broken trail over Eagle Summit, Kurt Wold purportedly felt like “a proud father.” And if I remember Kurt correctly, he’s not much for current events, but I’ll bet he’s got a few newspapers from this year’s Quest squirreled away.

GS: Did you have any inclination of what you were in for before you departed the last checkpoint?

Sass had faced storms of similar magnitude on Norton Sound, but the steep topography and swirling winds of Eagle Summit made this a more severe situation. Sass attributes much of his success to maintaining a positive attitude with the dogs, something Kurt Wold has stressed repeatedly. “The positive energy between me and the dogs the whole race is what totally saved us,” says Sass. “I never let them know that we were in any peril.”

Ken Tape is a lifelong Alaskan scientist and photographer. He currently lives in Goldstream Valley, outside of Fairbanks. www.arcticcirclephoto.com.

Here is his account: G. Sellentin: Randy, had you ever been over the Quest trail before?

Randy: No I hadn’t. I think if I had known which way the trail went from experience, I would have had a better chance. If I had been over it with Aily, for example, she would have known generally what the right direction was.

I mean the three of us, Brent Sass, Regina Wycoff and myself, were actually having debates about which way was down. That is how bad it was blowing.

Randy: Just hours before leaving the 101 dog drop, we could see there was a little bit of wind and it was just barely spitting snow.

Aliy: That was part of the problem, they were actually trying to get down off the mountain, and the trail doesn’t actually go straight down the mountain, it actually goes sideways for a while.

They were in life preservation mode and trying to get down the mountain.

As it was they were not on the trail for 4-5 miles. They only hit the trail because the valley ends.

Randy: We stopped at the top of Eagle Summit, Brent and I, and couldn’t see a thing. We decided that we should work Continued on page 23

Mike McCowan interview continued if the weather is good. You never do it while it is windy or snowing either.

When it comes down to the musher who has to make a decision, it comes down to their choice to go or not to go. That’s their choice, it is not our choice.

I’ve always said that we are slaves to nature.

When Mother Nature decides to do her thing, you have to be aware and prepared for it. In the Quest, sometimes the greater risk brings you the greater reward, but you still have to be realistic.

Eagle Summit isn’t the only place you don’t want to be in a snow and wind storm; the Yukon River is another one. The Yukon river giveth and it also taketh away. You could be going 168 miles dead into a 40 mph wind the whole way, blowing snow and all.

Anybody that signs up for the Quest and doesn’t have a healthy respect for these things just simply hasn’t done their homework.

SDS: Would you say some teams weren’t prepared for it? It seems as though the front runners saw it coming and got over before the s*** hit the fan?

MM: Everybody basically had the same information, the front runners pulled out of 101 somewhere around 2:30, 3:00pm, approximately. Standing at 101 you could see the weather changing. It is only about a 30-35 mile run up and over into Central. The key is to get over that summit. 101 to the Summit is not that far. It is one thing when the storm is just starting and it is still daylight. Sunset wasn’t until 5pm. Mushers had two hours to get over in daylight which is totally do-able.

helped them make the decision to get out and try to beat the worst part of the storm over Eagle Summit?

MM: Sure. A lot of years the mushers are standing at 101, looking at each other and asking each other if they are going to go.

SDS: In talking to several of the mushers involved, they said the trail markers on the top and backside were completely gone, non existent. How do you get musher progress, and that kind of trail information back to you, as you are in transit, or in checkpoints for most of the race?

MM: Basically all we know is when someone has left a checkpoint and when they arrive at the next checkpoint, thus average run times. Other than that you really don’t know.

SDS: What information did you have about the the mushers caught in the storm, and what was the basis of your decision to send out planes?

MM: A couple of things that haven’t been made straight or have been blown over by the media: I was in Circle, and we got a HAM radio message that we had two dog teams, but three drivers arrive in Central. Which meant that we had a dog team up there on their own, without a driver. That is when I had one of my judges move forward to cover the front runners in Circle, and I moved back because my only desire at that point was to find that dog team.

I have a priority list for me as Race Marshall.

Number one is the dogs, number two is the race, number three is the driver.

SDS: Really? The driver, the human, is third?

Now after daylight is gone and it is snowing at 101, is it the best choice to make? Well, I can’t make choices for the drivers, they have to make their own.

SDS: Do you think the front runners experience

MM: The driver’s wishes, desires, yes, absolutely, number three. I’m not going to make decisions because a musher might have invested their last penny in getting to the starting line of this race, or something emotional like that. The

dogs are first priority, what is best for the dogs, is going to be best for the race, and most likely is best for the driver. We haven’t lost a dog in four years. When I found out that the dog team was up there alone, in obviously bad conditions, my first concern was for that dog team. When I got back to Central, we sent snowmachines out to search, but they came back unable to get through. I started pulling aside other drivers that had made it over and asked them if they had seen or heard anybody, dog teams barking, people yelling anything, but they had seen or heard nothing. At that point I knew that we had at least 4, and possibly 6 drivers and teams unaccounted for.

When I launched the actual search, and I want to emphasize that at that point it was not an actual rescue, just a search, we wanted to #1, find that lost team, #2 I wanted to find these missing drivers and teams. Plus we also started working backwards from 101 towards Angel Creek to see if we could find the three drivers that had left Angel Creek, but had not yet arrived in 101.

We had a whole bunch of concerns going.

When the snowmachiners got back, having gotten bogged down in blizzard conditions and didn’t even get above tree line, I knew I would have to make a decision. I knew sunset was at about 5pm the storm had not abated, the road was shut, and we were told that the road would not be opened until the next morning at the earliest.

SDS: That is a long time not to know where people are.

MM: Yes, but it is another thing to have them unaccounted for on Eagle Summit, in what we now realize is a really, really bad storm. This is the worst possible scenario I can have as a Race Marshall. I had a dog team up their without its driver in bad conditions, not knowing anything about it. At about 11:35 I said, ok, let’s make the calls.

Continued on page 16

Hans Gatt email: gattsled@hotmail.com

Box 42 Attlin, BC Canada V0W 1A0 Tel/Fax: 250-651-7611 T: 250-483-3789 Fax/message: 250-651-2120 March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

11

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In 1989 I wrote The Speed Mushing Manual, How to Train Racing Sled Dogs. Since then it has been translated into German, French, Italian, Japanese (abridged) and now, Norwegian. When approached about the Norwegian translation, I was asked to write a new chapter describing how mushing has changed since the book was first written. My perspective remains as seen from Alaska, so it’s probably skewed. This is the chapter from the Norwegian edition.

If there is one phrase I could eliminate from dog mushing vocabulary it would be “sprint racing.”

I hate it that people call sled dog races where dogs run fast (as opposed to trotting, or even slowly loping along) and sleds go around corners on one-runner, “sprint” races. They are not. The perception that someone trains dogs to run all out, all the time, gets on the back of the sled and lets them go around the trail as fast as they can is about as inaccurate and injurious a concept to the sport of dog mushing the public and dog drivers have ever been convinced to swallow.

It is true that many limited class teams are trained to run a certain distance in as fast a pace as can be sustained for that distance.

Maybe that’s where the media person who got to drive a three-dog team for a couple miles got the idea that holding on was all there was to it. Fastest dog team wins. Wrong. George Attla said, “If the fastest dogs won every time it wouldn’t be any fun.”

Maybe the last several yards before a cheetah pulls down a gazelle is a sprint. In human terms, it’s a hundred meter dash, maybe 200. For dogs, the ¼ mile greyhound track races. These are sprints. It’s all out and soon becomes anaerobic, oxygen debt, an effort that requires more air than the body can breathe in.

One mile, 10 K, a marathon ― races of this distance are not sprints. There is not a creature on earth that can run at top speed for one mile much less 25 miles. A worldclass human marathoner can run 26 miles in about two hours 10 minutes. And it is usually several months before they run another one.

A winning Rendezvous sled dog team runs 25 miles, pulling a human on the sled, three days in a row in close to 85 minutes. It’s an amazing feat, but it is not a sprint. I repeat, it is not a sprint.

I have a suspicion who first coined the phrase March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

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“sprint racing” to distinguish it from long distance sled dog racing in the 70’s. I won’t name a name because I’m not certain, but I suspect a particular distance driver, and it was by no means an accident that it was used disparagingly, as in “those sprint racers are just making a quick little dash, whereas the Iditarod is much harder because it’s longer.”

For those looking for a quick way to distinguish between the types of dog racing, it was an easy moniker, a distinct, if inaccurate way of comparing the two. Never mind that distance racing is inherently conducted at a slower speed, most often at a trot rather than a gallop. Never mind that it was originally the dogs that couldn’t make the Rendezvous who went into distance racing. It was Earl Norris who pointed out that it first was also the drivers who couldn’t successfully compete in the Fur Rendezvous who made up the early Iditarods.

I take nothing away from the likes of Joe Redington Sr., Jerry Riley, Dick Mackey or Emmit Peters, but they all ran in the Fur Rendezvous before their success in Iditarod and none of them competed successfully in it.

Sports writers have abandoned the actual meaning of sprint and used it as an all-purpose term that simply means (to them) shorter than the other races they consider normal. Now they’re even calling a 10K ski race a “sprint.”

If The Fur Rendezvous’ 25-mile distance is a “sprint,” why isn’t the Boston Marathon?

What’s the difference between that and track greyhound racing? I’ll tell you. A marathon runner and a good Rendezvous team do not run at the same speed throughout the race, and certainly not at their full speed.

As the Iditarod has evolved, the top teams lope more and more. Twenty years ago this was unheard of the in the Iditarod. Many top drivers did not even want dogs that loped rather than trotted in their team and would eliminate them from their kennel. Recently I talked to Dee Dee Jonrowe. I asked her how much of the race the top teams are now loping. She said of course they can’t lope while climbing up the Alaska Range, but that the best teams try to lope as much as possible on the rivers, and that the trail these days is so much better groomed that it is possible to lope on much more of it.

Of course to be able to have your team speed up when you tell them to requires certain

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advanced training and a quality of team capable of performing at that level. I asked Dee Dee how many of the Iditarod drivers in a given year have the capability of getting their teams to actually lope that much and she said, “Maybe 15.”

Likewise in the longer speed races (not sprint races) such as the Fur Rendezvous and the North American, the best teams do not run the same pace the entire race. The best drivers play the race like a chess game. There is the opening, the middle game, and the finish - the endgame.

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Like all running races, the race begins with a burst to establish position and set the stage for the remainder. This is a starting tempo dogs do on their own as a result of the initial excitement and enthusiasm as well as the training they have been undergoing. But this is just the start and with a radio in their ear, drivers can gauge their relative pace and position to their competitors. The best drivers and teams can respond and adjust the pace, but only within limits, of training and physical capabilities.

I argue that the very best racers in the Fur Rendezvous and the North American have taken speed racing to a new and even greater level. Egil Ellis, Buddy Streeper and perhaps a few others have exhibited a level of pace control of their dog teams rarely seen before.

Ellis and Streeper now race with a GPS locator strapped to the handlebar of their sled or around their wrist. This is not to give them a location of where they are but to allow them a precise measure of the speed they are traveling, at any point and for any portion of the race. But not only do they know how fast

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C LU B R E P O RT S • N E W S • R AC E R E S U L T S Annamaet Challenge Series Race #5 Alaska Dog Mushers Association Fairbanks, Alaska 5-Feb-06 Place Name # Dogs Total Tiime 1 Dog Skijoring (5.9 miles) 1 Ted Wu 1-1 27:01.7 2 Kimberlee Beckmen 1-1 28:05.2 2 Dog Skijoring (5.9 miles) 1 Greg Jurek 20:53.2 2 Jim Herriges 2-1 21:39.4 3 Amanda Byrd 22:46.5 4 Andy Warwick 23:04.0 3 Dog Skijoring (5.9 miles) 1 Cindy Salmon 3-2 19:47.6 2 Carol Kleckner 3-2 20:23.6 3 Brian Charlton 3-2 22:17.0 4 Steve Sheehy 3-2 24:03.8 4 Dog (5.9 miles) 1 Carol Kleckner 4-2 20:44.1 2 Andrea Swingley 4-2 21:42.0 3 Jennifer Probert 4-2 21:51.4 4 Carol Kaynor 4-2 22:56.5 5 Melissa Rouge 4-2 25:33.4 6 Barb Moore 4-2 38:09.0 6 Dog (7.7 miles) 1 Forrest Seibold 25:22.1 2 Jennifer Probert 25:40.5 3 Trisha Seibold 25:48.9 4 Carol Kaynor 26:07.1 5 Bonnie Borba 26:48.7 6 Amy Gjestson 27:03.2 7 Gary Markley * 27:15.7 7 Faith Gregory * 27:15.7 9 Bob Hale 33:08.4 * tie 8 Dog (12.1 miles) 1 Dan Kaduce 8-2 41:17.6 2 Randy Dunbar 8-2 44:40.4 3 Jeff Conn (1 dog in sled) 8-2 44:41.1 Open (19 miles) 1 Carol Blevins 9-1 25:52.3 Annamaet Challenge Series Race #6 Alaska Dog Mushers Association Fairbanks, Alaska 12-Feb-06 Conditions: A very warm day with soft snow.

Place Name # Dogs Total Time 1 Dog Skijoring (5.9 miles) 1 Ted Wu 1-1 24:31.4 2 Kimberlee Beckmen 1-1 28:15.1 2 Dog Skijoring (5.9 miles) 1 Kriya Dunlap 18:37.0 2 Andy Seitz 19:40.2 3 Greg Jurek 19:47.4 4 Susan Seitz 20:42.0 5 Amanda Byrd 22:20.6 3 Dog Skijoring (5.9 miles) 1 Cindy Salmon 3-2 20:23.0 2 Brian Charlton 3-2 22:02.6 4 Dog (5.9 miles) 1 Andrea Swingley 4-2 20:39.0 2 Carol Kleckner 4-2 21:27.2 3 Carol Kaynor 4-2 22:54.0 4 Jennifer Probert 4-2 24:42.8 5 Barb Moore 4-2 32:20.5 6 Dog (7.7 miles) 1 Greg Sellentin 23:52.3 2 Jennifer Probert 25:45.5 3 Ivana Nolke 25:48.2 4 Trisha Seibold 25:55.1

5 Forrest Seibold 26:04.1 6 Bonnie Borba 26:49.6 7 Ami Gjestson 27:14.0 8 Faith Gregory 27:14.3 9 Carol Kaynor 27:16.1 10 Kelley Wemark 27:18.1 8 Dog (12.1 miles) 1 Jeff Conn 8-2 41:01.1 2 Rob Downey 8-2 41:17.6 3 Dan Kaduce 8-2 43:06.9 4 Kelley Wemark 8-2 44:29.1 5 Greg Markley 8-2 47:13.4 Open (19 miles) 1 John Erhart 1 06:48.1 2 Sterling DeWilde 18-2 07:57.6 3 Mike Sanford 13-2 20:07.9 4 Josh Cadzow 1 20:14.1 5 Carol Blevins 8-2 24:20.9 Apostle Islands Sled Dog Race Bayfield, Wisconsin February 4-5, 2006 Place/Name/Day One/Day Two/Total Time Family (10 miles) 1 Anderson Forest 1:09:51 2 Whiting Amanda 1:12:40 3 Meyer Emily 1:13:24 4 Kolodji Eva 1:20:42 5 McClenon Edward 1:22:05 6 Braun Cindy 1:25:14 Sportsman’s (20 miles) 1 Levitski Elizabeth 1:39:20 2 Larsen Kate 1:40:14 3 Chapman Rebekah 1:45:26 4 King Carol 1:45:50 5 Manderfield Katherine 1:46:38 6 Serafini Susan 1:50:09 7 Methven/GravesJim/Matt 1:51:09 8 Chambers Dean 1:56:12 9 Campbell Max 1:56:50 10 Chapman Elizabeth 1:58:15 11 Capuzzi Sarah 2:00:07 12 Groeneveld Troy 2:01:34 13 LaPointe Stephanie 2:06:10 14 Hansen Kelli 2:21:29 15 Lynch Kristen 2:25:50 16 Sprague Cari 2:43:58 17 Mercier Erin 3:09:20 18 Mercier Mary Lou 3:20:44 6 Dog (60 miles) 1 Papke,Jery 2:22:35 2:18:12 4:40:47 2 Churchil, Mark 2:23:10 2:22:15 4:45:25 3 Jones,Iris 2:26:07 2:20:26 4:46:33 4 Stetso, Shelly 2:26:02 2:21:37 4: 47:39 5 Branstrom, Gail 2:33:14 2:22:53 4:56:07 6 Heilmann, M. 2:30:05 2:26:29 4:56:34 7 Obermeyer,T. 2:29:38 2:28:16 4:57:54 8 Galloway, A. 2:37:44 2:20:42 4:58:26 9 Hart Linda 2:32:05 2:26:52 4:58:57 10Galloway, D. 2:43:38 2:16:35 5:00:13 11Johnson I. 2:37:40 2:33:50 5:11:30 12 Rotterman M.2:40:21 2:35:07 5:15:28 13 Pamiter K. 2:27:40 2:49:27 5:17:07 14 Gill,David 2:39:07 2:41:06 5:20:13 15 Hazen S. 2:54:50 2:32:14 5:27:04 16 Cismoski J. 2:54:07 2:34:28 5:28:35 17 Engle , K 2:52:13 2:36:29 5:28:42 18 Ethun, M 2:42:53 2:46:04 5:28:57 19 Tallakson, T. 2:46:20 2:45:47 5:32:07 20 Cvek, Steve 2:56:28 2:36:42 5:33:10

March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

21 Eichinger, J 2:40:08 2:57:36 5:37:44 22 Thiel, John 2:54:52 2:43:47 5:38:39 23 Cvek, Natasha 3:02:17–2:38:19–5:40:36 24 Smith–Mindi– 3:01:19–2:40:56–5:42:15 25 Lundberg,Dave 2:59:16–2:43:52-5:43:08 26 Kane,Jessica 3:02:52–3:05:50–6:08:42 27 Holmes, Nate 3:16:39–2:53:27–6:10:06 28 Schmidt, M. 3:23:57–2:49:15–6:13:12 29 Lombard, Rob 3:19:33–3:00:14–6:19:47 30 Schaefer, Stacy 3:14:37–3:09:56–6:24:33 31 Nelson, Paul 3:20:15–3:10:55–6:31:10 32 Hart Steve 3:21:18 3:10:12 6:31:30 33 Vitek Judi 3:26:39 3:06:11 6:32:50 8 Dog (80 miles) 1 Curtice Pete 2:58:29 2:47:25 5:45:54 2 Beall Robin 3:12:14 2:49:11 6:01:25 3 Giudice Alex 3:13:35 2:52:45 6:06:20 4 Mills Elizabeth 3:15:20 3:02:37 6:17:57 5 Zimpel Brad 3:16:35 3:07:54 6:24:29 6 Wellert Jim 3:21:25 3:03:37 6:25:02 7 Powers Fred 3:15:41 3:15:37 6:31:18 8 Hull John 3:13:45 3:21:36 6:35:21 9 Pranke Tabitha 3:19:01 3:24:52 6:43:53 10 Bauer Tom 3:35:53 3:17:47 6:53:40 11 Oberg Joanna3:36:52 3:33:45 7:10:37 12 Johnson Bob 3:44:27 3:37:59 7:22:26 13 Smith Lucas 3:54:25 3:32:12 7:26:37 14 Chisholm Tim 3:57:26 3:30:50 7:28:16 15 Schaefer David4:15:51 3:42:20 7:58:11 16 Fisher Robin 4:02:44 3:56:39 7:59:23 17 Fisher Ann 4:09:57 3:55:42 8:05:39 18 Katanik Farrel 4:30:49 3:39:07 8:09:56 19 Vitek John 4:10:04 4:05:33 8:15:37 20 Pundsack 4:55:27 4:29:26 9:24:53 21 Cobb Brooks 4:59:22 4:45:38 9:45:00 ASDRA Alaska Mill & Feed Limited Championship Race Anchorage, Alaska, February 11-12, 2006 Conditions: Day 2 heat canceled due to light rain, glare ice

Place,Name, # Dogs, Day 1, Day 2 Total 4 Dog (4.5 miles) 1 Kourosh Partow 4 17:16 17:16 2 Kim Wells 4 14:20 14:20 3 Bev Stevens 4 14:59 14:59 4 Kris Rasey 4 15:03 15:03 5 Fran Pekar 4 16:31 16:31 6 Kevin Wright 4 17:56 17:56 6 Dog (7.3 miles) 1 Kourosh Partow 6 18:56 18:56 2 Heather Hardy 6 20:50 20:50 3 Kelly Wright 6 21:23 21:23 4 Mike Lina 6 22:02 22:02 5 Dan Kaushagen 6 25:25 25:25 8 Dog (10.8 miles) 1 Heather Hardy 8 41:25 41:25 2 John Schultheis 8 44:58 44:58

Alaskan Sled Dog & Racing Association Raven Electric Women’s World Championship • Anchorage, Alaska February 17, 18 & 19, 2006 Conditions: Day 3 canceled due to wind overnight & glare ice.

Place, Name, # Dogs, Day 1,Day 2 Total

1 Carey Erhart 14/14 43:21 43:43 87:04 2 Dori Hollingsworth 12/11 43:34 45:16 88:50 3 Evelyn Beeter 11/10 43:53 45:30 89:23 4 Mari Hoe Raitto 12/10 45:12 45:08 90:20 5 Brenda Burge 12/11 44:12 46:08 90:20 6 Heather Hardy 14/12 46:31 45:48 92:19 7 Zoyo DeNure (R) 12/12 51:32 52:20 103:52 8 Jennifer Payne 12/10 50:41 60:20 111:01 9 Terri Codzow (R) 10/9 63:03 56:51 119:54 (R) = Rookie Alaska Dog Mushers Association Black Gold Run February 18 - 19 2006 Jeff Studdert race Grounds Skijoriong 5.9 miles 1 Kriya Dunlap 18:59 19:05 38:04 2 Susan Seitz 19:53 19:44 39:38 3 Andy Seitz 19:44 19:54 39:39 4 Jim Herriges 19:36 20:07 39:44 5 Greg Jurek 19:56 20:21 40:18 6 Cindy Salmon 20:55 20:17 41:13 7 Kari Lovett 22:00 21:03 43:03 8 Amanda Byrd 21:42 21:41 4324 9 Brian Charlton 22:06 21:22 43:28 10 Chad Carroll 23:27 22:21 45:48 11 Andy Warwick 22:27 23:29 45:57 12 Kim Beckmen 23:48 24:52 48:40 13 Lisa Baraff 24:38 25:43 50:21 14 Paul Gregory 25:41 29:37 55:18 6 Dog (7 miles) 1 Kourosh Partow 23:15 23:24 46:40 2 Greg Sellentin 23:39 24:09 47:48 3 Ken Chezik 24:58 25:18 50:16 4 Angie Fitch 25:30 25:38 51:08 5 Forrest Seibold 25:34 25:35 51:10 6 Amy Dunlap 25:40 25:37 51:18 7 Trisha Seibold 24:39 26:47 51:26 8 Jennifer Probert 26:00 26:06 52:06 9 Bonnie Borba 25:22 26:44 52:06 10 Ami Gjestson 26:06 26:26 52:32 11 Sarah Conn 26:23 26:36 52:59 12 Faith Gregory 26:44 26:23 53:08 13 Carol Kaynor 25:47 27:21 53:09 14 Kelly Wright 26:34 26:51 53:26 15 C. Taveau 25:02 28:49 53:51 10 Dog (12 miles) 1 Rob Downey 38:44 38:35 1:17:19 2 Ken Chezik 38:07 39:31 1:17:38 3 Jason Dunlap 38:48 39:56 1:18:45 4 Jeff Conn 39:20 40:32 1:19:52 5 Mike Cox 40:18 39:44 1:20:03 6 Graham Howe39:42 40:21 1:20:04 7 Ivana Nolke 40:23 41:07 1:21:30 8 C. Taveau 39:26 42:16 1:21:42 9 Ed Arobio 42:49 43:07 1:25:57

CASPER MOUNTAIN SLED DOG RACES HOSTED BY CANINES FOR CHARITY 2/11-12/06 BEARTRAP MEADOW, CASPER, WY SPRINT (6 miles) 6 Dogs 43 DARYL GRUET 1:19:29 44 PAM DUNN 1:27:32 52 AL BRACKETT 1:31:25 26 STEVE HAMPTON 1:36:06 19 STERLING PRICE 2:21:08 73 M. MADDALENA 2:27:36 4 Dogs 69 KAYLEE PRICE 1:06:10 54 VON MARTIN 1:09:05 74 DYLAN MADDALENA 2:10:31 13 JAYLYN MADDELINA 2:33:53 NOVICE SENIOR (3 miles) 57 JESSIE PRICE 1:05:01 60 KYANE HAMPTON 1:08:28 SKIJORING (3 miles) 1-3 Dogs 45 CHARLIE DEWOLF 0:41:49 56 MARIJEAN ZUCHA 1:23:43 NOVICE SENIOR (1 mile) 58 BROCKS SNIDER 9:28 67 TREBOR TEAL 12:49 65 HEATHER SAUERS 14:21 72 BILL CONSER 15:13 JUNIOR (1 mile) 3 Dogs 61 KAYDEN PRICE 5:17 39 TYLER BERGE 6:17 3 JOSIE BERGE 6:49 63 SHANAEA VANDERPOL 7:45 50 TEAGAN VANDERPOL 7:45 10 TAYLOR BERGE 7:47 SKIJORING (1 mile) 1-3 Dogs 47 SYLVIA MCFEATERS 7:25 45 SHELLY NICOLE 9:07 46 ELLA DEWOLF 10:18 2 CHARLIE DEWOLF 11:20 19 STERLING PRICE 12:24 10 VIRGINIA HAZEN 18:22 100-YARD DASH (2-8 yrs) 55 SYDNEY COONEY 00:36.4 38 PADDISON LOWE 00:47.2 1 ALLISON BERGE 00:50.6 53 SAMMY JO STREWELER 00:54.1 68 CHRISTIAN BURNS 01:09.3 28 ELLA REED 01:14.5 71 GRACIE CONSER 01:21.0

MID-DISTANCE (20-25 miles) 8 Dogs 42 CAROL BLOODWORTH 2:55:55 21 TABATHA BERGE 3:10:26 33 ALLAN BERGE 3:00:40 66 LANETTE KIMBALL 3:16:37 26 STEVE HAMPTON 5:10:59 European Sprint Championship - Sled Fusine / Tarvisio ( Italy ) 3-4-5 February 2006 Place Name Country Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Total 4 Dog Junior 1 Alexandra Panyukhina Russia 19:08 19:51 19:22 58:21:00 2 Martin Dickel Germany 19:52 19:32 19:06 58:30:00 3 Emelie Waara Sweden 20:06 19:28 19:10 58:44:00

4 Marc Punsola Spain 20:12 20:02 19:29 59:43:00 5 Sandra Swiderska Poland 29:35:00 32:23:00 32:45:00 34:43:00 4 Dog 1 Uwe Radant Germany 17:19 16:28 16:35 50:22:00 2 Maria Mõki Sweden 16:57 17:15 17:13 51:25:00 3 Blanka Kovarikova Czech Republic 17:20 17:11 17:04 51:35:00 4 Gabriela Trnkova Czech Republic 17:10 17:19 17:13 51:42:00 5 Reto Frei Switzerland 17:01 17:21 17:26 51:48:00 6 Dagmar Nesnerova Czech Republic 17:21 17:40 17:05 52:06:00 7 Alain Hercher France 17:00 17:18 18:24 52:42:00 8 Bruno Puginier France 17:47 17:54 17:27 53:08:00 9 Tomas Stejskal Czech Republic 18:00 17:50 17:36 53:26:00 10 Conny Ruf Switzerland 17:41 17:44 18:17 53:42:00 11 Fabrice Camus France 17:50 18:09 18:07 54:06:00 12 Agneta Hogberg Sweden 18:01 18:12 18:08 54:21:00 13 Stanislav Vana Czech Republic 18:00 19:03 17:55 54:58:00 14 Benjamin Kiesle Germany 17:13 17:58 19:58 55:09:00 15 Ramon Costa Spain 18:16 18:27 18:33 55:16:00 16 Bernd Dickel Germany 18:25 18:34 18:29 55:28:00 17 Franziska Deschamps Switzerland 18:57 18:54 18:41 56:32:00 18 Maciej Wodzinski Poland 18:49 18:52 19:04 56:45:00 19 Martino Mazza Italy 19:32 19:05 19:13 57:50:00 20 Claude Mar hadour France 18:11 21:16 20:39 1:00:06 21 Massimo Zannini Italy 19:22 19:52 21:51 1:01:05 22 Rob Mossinkoff Netherlands 21:52 21:58 22:10 1:06:00 6 Dog 1 Jiri Trnka jun. Czech Republic 25:43:00 25:48:00 25:56:00 1:17:27 2 Petr Krupicka jun. Czech Republic 26:07:00 25:48:00 25:41:00 1:17:36 3 Ole Petter Engli Norway 27:31:00 27:08:00 27:14:00 1:21:53 4 Bruno Milesi France 27:00:00 27:34:00 28:08:00 1:22:42 5 Jiri Trnka sen. Czech Republic 27:42:00 27:45:00 27:35:00 1:23:02 6 Jos Broers Netherland 8:10:00 27:41:00 28:19:00 1:24:10 7 Sylvain Flachaire Franc 7:57:00 28:42:00 28:53:00 1:25:32 8 Giuseppe Bombardieri Ital 9:23:00 27:49:00 28:38:00 1:25:50 9 Thomas Hartmann German 8:29:00 28:38:00 29:24:00 1:26:31 10 Pavel Zvolsky Czech Republi

7:39:00 28:44:00 31:50:00 1:28:13 11 Philippe Seguin Franc 8:35:00 30:06:00 29:40:00 1:28:21 12 Veli-Pekka Lehtomõki Finlan 1:47:00 29:42:00 29:26:00 1:30:55 13 Klaus Engelbrecht Germany 3:28:00 33:00:00 32:25:00 1:38:53 14 Primoz Urank Sloveni 7:24:00 33:38:00 34:42:00 1:45:44 8 Dog 1 Lena Westas-Havimõki Swede 7:10:00 37:14:00 36:40:00 1:51:04 2 Hege Ingebrigtsen Norwa 5:36:00 36:45:00 38:55:00 1:51:16 3 Kjetil Hillestad Norwa 8:35:00 37:57:00 36:38:00 1:53:10 4 Herbert Hiermeier German 7:36:00 38:55:00 38:44:00 1:55:15 5 Alexandra Kathan German 8:52:00 38:32:00 39:15:00 1:56:39 6 Petr Krupicka sen. Czech Republi 9:12:00 39:11:00 44:42:00 2:03:05 7 Robert Schiesser Switzerlan 1:09:00 44:02:00 39:55:00 2:05:06 8 Olaf Krummrich German 1:27:00 42:58:00 42:04:00 2:06:29 9 Karl-Heinz Lusch³tzky Austri 2:43:00 43:35:00 41:47:00 2:08:05 10 David Martinez SPAI 1:48:00 44:04:00 43:40:00 2:09:32 11 Maurizio Menghinella Ital 5:18:00 48:19:00 51:20:00 2:24:57 12 Dennis Spagnul Ital 2:29:00 53:36:00 58:42:00 2:44:47 Unlimited 1 Rudolf Roperts German 2:15:00 42:57:00 42:51:00 2:08:03 2 Detlef Ïyen German 3:56:00 43:12:00 43:59:00 2:11:07 3 Helmut Peer Austri 4:53:00 44:18:00 42:48:00 2:11:59 4 Kurt Zwingli Switzerlan 3:57:00 44:48:00 43:28:00 2:12:13 5 Michael Tetzner German 8:24:00 45:22:00 44:04:00 2:17:50 6 Arne Haugen Norwa 8:20:00 49:29:00 47:51:00 2:25:40 7 Henry Coronica Ital 6:33:00 49:39:00 50:03:00 2:26:15 8 Jo Svenstad Norwa 5:31:00 56:53:00 44:43:00 2:27:07 9 Albert Grados Spai 8:53:00 53:25:00 53:07:00 2:35:25 10 Lionel Payen Franc 6:52:00 57:00:00 54:53:00 2:48:45 11 Ales Vernik Sloveni 4:52:00 59:03:00 54:58:00 2:48:53

5Jennifer Payne 15:39 16:04 6Todd Whitcomb 15:56 15:51 6-Dog (5.78 miles) 1 K. Partow 18:34 21:00 2 Julie Bloch 19:27 20:31 3 C.Taveau 20:21 20:36 4 B. Stevens 20:46 20:48 5 Heather Hardy 20:18 21:38 6 D. Hollingsworth 20:24 21:44 7 Mike Lina 20:37 21:43 8 Bud Rice 21:06 21:57 9 Todd Whitcomb20:29 23:13 10 Kelly Wright 21:22 22:44 11 F. Pekar 22:06 25:03

39:34:00 39:58:00 40:57:00 41:34:00 41:56:00 42:08:00 42:20:00 43:03:00 43:42:00 44:06:00 47:09:00

8-Dog (9.2 miles) Day fence error ran 10.8 miles 1 Christian Taveau36:49 31:59 68:48 2 Evelyn Beeter 37:59 33:01 71:00 3 Debbie McGrath 42:20 34:02 76:22 4 Rex Jones 40:32 36:33 77:05 5 John Schultheis 42:27 35:37 78:04 6 Nathan Sterling 40:44 40:01 80:45 Open Class (15 miles) 1 Egil Ellis 14 52:50 54:55 107:45 2 Eric Lanser 15 51:31 56:51 108:22 3 Ken Chezik 12 54:02 55:58 110:00 4 John Erhart 14 53:09 57:56 111:05 5 A. Reynolds 14 53:35 59:15 112:50 6 C. Erhart 13 54:44 60:32 115:15 7 Jason Dunlap 14 55:36 60:38 116:14 8 Michi Konno 14 56:28 59:51 116:19 9 Thomas Moore 15 54:43 61:39 116:22 10 Heather Hardy 12 57:30 60:37 118:07 11 D. Hollingsworth 14 55:38 62:39 118:17 12 Mike Cox 13 59:16 61:10 120:26 13 W.Robinson 14 57:50 62:49 120:39 14 Jim Arndt 13 57:07 69:57 127:04 15 Jeff Barnhart 12 59:58 67:40 127:38 16 Archie Wemark12 58:35 74:39 133:14 17 J.P. Norris 13 68:50 66:33 135:23 18 Mike Sanford11 71:04 80:32 151:36

ExxonMobil/Points Race 3 Anchorage, Alaska February 4-5, 2006 Place Name Dogs Day 1 2 Total 4-Dog (4.5 miles) 1Deanna Partow 14:41 14:31 2 Kim Wells 14:36 14:38 3 Kris Racy 14:57 15:12 4 Julie Bloch 15:05 15:26

31:43:00 31:47:00

Day 29:12:00 29:14:00 30:09:00 30:29:00

Leadville K9 Skijor Classic Leadville, Colorado 18-Feb-06 Place Name Total Time 1 Dog (4.5 miles) 1 Scott Aimone 15:15 2 Drew Dokken 17:46 3 Lance Schamberger 18:03 4 Jenna Hinds 18:45 5 Sterling Mudge 18:55 6 Louisa Morrissey 19:05 7 Ann Lindgren 19:17 8 Mike LeVine 24:55 9 Reid Allan 25:30 10 Christine Horning 29:14 11 Lynn Thompson 29:20 12 Paula Conwell 36:41 13 Patrick Taylor 41:01 2 Dog (4.5 miles) 1 Craig Schreiber 15:16 2 Pam Hahler 15:59 3 Jonathon Scates 16:52 4 Janet Saxon 18:03 5 Charlie DeWolf 18:21 6 Gisela Boderke 19:13 7 Mike Sullivan 19:21 8 Ben Linstid 20:34

More race results continued on page 17

15

McCowan interview, continued from page 11 SDS: Obviously this is a back up plan you know you have at your avail in case of emergency, or as you said worst case scenario. How does one call up a Blackhawk helicopter rescue? I mean where do you start?

MM: Any search and rescue in Alaska begins with a 911 call to the troopers. When they don’t have the ability to handle it they call in people with bigger and better capabilities and assets.

When I was on the phone with the troopers, I was talking with someone I’ve known real well for about 25 years, and he knows that I just don’t call because I’m having a bad day, he knew it was serious. At that point we all started working together.

SDS: The way I understand it, there were fixed wing aircraft who located the coordinates of the teams, then helicopters were sent out to get them.

MM: Basically 4 aircraft were involved. A fixed wing and a helicopter from the troopers, and a HC 130 and a HH 60 helicopter from the 210th rescue squadron of the Alaska Air Guard.

The HC 130 is equipped with forward looking infrared radar. What that means is if there is a heat signature on the ground, they are going to see you. It is very accurate, if you have a heat signature that is different from the surroundings, they will find you. When I first saw the HC 130 come over, I immediately knew that we would find them. We were making guesses on where they might be, based on wind direction and where the trail was.

SDS: Were you able to see a printout or something on a screen that showed you where they were?

MM: No, one of my judges, is an ex navy fighter pilot, currently a 747 pilot, and has also raced the Quest twice. He was perfect to show them where to look. We were in VHF contact with the overhead aircraft, and we had HAM radios going also. The communications, although not perfect, were pretty darn good. The first word we got from the aircraft was that we have 6 for medi-vac.

SDS: What exactly does that mean?

MM: Medi-vac is short for medical evacuation.

It means you have bodies that are not in operable shape, you have someone hurt. As soon as I heard that, I started a process to round up dog drivers to go out on snowmachines because I thought there might be even more dog teams without drivers up there. From that radio report we could have had up to 6 more teams up there on the side of Eagle Summit. I was looking at the possibility of having to get 7 full teams without drivers off the mountain, and do it quickly. At this time it was 3:30 in the afternoon or so.

SDS: What did they base the report of “6 March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

drivers needing medi-vac” on? We now know in hindsight that wasn’t the case.

MM: I don’t know. Remember we are getting communications from a helicopter to another aircraft, and down to us. The terminology may have been changed or whatever. Search and rescue means one thing to me, medi-vac means something else. We continued trying to organize the snowmachiners to carry any experienced dog drivers we could find in Central, out to find the teams. I thought we would have up to 7 teams needing to get down off the mountain in the dark, in a storm that was still raging.

The next thing I hear over the radio, is that we have two drivers and their dogs airlifted back to 101. That was the first word I got that in fact the helicopters were pulling teams off the mountain.

I then requested the names of the mushers and the conditions of them and their teams. The HH 60 had in air refueling capabilities, from the HC 130. The helicopter just kept going back and getting dog teams.

SDS: How did they get the teams into the helicopters, I’ve heard reports that they didn’t even land?

MM: They definitely landed. There was one where they could only set down one ski on the side of the mountain and used the blade lift to keep the copter horizontal while they loaded, but the rest of the time they landed.

SDS: It sounds like they made the decision to evacuate the mushers before you could….

MM: My judge had the authority. We had people who had been out there for 17hrs or more. My judge came out of the copter and talked to the drivers. Some of them came up and said, “I’m so glad to see you,” others said, “do you have any water”. The judge asked them: “why aren’t you moving, what are your plans to travel?”

None of them could give an answer.

SDS: No one had a plan?

MM: Not at that time, if they did they didn’t answer him. I’m not trying to say anyone is not telling the truth, but I debriefed the judge and he is very trustworthy. At the post race driver’s mtg, the drivers were asked if they remembered their conversations with him, and they didn’t remember any of it. I know there are at least really 6 disappointed drivers. At the same time, I have no problem whatsoever about getting them off that mountain at all.

There was a time when, during the whole ordeal, and I never said this to anyone until recently, that I thought we would be pulling dead dogs off the mountain.

SDS: I know that hindsight can be 20/20, but is there anything that you would have done

differently given another look at the situation?

MM: Given those circumstances, the weather, the factors, and the time constraints, absolutely not. One thing I do want to stress: people and the media keep talking about the mushers. The local, regional, and national media all were talking about the mushers. I never once heard a peep about the dogs. Nothing about the dog teams, not once. The whole situation started, the whole thing came down because we knew we had a 12 dog team on the mountain stuck somewhere, without anyone to care for them. It was the worst case scenario. That aspect wasn’t talked about.

SDS: But yet, the irony is that if a dog, or dogs would have been hurt, or worse, died, there probably would have been a media storm like no other.

MM: As the day went on, as the day progressed, and we kept on getting more information about more mushers being rescued, I kept on going back to the radio and asking if they found Randy’s team. All they were talking about were the teams with the drivers. I kept on pushing for information about Randy’s team. I had been with Randy for hours now, and he was utterly despondent, like anyone would be. Finally I got a call from someone in 101 and they said we have Chappel’s dogs. I asked how many, and they couldn’t tell me. I said, man you have to tell me if they are all there.

Later on, it was dark, almost everyone was accounted for but we still didn’t know the status of all of Randy’s dogs. I was sitting with Randy and Allen Moore (owner of some of Randy’s team), and I got this handed to me.

SDS: Mike hands me a barely legible note, hastily written in pencil on a scrap of paper, it reads: “All 12 of Chappel’s dogs in 101, all ok.”

MM: I said Randy, here read this. There were a lot of wet eyes there at that moment.

We pulled 88 dogs and 6 people off the mountain.

We located 3 more mushers and 36 dogs on the trail out of 101. Was it pretty? No. Were there some disappointed mushers? You bet. Did everything come out ok? I think so. You have to be alive to be bummed out.

SDS: A lot of times in bad experiences like this, we can learn from it. Is there anything the Quest organization has learned from this ordeal? Or is it just something that can happen during a 1000 mile dog sled race in some of the most challenging terrain in the world?

MM: A little of both. We had already talked about putting more permanent markers on the summit. We have made the decision to do that.

That still is no substitute for driver judgement.

R A C E R E S U LT S Knik 200 Knik Lake Alaska 1/7/06

By June Price You could hear the ice cracking beneath the weight of the dog trucks, mushers and teams, and family and friends gather on Knik Lake for the 2006 version of the Knik 200. That didn’t seem to stop anyone, however, as mushers were sent off the lake to cheers and well wishes. Not far away, skittering about on the lake, a youngster played with a sled and her solo dog team, perhaps one day dreaming of running the race herself. It was that kinda day.

Any race is something of “ol’ home week,” but the Knik 200 was more so. Not only was a large cast of characters parked on Knik Lake in anticipation of the start, but two father-son teams were entered.

Martin Buser was there to run with his son Nikolai, not compete, probably good news to his competitors, as was Linwood Fiedler, running with son Dalton. For their teams, it was just a chance to get out there and have fun. Both teams were observed on the trail spending lots of time together, the elders undoubtedly passing on some wisdom to their sons, so their goal seems to have been met.

There was a husband-wife team entered, too, Canadian mushers Mark and Karen Ramstead. Although this was Mark’s rookie run in the Knik 200, wife Karen is well known in mushing circles for her “pretty sled dogs.” Karen, whose pure Siberian Huskies have improved their times in this race steadily every year, won a fun-type award as Happiest Musher. Her husband Mark would finish about twenty spots back with their puppy team, adding to her overall happiness.

In addition, two brothers with a well known last name also headed out off the lake. Keeping it in the family, Raymie and Barb Redington led both Ryan and Ray Redington, Jr’s, teams to the starting line.

Ray’s wife, Julia, wasn’t there, but she had a good excuse. She’s expecting in March.

Yep, another Redington is about to join the clan. Even better, the newest Redington should make an appearance somewhere around Iditarod time. How perfect is that?

The Mackey Family was well represented, too, by Jason and Yukon Quest Champion Lance Mackey. Rick Mackey was observed here and there on the lake, enjoying the community of mushers and fans that always convene at races. In fact, if you looked closely, many familiar faces emerged, including that of writer-musher Gary Paulsen, whose handler, Emily

Hudyma, was running one of his teams in the race.

For mushers and fans alike, the Knik 200 was a welcome treat. Snow has been sparse and, as has been the trend of recent years, there was talk that the race might have to be cancelled. Despite the worries, enough snow came to make the trail doable, even a pleasant trip for most.

Even for those of us living in Wasilla, however, the gradual whitening of the landscape as we neared Knik was a pleasant reminder that winter was here, even if not in our own backyards.

Fifty-four teams started the race; fifty-one finished, with Denali Park’s Jeff King emerging as winner. King, whose sled designs have started a new trend of what can best be described as “sit-down sleds,” didn’t disappoint and appeared with a new version, this one less bulky looking, for lack of a better description. Even at the starting line, King could be heard joking about wondering what Martin Buser would come up with, so it’s unlikely this version will be the one to debut at Iditarod 2006.

Iditarod 2006 rookie Eric Rogers, of Eagle River, won the Humanitarian Award, while Paul Charron took home the Red Lantern.

Three mushers scratched.

1. Jeff King 09:57:13; 21h 12m 13s 2. Lance Mackey 10:17:44; 21h 31m 44s 3. Ryan Redington 10:30:18; 21h 44m 18s 4. Brian Bearss 10:34:35; 21h 48m 35s 5. Rick Townsend 10:42:55; 21h 56m 55s 6. Cim Smyth 11:04:00; 22h 18m 00s 7. Ray Redington Jr.11:23:12; 22h 37m 12s 8. Paul Gebhardt 11:31:41; 22h 45m 41s 9. Lisa Frederick 11:45:25; 22h 58m 25s 10. Micah Degerlund 11:57:38; 23h 11m 38s 11. Dean Rosiar II 12:23:33; 23h 37m 33s 12. Sebastian Schnuelle 12:25:16; 23h 39m 16s 13. Mark Uhinck 12:30:39; 23h 44m 39s 14. Melanie Gould 12:39:31; 23h 53m 31s 15. Dean Osmar 12:53:42; 24h 07m 42s 16. John Schandelmier 12:58:00; 24h 12m 00s 17. Lori Townsend 13:00:27; 24h 14m 27s 18. Spencer Mayer 13:54:04; 25h 08m 04s 19. Jason Mackey 13:59:09; 25h 13m 09s 20. Dan Huttunen 14:16:11; 25h 30m 11s 21. Gene Smith 14:23:43; 25h 37m 43s 22. Karen Ramstead 14:23:48; 25h 37m 48s 23. Thomas Knolmeyer 14:43:25; 25h 43m 25s 24. Adam Beebe 15:18:50; 26h 32m 50s 25. Peter Cohrs 15:23:11; 26h 37m 11s 26. Kelley Griffin 15:34:10; 26h 48m 10s 27. Andy Mosen 16:04:41; 27h 18m 41s 28. Jeff Davis 16:07:08; 27h 21m 08s 29. Gabrielle Dunham 17:42:00; 28h 46m 00s 30. Kim Kitteredge 17:42:01; 28h 46m 01s 31. Michele Prevost 17:51:51; 29h 05m 51s 32. Rick Cochran 18:31:00; 29h 45m 00s 33. Sue Allen 18:33:00; 29h 47m 00s 34. Randy Cummins 18:55:00; 30h 09m 00s 35. Richard Hum 19:36:00; 30h 50m 00s

continued from page 15

36. Eric Rogers 19:53:00; 31h 07m 00s 37. Becca Moore 20:02:00; 31h 16m 00s 38. C. Harisberger 20:23:00; 31h 37m 00s 39. Nikolai Buser 20:24:00; 31h 38m 00s 40. Martin Buser 20:25:00; 31h 39m 00s 41. Ben Volks 20:32:00; 31h 46m 00s 42. Aaron Peck 21:56:00; 33h 10m 00s 43. Linwood Fiedler 22:15:00; 33h 29m 00s 44. Dalton Fiedler 22:45:00; 33h 59m 00s 45. C. Bagett 22:50:00; 34h 05m 00s 46. Mark Ramstead 23:00:10; 34h 14m 10s 47. Rod Boyce 23:34:25; 34h 48m 25s 48. K. Pawlzczyk 00:07:00; 35h 21m 00s 49. Mike Suprenant 00:22:15; 35h 36m 15s 50. Tom Gastrich 02:10:32; 37h 24m 32s 51 Paul Charron 3:30:00; 38h:44m:00s Kinross Two Sled Dog Race Great Lakes Sled Dog Association Kinross, Michigan January 28-29, 2006 Saturday: Day 1 was cancelled due to snow conditions Sunday: 8-dog class ran on the 6-dog trail.

Place Name Day Two Total Time 2 Dog Junior (.75 mile) 1 Sarah Cullip 01:44.2 01:44.2 2 Eron Menard 01:50.4 01:50.4 3 Rachel Rodenhouse 01:57.9 01:57.9 4 Emily Matelski 01:58.9 01:58.9 5 Rachel Radick 02:36.3 02:36.3 6 Erin Radick 02:52.8 02:52.8 3 Dog Junior (3.1 miles) 1 Kaleb Hauser 10:09.8 10:09.8 2 Sarah Cullip 10:14.5 10:14.5 3 Douglas Frank 10:27.7 10:27.7 4 Courtney Frank 10:54.4 10:54.4 5 Gena Buckler 11:38.4 11:38.4 6 Emily Matelski 12:09.1 12:09.1 7 Brittany Menard 13:10.4 13:10.4 8 Brittainnie Wiggins 14:50.5 14:50.5 4 Dog Sport (4.7 miles) 1 Daniel Swiriduk 17:25.9 17:25.9 2 Ryan Finch 17:26.4 17:26.4 3 Carol Finch 18:50.0 18:50.0 4 Beth Scott 21:03.6 21:03.6 5 Paul Wagner 21:08.3 21:08.3 6 John McCormick 21:34.5 21:34.5 7 Justin Frank 21:42.7 21:42.7 8 Lauren Griggs 23:20.1 23:20.1 9 Brad Bowman 28:30.7 28:30.7 4 Dog Reg. Breed (4.7 miles) 1 Susan Gilchrist 18:50.3 18:50.3 2 Thomas Rose 19:35.3 19:35.3 3 Nancy Wolfe 20:08.6 20:08.6 4 Connie Cullip 20:14.3 20:14.3 5 Ann Stead 20:21.4 20:21.4 6 Paula Harding 21:48.3 21:48.3 7 Mary Groth 22:44.6 22:44.6 8 Jenna McVey 25:12.3 25:12.3 9 Matt Radick 27:33.9 27:33.9 10 Wanda Wiggins 30:35.7 30:35.7 4 Dog (4.7 miles) 1 Trent Palmer-Vance 16:48.8 16:48.8

2 Tammy Smith 17:02.8 17:02.8 3 Melanie Desotelle 17:06.0 17:06.0 4 Caitlyn Waller 17:10.4 17:10.4 5 Mark Broughton 17:59.6 17:59.6 6 Greg Sellentin 18:03.9 18:03.9 7 Clement Boudreau 18:06.1 18:06.1 8 Daniel Swiriduk 18:31.6 18:31.6 9 Patty Lewison 18:40.7 18:40.7 10 Gary Callaghan 19:10.1 19:10.1 11 Keith Omernick 25:47.9 25:47.9 6 Dog Sport (5.7 miles) 1 Bev Reinhart 24:15.4 24:15.4 2 Fred Hudson 28:37.0 28:37.0 3 Brad Schoenrock 31:13.7 31:13.7 6 Dog Reg. Breed (5.7 miles) 1 Tim Scheall 20:29.3 20:29.3 2 Beth Wagner 20:44.6 20:44.6 3 Mary Groth 20:53.0 20:53.0 4 Susan Gilchrist 21:00.6 21:00.6 5 Chuck Cullip 21:10.0 21:10.0 6 John Liversage 21:17.8 21:17.8 7 Nancy Wolfe 22:22.6 22:22.6 8 Ann Stead 22:27.2 22:27.2 9 Tim Wallace 23:19.9 23:19.9 10 Dale Wolfe 23:48.7 23:48.7 11 Thomas Rose 24:22.1 24:22.1 12 Sue Radick 24:42.8 24:42.8 13 Al Stead 29:02.9 29:02.9 14 Diane Parkinson 33:02.4 33:02.4 15 Max Wiggins 52:40.5 52:40.5 6 Dog (5.7 miles) 1 Erika Seifert 18:15.1 18:15.1 2 Jamie Dittmar 18:38.9 18:38.9 3 Clement Boudreau 18:46.5 18:46.5 4 Julie Roggow 18:53.2 18:53.2 5 Ken Davis 18:56.0 18:56.0 6 Gary Frank 19:07.7 19:07.7 7 Will Bomier 19:07.9 19:07.9 8 Gary Callaghan 19:11.4 19:11.4 9 Shirley Wolf 19:14.5 19:14.5 10 Tony Wolf 19:37.1 19:37.1 11 Bud Lewis III 20:18.0 20:18.0 12 David Burt 20:28.4 20:28.4 13 Adam Scheffler 20:32.8 20:32.8 14 Ryan Behm 20:35.7 20:35.7 15 Tammy Smith 20:47.6 20:47.6 16 Suzanne Howe 22:15.3 22:15.3 8 Dog (5.7 miles) 1 Dawn Brown 17:42.2 17:42.2 2 Erika Seifert 17:51.3 17:51.3 3 Jan Bootz-Dittmar 18:16.5 18:16.5 4 Will Bomier 18:25.1 18:25.1 5 Greg Sellentin 18:33.2 18:33.2 6 Rob Downey 18:37.5 18:37.5 7 Adam Malicke 18:42.2 18:42.2 8 Grahame Howe 18:50.8 18:50.8 9 Ken Roggow 19:46.9 19:46.9 10 Leigh Gilchrist 20:01.4 20:01.4 11 Melissa Behm 20:13.7 20:13.7 12 Mark Levitski 20:40.6 20:40.6 13 Dan Briggs 21:25.0 21:25.0 14 Eric Ayers PB 21:33.7 21:33.7 15 Tim Wallace PB 22:11.1 22:11.1 16 Keith Omernick 25:58.9 25:58.9 17 Joe Powell 29:03.1 29:03.1

More race results continued on page 30

17

they are traveling, they have shown repeatedly they have the ability to modify and control of pace of the team. This ability alone gives them a huge advantage over other competitors.

But it raises difficult questions.

They must choose an optimum speed for a dog team to travel, when to go faster, when to go slower, and when to go all out. The price of a misjudgment is a lost race. Too fast and a team will tire or a weaker dog will crash. Too slow and the finish time will be inadequate.

Most competitors assume that a winning pace for the Fur Rendezvous should average close to 18 mph. This is a pace of 3 minute 20 seconds per mile. A winning North American pace needs to be at least 20 mph, 3-minute miles.

When operating within aerobic capacity a dog team can maintain a pace for a relatively long time. But the brief periods of maximum speed (sprints) are anaerobic and limited to the time a body can function on stored rather than breathed air. Bicycle racers have such an intimate knowledge of their own body metabolism that during a race they can tell when they are crossing over from the aerobic into the anaerobic and can back off slightly so they can maintain their pace and not deplete their body’s stores of oxygen. For when you run on oxygen debt, the number of strides you have is limited before everything comes to a grinding halt.

The dog musher must make this judgment about every dog in his team, how much they have in them, how much they have left to give and what exactly their capabilities are.

It makes daring and exciting tactics possible that a casual observer may likely be totally unaware of.

Changes So how exactly do I think dog mushing has changed over the last ten or fifteen years since The Speed Mushing Manual was written? The personalities and competitors have changed. A new generation of top drivers has emerged and more beginning drivers are opting for distance mushing. Doc Lombard has died, George Attla is in his 70’s and moved back to his birth village of Huslia in remote interior Alaska.

The top of the sport has become more truly international. It’s not unusual to see drivers from six or more countries and three different continents in the Fur Rendezvous and North American Championships. But I would say the biggest differences are three. First, the dogs.

Dogs The look of racing dogs has changed dramatically. Once Egil Ellis started not

only winning but dominating with his “Euro hounds” the look of competitive teams changed rapidly.

I’ve been told that Pointers, both German Shorthair and English have a long history in Scandinavian racing. They had tremendous power and strength, but never did well in longer races, so their desirability in Alaskan and other topnotch racing was marginal and virtually non-existent.

Crossing different breeds into Alaskan huskies is as old as the Alaskan husky, from Scotty Allen and before to Gareth Wright and beyond. Everything from Malamutes to greyhounds, spaniels to Salukis and more has been tried. Even Pointer crosses had been tried many times, but no major winning combination had ever been put together until Egil Ellis crossed Terry Streeper’s Alaskan husky named Hop with German Shorthair pointers and came up with dogs that have not only speed but endurance in them.

Soon everyone had to have them. Hound-like appearance is very dominant genetically, so people tend to see only hound when they look at these dogs. But the husky genes remain a huge factor in these newer winning athletes.

In fact the “hounds” people see are often only ¼ or less hound. People have been trying to replicate what Egil Ellis did ever since, with mixed results. Very few people have been successful. Of all that have tried, it seems fitting that Terry and Buddy Streeper have done it best, the most serious competition for Ellis in recent years.

In the rush to win like Egil, most people thought if they just bred German or English pointers they too could produce winning teams. Wrong. Indiscriminate breeding rarely produces something worthwhile. Garbage in, garbage out. Most ended up with poorer teams than they started with. With very few exceptions, the teams ended up with the same problem as before, little endurance. Terry Streeper told me recently that he thinks, except at the very top, the quality of racing dog teams is less than it was ten years ago.

Today’s hound crosses (and by this I mean dogs which are as little as 1/8 hound) are different from the Alaskan huskies. They are slower developing and for a person with a small kennel or limited patience or resources this can be difficult.

They don’t not tolerate cold weather nearly as well as a husky. When George Attla took some hounds back to Huslia (notoriously cold, interior Alaska where it gets to -60 F) he said he also brought “a lot of food and a lot of straw.”

They are higher maintenance dogs, not as

physically well adapted to living and running in the cold and snow as huskies. And they are more sensitive, physically and mentally. A whip is a tool rarely used by top drivers any more with these dogs and some would say they are more likely to quit than the tougher minded huskies.

now available to be worn like a wristwatch.

It is not used to locate a team’s position but to precisely measure a team’s speed. By calculating the rate of travel between very short points on a route, the GPS locator gives a speed readout. It’s an accuracy gauge never before available.

Coinciding with the change in dogs in the last ten years came an overall and fairly dramatic improvement in dog care. Dog nutrition is much more carefully heeded. Dogs are fed better and dog drivers use veterinary care and expertise to a far greater extent.

Pace Control

Equipment & Technology In the late ‘70s portions of snow machine tracks dragged between the runners of the sled were most commonly used by Iditarod mushers to slow their teams down. At that point Iditarod drivers did not want their dogs to lope, insisting and training them only to trot. They found the snow machine track was useful not only in keeping dogs at a trot but also in negotiating rough trails, allowing them to slow the team down for safer travel on difficult terrain.

Unfortunately the snow machine track became a crutch for too many drivers, especially newer ones. With a track on the ground for every run they came to depend on it. Rather than go fast they would slow down to a more comfortable traveling speed, first on rough trails, then on hilly or on curvy trails, and finally sometimes even on smooth trails when dogs were going faster than what the driver was used to. I think this is one reason why many distance drivers are never able to make the leap to speed racing.

Among the best drivers the GPS locator has led to a degree of pace control unimagined by most dog drivers. The very best drivers today can not only slow teams down when necessary with mats, but speed them up with seeming precision. I don’t remember seeing comparable pace control since George Attla was winning.

A big part of this is being able to know exactly what pace a team is maintaining and when it changes.

Even before GPS was so easily available the Streepers would measure a trail with a snow machine and indicate mile markers. During training and racing they would always monitor times, always aware of their traveling speed.

The GPS locator makes the monitoring of travel speed far more accurate and instantaneous allowing a new level of pace control. You can’t control a pace if you don’t know what it is.

The GPS locator refines training regimens and

allows implementation of racing strategies as complex as a chess game. In a 25-mile race, a strategy of letting your dogs run as fast as they can will not result in a victory. And though letting a team run at their naturally fast inclination may still win some shorter races, I would still argue that speed control can win races 12 miles and farther, if the dogs have the ability, are trained to respond, and the driver knows how to drive them. In races 20 miles or more, it is required, as it always has been, to win.

No team travels the entire distance of a race at their maximum speed but a carefully trained team can run small portions of the race at that maximum speed. In shorter races teams are trained to run the race at a very fast pace, but the team that can run some of that race at their maximum speed, the “fast finishing” team may prevail.

I remember one top musher talk disparagingly about “one-speed” mushers. A fast dog team may make the driver seem like they’re really knowledgeable, but until a driver has control over a team’s pace they cannot be considered a top dog musher, not in my view anyway.

Even forty or fifty years ago when sharing or renting dogs was common, especially among Alaskan native drivers, there was a commonly accepted way of dividing any

race winnings. The thinking was that a dog team contributed half to a win and the driver half. Winnings were typically divided in half, one half given to the driver and the other half apportioned among the number of dogs, each dog owner collecting that dog’s share. Leaders of course were assigned more.

The same rationale holds today. A good dog team driven by a good dog driver wins a dog race. Good dogs allow fast travel but knowing how to get the speed from a team and how to budget the resources of a team is just as critical in a tight race. The old adage, “the race is won by the dogs left at home” still applies. A team can only go as far and as fast as its weakest member and a driver must always be aware of that. It’s not how fast the team can go but how fast the weakest dog can. Stopping to pick up a dog and then carry it home costs a lot of time. But that’s old news. Dogs are not often carried in shorter races, but the question of best pace remains, the best dogs trained and raced to do their best.

I am only an observer now. I no longer race, and the only dog I take care of is my neighbor’s Corgi when she goes away. So you must put my observations into a different perspective. The important things are still just as important. I wish you happy trails and, as Marvin Kokrine once wished to me, “fast finishing.”

Jim Welch

But for some speed racers the mat (which replaced the snow machine track), though less frequently used, became a useful tool nonetheless. Most often used when training on rough trails some drivers, including Egil Ellis, found that a hot young team that starts out faster than the experienced leader wants to go has to be temporarily held back. When the leader’s line goes tight then the mat can be put away.

Mats that can be easily let down and flipped up without even reaching down now come as standard equipment on the most popular sleds. And sleds have changed. Made from synthetic materials, European designed and manufactured sleds have all but replaced the traditional wooden sled.

Perhaps even more than mats and sleds one other item of advanced technology has contributed to another change -- the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) locator. First carried on the handlebar of a sled, models are

19

March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

U

PO

3 Vet

Check

a monthly series with Dawn Brown DVM

Breeding Decisions and Timing If you have made the decision to breed a top female, you need to start by educating yourself on normal canine reproduction. I will cover as much as is possible in a magazine article, but the first step in your education should be to acquire this book: “Canine Reproduction,� by Phyllis Holst. It is a very thorough reference that you can go to when you’re not sure what you are seeing in your dogs is normal or abnormal. It goes in to a lot of scientific detail, but explains it in a clear and concise manner.

The biggest step in a breeding decision is one that a lot of folks seem to gloss over, and that is whether the female you have in mind is good enough to breed in the first place. If the female is a proven performer, has made, and preferably improved, a winning team, and has no health issues that can be reproduced in the next generation, then she should be considered.

But if she is not proven, be aware that no matter what stud you choose to use, it is not really reasonable to expect that the pups will be notably better than the weaker of the parents, and breeding a female for reasons other than proven performance can go a long way to ensuring you a mediocre or poor dog team for years to come. Every excuse under the sun has been used by people who are convinced that the unproven female they have in mind is of breeding caliber‌ “both her parents ran on so-and-so’s good open team, her grandfather is that famous stud, her sister leads Bob Musher’s team.â€? Do not make the mistake of breeding a piece of paper. A poor or mediocre performer with spectacular pedigree is still a poor or mediocre performer, and it’s a risky stretch to assume that she will produce pups more like her ancestors than like her. It has happened, but I wouldn’t stake my kennel on it.

The same reasoning applies to the stud. Don’t assume the best choice for breeding is in your kennel or your friend’s kennel down the road. Do some research on the pedigree behind your female and several prospective studs. All lines have weak points that you want to avoid doubling up, and it’s worth a few phone calls to people that work with those lines to try to educate yourself. If the bitch has a weakness, such as poor feet, don’t choose a stud with the same problem or whose ancestors (I generally try to look back about two generations) had the same issue.

Bitches typically have two heat cycles per year, approximately six months apart, but there can be quite a bit of variation. This variation extends not just to the interval between heat cycles (called anestrus) but in the length of the actual heat cycle itself. This is a big source of frustration, because timing of breeding is very important to ensure success. The onset of proMarch 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

estrus, the first stage of the heat cycle, is characterized by swelling of the vulva, often accompanied by a pink or red discharge, and escalating interest in the bitch by the males. The female has not ovulated yet, and while the males will be interested, any male that successfully ties with her at this point will probably not produce a pregnancy. The typical female isn’t going to let that happen anyway and will warn the male in no uncertain terms that she isn’t willing to stand for breeding yet, and may back it up with her teeth if he doesn’t get the message. The “average� female has a proestrus period lasting about seven days, but do not make the mistake of assuming your female is “average�. Proestrus can be as short as one or two days and as long as seventeen days, so using a calendar to predict when she goes from proestrus to estrus can result in a badly timed, and therefore unsuccessful breeding.

Estrus is the period during which a female will normally allow mating that can result in a pregnancy. It typically lasts about nine days, but again, the variation among individual bitches is great. Some will only be in estrus one or two days, while others exhibit estrus behavior for two and a half weeks. How do you know when the bitch is actually in estrus? The only truly reliable way, and the way it is best done if you are considering artificial insemination, is by measuring her serum progesterone (taken from a blood sample) every day or at the very least every other day beginning in proestrus. The progesterone level will usually be undetectable until shortly after the bitch ovulates (signaling the start of estrus), at which point it will begin to rise above 2 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml).

The ideal time for breeding is day four through six after the day she ovulates (the day BEFORE progesterone rises). A few females will be fertile a bit later than this, so some reproductive specialists recommend continuing to monitor progesterone levels after they hit 2 ng/ml, as a few bitches will hover at about 2 ng/ml for a baseline and then jump up a little higher, and breeding them at days four to six after ovulation would miss (too early). These bitches that have a baseline progesterone just a little above or below 2 ng/ml are not common, but they are out there.

Other methods that can be helpful in detecting the estrus period include observed changes in the breeding behavior of the bitch and changes in vaginal cytology. In most of the sled dog breeds, I have found the changes in behavior that occur during estrus are usually pretty reliable in determining whether they are ready to be bred. Bitches will usually stand and “flag� (deviate the tail up and to one side, while simultaneously elevating the vulva) when the male shows interest or attempts to mount them, while they usu-

ally object dramatically if the male is too early or too late. I have seen a few females willing to stand in parts of the proestrus or diestrus (the time following estrus) as well, but the biggest problem with these gals isn’t that you miss the breeding as much as you’ll be left very unsure of what their future whelping date will be. Vaginal cytology, in my opinion, hasn’t been as helpful in accurately assessing appropriate breeding times in bitches. Again, the problem is individual variation. According “to the textbook,� females will have a dramatic change in the cells of the vaginal wall during estrus from immature epithelial cells to fully mature, cornified cells. What I have seen as a more distinct change is the abrupt shift that occurs as the female comes out of estrus, in other words, when it is too late! If you want to be absolutely sure your timing is right, stick with serum progesterone levels.

A question occasionally raised is whether or not it is possible to induce a heat cycle in female who is between cycles (anestrus) in order to breed her to a stud that will not be available when the female is actually due to come in heat. First, I would state that nowadays there is a larger number of veterinarians who are trained in semen collection of males for shipment over long distances for artificial insemination of bitches, and that it is probably a better idea take this route than to mess with the bitches natural cycle. I am only aware of two techniques for inducing estrus; one method involves using a vaginal implant (Ovuplant), but at the time of this writing the product is unavailable “indefinitely� from the manufacturer.

The other technique is using cabergoline (Dostinex), a prolactin inhibitor primarily used to treat human infertility. It is given during anestrus at a dose of 5 micrograms per kilogram by mouth every twenty four hours for ten days or until the bitch shows signs of proestrus (in some cases it has been used up to forty days). It is, as far as I know, still very expensive (in the year 2000 it cost about $50 USD per day for a forty pound female), and it may not work in all females.

Some reproductive specialists will not bother to use it unless the female has been in anestrus for greater than twelve months. You would probably be better off spending the money on artificial insemination during a natural estrus cycle than taking your chances with cabergoline.

Dawn Brown D.V.M. graduated from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University and practices small animal medicine and surgery in Carthage, New York. She has been racing since 1982, starting as a 3 dog jr, and currently competes in 8 and 6 dog limited class speed racing in the lower 48, Canada, and when she can make the drive, Alaska.

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e u r o p e 21

Shirilla Wins in Wyoming

by Lloyd Gilbertson Melanie Shirilla won the 2006 International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race by almost 55 minutes over perennial contender Jacques Philip who was coming off an impressive win in France’s la Grand Odyssee. Melanie’s already strong team was further bolstered when husband Doug Swingley withdrew from the much delayed Kuskokwim 300 and was able to add some top dogs to her team. Melanie’s team is famous for their hill climbing ability as well as overall speed. Melanie’s consistent, mistake free runs put her back in the winners circle. Her last win here had been in 2002. She had strong performances in the races since then but her three year absence from the winners circle gives testimony to the strong competition this race attracts.

Randy: At that point I wasn’t worried about that, it was survival at the moment. I did put the stuff on the uphill side, so the wind would push it back in the sled.

GS: How did you string out the leaders? Did you have another snowhook.

Stage two in Lander, Wyoming was shortened this year due to a lack of snow at the original start area. Wendy Davis won this Stage followed

by Sam Perrino and Melanie Shirilla was third.

Trail reports indicated there was plenty of snow on the new race course, much of it wind blown and drifted.

Top: Melanie Shirilla and team at the start of the Elk Lodge stage. Bottom: Wendy Davis during the Pinedale stage. Photos by Leine Stikkel

The rules for the Wyoming Stage Stop allow mushers to select up to 12 dogs each day from a pool of 16 dogs that are carefully examined at the pre-race vet check. The stages are generally 25-55 miles in length and some stages take the teams over 10,000 feet in elevation.

Stage One in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a short 2 March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

together. Brent was to the top first, and I think he was really relieved to see another musher.

We couldn’t see any markers, there were none anywhere. We went down about 500 feet and decided we should go back up, and we tried.

We couldn’t see a thing because of the wind and blowing snow in that direction either. It was like a wall of snow. We didn’t know if we were going in the right direction. The dogs had no interest in going in that direction so at that point we just hunkered down. I tipped the sled over and got into the bag for about 30 minutes. The wind was blowing like crazy.

GS: What did you do with the contents of the sled bag, didn’t you think you would need those things?

This year’s field of competitors included mushing legends Terry Adkins, Charlie Boulding, Grant Beck and Doug Swingley as well as Ken Anderson and Gwen Holdmann who need only

aging to be considered legends. Wendy Davis ran a team from the Caribou Creek Kennel and Sam Perrino of Yellowknife, NWT had his usual strong showing.

Randy Chappel, continued from page 10

mile event that starts in Downtown Jackson and finishes at the Snow King Ski resort that night.

The finish time does not count in the overall race but does determine the start order the following day. Rules declare a reverse start order with the fastest team starting the next day’s stage last and the slowest team starting the next day first.

This Jackson stage is for the community and the many sponsors and supporters. The night time finish has a remarkable display of fireworks on the mountainside preceded by torch bearing skiers descending the hill.

Stage three in the Upper Green River area outside of Cora runs about 45 miles to the Elk River Lodge for the race’s only campout.

Melanie Shirilla won this stage followed closely by Wendy Davis and Jacques Philip.

Once again there was lots of snow and times reflected the difference from the ’05 race which uncharacteristically had hard, fast trails every day.

Stage four follows the campout at Elk River Lodge with a 25 mile run into Pinedale, Wyoming and some of the best fajitas you can find anywhere at the finish line. The finish order was Melanie Shirilla, Doug Swingley and Grant Beck. The surprising news was that Wendy Davis was almost 54 minutes back off Melanie’s winning time after struggling throughout most of the stage trying to load a dog with abdominal pain that couldn’t run and did not want to ride. This took Wendy out of contention for the overall lead and made Melanie the overall leader and the team to beat.

Stage five at Alpine, Wyoming is an out and back continued on page 30

Randy: Greg, there was no way, they weren’t going anywhere. The dogs just hunkered down, curled in a ball. They were fine at that point, they just weren’t going anywhere. Their lives weren’t in danger there – it wasn’t cold, and they were covered in snow in a second. We both (Brent and I) came to the conclusion that this wasn’t going to work, staying here all night. We didn’t know how long it would last, and there was no shelter at all. It actually felt like it was getting worse. Right about that time, Regina came along and basically asked: “Are you guys lost too?”. We all decided to get the hell out of there.

I’ve never in my 3000 miles of long distance racing, and countless more miles of training worn anything other than those big Cabelas boots. I mean I wore them in Iditarod in 40F weather. But because of these hills, I wore an arctic high-top hiking shoes. It was way better, especially with the Neos Overshoes. After the overflow previously, the Neos got coated with ice and I put them in the sled bag and just wore the hikers going up the summit. When I lost my sled the overshoes were in there.

At this point we really didn’t care about the trail, or the race, we just wanted to get down off the mountain. The problem was we had heard all these horror stories about how steep it could be, but we couldn’t see anything. One option was just to let the dogs run, but we were worried we might go off a cliff! All there was was exposed rocks, ice, and loose sugary snow.

Above left: the road approaching Eagle Summit, before it got bad. Above right: The dog truck Allen Moore was driving. It was covered over the hood with snow and stranded for over 12 hrs on the summit road before being cleared out. Photos by Todd Estey and stopping. Were they banging in their harnesses, or confused?

Randy: The dogs were fine. It took a little while to get them up and out from under the snow, because they thought they were bedded down for a while. You couldn’t get them to go in any direction but down. I think they wanted out of it too. They were pretty fresh, we had just rested at 101 for 5 hours, ran another hour, then rested again for an hour.

It was really hard to get the teams stopped after just moving one or two team lengths. There was just nothing to grab into. A lot of the times we had the sleds on their sides. At the time I lost my team, the sled was on it’s side, but it had slid down hill from where the hook was. I was dragging the sled up the hill to where the hook was, and got pretty close, but, I mean one step you were up to your waist in loose snow, the next you were on glare ice. The dogs were slamming at the harnesses wanting to go down hill and just as I got my hand on the hook, it broke loose.

We were flying down hill, I was screaming and yelling, over ice, over deep snow. Then I started bouncing off rocks, eventually I lost it. I never let go, it just tore out of my hand. Brent said I looked like a rag doll going down the hill.

lot of not riding. We were breaking trail, there was nothing, no trail where we were. We hadn’t seen a marker since the top, and at the bottom we found a random marker that had been blown off the side of the mountain. We also found my sleeping bag there. At that point I thought we might be close to my team, but never saw them.

If there was any place that had some shelter we would have stopped. There was nothing, it was just as bad as back up on the hill.

Alan Moore: During this whole event, we were stuck on the road to Eagle Summit, and the dog truck was completely covered with snow, up over the roof. I had to get out every hour to make sure I could still open the door and get ventilation. I thought I was the only one up there, but there ended up being six vehicles. As soon as Randy left 101, I got in the truck and drove up the highway. It wasn’t that bad at first, then it got progressively worse, and when I crested the summit and started down the other side it got really bad. I thought it would get better, but I was wrong. After, when I talked to the head of the road crew that plowed us out, he said he had never seen a storm come in so fast and so ferociously in all the time he had worked up here.

We were up there from 10pm to 11am the next day before they came to get us out.

SDS: How far did the team travel without you.

GS: How did you get out?

Randy: I honestly don’t know. I don’t think it was really very far, I just had no way of knowing.

SDS: Were you in the helicopter that went out and got the team?

We started to inch our way down. I would go out in front of the team look around, move them up a bit, then do it again.

Randy: No. So my team ran off, and 20ft later you couldn’t see them anymore. I chased after them and followed the trail of debris from my sled bag. I could see a spare headlamp, and some other stuff, but I didn’t know how far away they were, and I didn’t have any survival gear with me. My inclination was to go get the team, but the two other mushers I was with thought that it wasn’t a good thing to do. We looked around as much as we could, but eventually had to leave for our own safety.

GS: How did the dogs handle all that starting

I rode most of the way with Regina, but it was a

Allen: They have these big snowblowers and they came up the mountain, but it was still blowing in right behind them. They cleared up real close to our truck, and then pulled me the rest of the way out with a chain. They told me not to leave because I wouldn’t make it down the mountain, it was blowing right back in after they cleared it. It would blow in 4ft. of snow within 30 minutes. He didn’t know there would be anyone else, but there were five other vehicles. He cleared us all out, then followed him back down the mountain in single file, while he cleared a new path. Then they closed the road.

Randy’s team was later located by using heat sensing technology from a fixed wing aircraft.

A blackhawk helicopter was then used to retrieve his team. All of the dogs were found bedded down, completely safe and sound.

23

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March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

U

PO

GEAR GUIDE Waxing and Base Preparation Although the roots of Sled Dog Racing are very traditional, the sport also has a “high tech” aspect to it. Since the early days of the All Alaska Sweepstakes in Nome and the World Championship Dog Derbys of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Laconia, technology has worked its way into our sport. Better nutrition, dog health care methods, clothing, etc. have all played a part in moving our sport into the modern era. It is only competitve nature, that racing mushers from sprint to distance disciplines are looking for that little something more to gain an edge on their competitors. Enter the science and art of applying wax to runner and ski bases. Competitive skiers have long known that the right wax can make or break a run. How much time can a good wax job save you on a dog sled? Well the jury is still out on that one, but we compiled information from respected cross country ski racers, wax reps, and sled runner manufacturers so you can decide for yourself.

How wax works

reconditions and protects the base plastic from drying and oxidation.

Ski wax is basically a lubricant which reduces the drag that is developed from friction as a runner sides across snow. As the runner glides across the snow, a small layer of water is produced, on which the runner actually glides.

It is when the water layer is not produced or in excess that causes the friction which slows you down. Friction between a runner and snow is the sum of three basic components: wet friction, dry friction, and friction due to static electricity.

The importance of each friction component varies with snow and equipment condition.

There are a number of different types of waxes available for skis and runners. The waxes available are produced for Nordic skiing, but are also utilized by mushers. Each wax has its own benefits, and multiple waxes may also be mixed to produce a better glide for the conditions.

Waxing for the current conditions has become an art form and even a science. There are four main wax types; hydrocarbon, Fluorocarbon, fluorinated and graphite.

Wet friction is caused by droplets of water in the snow sticking to the base. This tends to be in warmer temperatures. The solution is to use a flouro additive to increase water repellency.

The more free water there is in the snow, the more flouro you will need. Flouro waxes are very expensive, so the more flouro, the more expensive the wax and high flouro waxes perform poorly in low humidity conditions, so make sure the conditions are right.

In dry snow conditions are more likely to run into dry friction. This occurs when the snow particles are so cold and abrasive that there is no moisture layer created between the runner and the snow. The solution is to wax a bit harder than the snow. Wax too hard and your top speed will be low. Wax too soft and the snow particles will dig into the base causing increased friction.

Another solution is to use a thermoactive wax that actually changes hardness in response to snow temperature.

The base when rubbing on the snow creates static friction resulting in an electrical charge which may slow you down. Making the base conductive by using graphite or Flourographite Polymer additives can help dissipate the static charge. Graphite is inexpensive but has several drawbacks. It makes the wax less water repellent and is less slippery than the non-graphite wax.

In addition to reducing friction, wax also March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

Hydrocarbon Waxes have been around the longest, are the simplest and the lowest cost.

They are made from crude oil (natural waxes) or coal (synthetic waxes) and are available in a variety of hardness grades for different snow conditions. Hydrocarbon waxes only reduce dry friction.

Fluorocarbon Waxes (perfluorocarbons) were introduced in the mid 80’s. They are synthetic products that perform well over base waxes on wet and relatively new snow by reducing wet friction and by resisting oil and dirt contamination of the base. However they lack mechanical strength and tend to “stick” at lower snow temperatures.

Fluorinated Waxes, or fluoros, became available around 1990. Fluoros can be blended with hydrocarbon waxes to produce fluorinated waxes in a variety of hardness grades. These waxes reduce wet friction and friction from dirt.

Fluorinated waxes can be classified as lowfluoros (0.5-2.5%), mid-fluoros (2.5-5%) and high-fluoros (5-15%). High-fluoros are typically used on wet snow with humidity above 50%.

They can be sticky in low humidity. Mid-fluoros are used in humidity of 25 to 65% while low fluoros are for humidity under 25%. There are different types of fluorinated additives available to wax manufacturers. Some have questionable benefit. Also, fluoro levels below 0.5% provide negligible performance advantage even though they are marketed as a low-fluoro wax.

Only Graphite Waxes address friction caused by static. Graphite waxes are made by adding graphite (a black powder) to hydrocarbon or fluorinated waxes at a typical ratio of 1 to 99.

The graphite particles must be small as to not interfere with the base structure. Unfortunately graphite makes the wax less water repellant and less slippery, so they are used as base prep layers for wet dirty snow, dry cold snow and ice.

Base materials and structure There are two main types of base material: extruded and sintered. Extruded bases are a durable material great for training as they will not dry out or abrade due to lack of waxing.

These bases do not absorb wax, whereas sintered bases are porous and do absorb wax, and can abrade if not properly cared for. Sintered ski base material is made from specially processed polyethylene plastic. This plastic contains small pores which absorb the molten wax. After the wax has solidified and the base is scraped and brushed, the base retains wax in the pores and on the surface. Over time, this wax is worn away and must be replenished. Sintered bases come in many varieties. Some are more porous than others, some are black (graphite), and some clear. The better the quality, the longer they will hold the wax. The black sintered bases are the fastest in most conditions. The graphite additive helps repel dirt and limit static build up. Quick change runners (QCR ™) come as simple extruded bases and also with a thin layer of sintered base material permanently laminated to the bottom. A third type of base material is produced using extrusion without heat, this is called “ram” extrusion. Ram extrusion is used to produce Rex Runner™ plastic which is claimed to be both extruded and sintered.

The structure on the base makes a big difference in moisture management and is important part of overall glide performance of a runner. In general, the base surface should be as flat as possible. Flat, but not necessarily smooth. We all know of how a wet glass can stick to a table.

Top Left: The choices of wax and ski preparation products is mind boggling to say the least. Shown here are a few offerings from Swix and Toko.

Talking to a local, ski racer or ski shop waxing technician can help to sort out some of the choices, however, there is no substitute for experimenting for yourself. Individual results may vary. Mistakes will be made, sometimes during races, but the experience gained will be invaluable. Top Right: Glide wax is melted on the base, then ironed in. Bottom Right: Toko’s “Thermo Bag” utilizes warm temperatures over a long period, combined with a slow cooling period, to ensure deep wax penetration. Bottom Left: Stone grinding is a way to form a “structure” or pattern in the base of a runner or ski. Local technicians can advise as to what works best in their conditions. Modern stone grinder machines can be programmed to produce thousands of different patterns combining cross hatch lines with tip to toe lines. Remember, after stone grinding there is no appreciable wax left in the runner so a base wax has to rebuilt up. Photos by Amanda Byrd, taken at Goldstream Sports in Fairbanks.

This same effect will happen to the runner base in wet conditions. Structure is the texture in the bases that is used to control the effect of the moisture, like suction. This is often fine lines pressed into the bases in various patterns, such as crossing diagonal lines or parallel lines running the length of the runner. There is always some moisture under your runners, so you will always need some structure to break the suction that can occur, even in extremely cold snow.

In wet snow you need a lot more structure but over doing the structure will create dry friction and with too little structure suction will occur.

Applying slightly more structure and a slightly colder wax will broaden the temperature range and aid in durability.

Structure can be created with crude household items such synthetic steel wool, 120 to 200 grit sandpaper and wire brushes. Specialized hand tools are available such as rillers, or Toko’s Structurite and an even more sophisticated technique is available in stone grinding. While

hand structuring is cheaper, it is less precise and cannot be reproduced the same way each time. It cuts or presses a pattern by moving a structure tool down the runner. Before applying a structure it is important to start with a base that is flat from edge to edge. Flat bases have more running surface and are easier to wax, ultimately creating a faster base.

Stone grinding is the ideal way to make sure that the bases are flat and it also creates reproducible structures. It is done on a machine that can be found at many top Nordic ski stores. The machine is a computer-controlled water-cooled machine that feeds the ski over a large cylindrical stone.

It precisely controls the feed speed of the runner through the machine, the speed of the stone it is running over, and the pattern that is cut into the stone by a diamond bit. The bit can precisely cut a wide variety of structures into the stone.

Stone grinding produces a more efficient and finer structure than the hand structure methods.

The finer structure creates less drag and makes

for faster runners. Stone grinding removes a thin layer of base exposing a fresh, more absorbent base.

A periodic re-structuring of the base will help remove the worn and oxidized surface layer that will develop during use. Removing this layer re-opens the pores in the base and allows good wax penetration. We recommend a maximum wax iron temperature of 120 degrees C or 250 degrees F. Extreme temperatures can melt and damage the base. Also, fluorinated additives in the wax must not be exposed to extreme iron temperatures

How to Wax You will need an iron, plastic scraper, brush, waxes, groove scraper for scraping out the ski groove (for skis) and a warm waxing area.

The runners should be warmed up to room temperature before you start to wax to avoid Continued on next page

25 27

damaging them with a sudden, large heat change.

It is a good idea to start with clean runners. To clean them simply brush them out from front to back with a copper brush made by various wax companies. If this does not get the runners clean you can do a hot wipe, which is done by melting on a layer of soft (warm) glide wax and while it is still liquid wipe it all off. This will clean your runners without the use of a solvent that can dry out you runners. Once your runners have dried out from the use of a solvent for cleaning or infrequent waxing, new waxes will not absorb in to the runner base adequately to do their job.

Once the bases are clean, your runners are ready to wax.

Most waxes are meant to be heated to a softening or melting temperature so that the wax can be absorbed by the pores in the base plastic. Some waxes should be crayoned or rubbed onto the base, then heated with a hot iron or with friction from a cork or sponge. Most are dripped on the base by melting it on the iron, then re-melted and spread over the base with the same hot iron applied to the base. As always, work from tip to tail. Waxes will suggest an application technique that should be followed. Usually waxes with additives like Graphite should be crayoned on the base to insure the graphite is evenly distributed.

For the dripping waxes, first start by holding your iron over the runner with a corner pointed down at the base. Now hold your block of wax on the base of the iron so it melts and drips off the iron onto the ski. Make sure your hold your wax in a way that the melted wax all runs onto the iron and then drips on the runner and not onto your hands. You won’t make this mistake often.

The iron temperature should be set high enough to easily melt the wax but not high enough to smoke the wax. You should apply about one drop of wax every half inch. This amount may need to be varied depending on how wide the runner is.

Once the wax is dripped onto the runner it needs to heated it in. Set the iron on the runner and move it back and forth. Once the wax starts to smooth out take the iron to the front of the runner and make four slow passes. If you have a good iron designed for waxing you should take about 20 second to get from the front to the back each time. If you are just using an old clothing iron your will need to go back and forth trying to regulate the amount of wax melting by the speed of the iron. Good quality wax irons have very accurate thermostats making it easier to apply even heat to the runner base. When applying soft warm wax you can have a long trail of liquid wax behind your iron. If you are using coldest, hardest waxes for temperature under 14f, that have a higher melting point, you should only have a couple inches of liquid wax trail. Be careful not to over heat your base. You can burn or bubble your base if you use to high of heat or too little wax. The Iron should always have wax March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

to float on and never be in direct contact with your base. If you damage your base it will not absorb wax in the future. Now let them cool for at least 45 minutes. Do not try to speed this up by placing them out side in the cold, which will minimize the total wax that is absorbed.

After the wax has been applied, the excess is scraped off with a plastic (or metal) scraper.

Excess wax on the base will only slow you down. It can be difficult to scrape all the wax off a QCR if the QCR is not flat. It is best to scrape as much as possible, being careful not to gouge the plastic with the scraper. Next, a brush, metal or fiber, is used to remove wax and reveal the structure already applied to the base.

Typically, the harder the wax, the stiffer the brush should be. A final polish can be applied with fine Scotchbrite or a roto-brush on the end of a drill. Wax will creep out of the base over time, so the runners should be re-brushed and polished before use.

Now you are waxed up and ready to go. You should re-wax runners every 30 miles or so.

If you are doing high mileage during training runs, you should consider training on extruded runners. These runners will not absorb wax, so there is no point in waxing them. They will never slide quite as fast but have no required maintenance.

What some mushers say: Egil Ellis: I use wax able runner plastics, same as is used in skis; P-tex 2000 and 4000. I only wax the runners for races. However, all the base waxing, which is the biggest part of it, I do at home. I put all my new runner plastics through a stone grinder machine which can be found at bigger sports/ski shops. That makes the plastic all flat and a lot easier to work with. The machine can also puts different structures in the surface for different temps and snow conditions. After the stone grinding I put 8-10 layers of base wax on before they are ready for racing. I have 4-6 different sets for a racing season.

If you have a good ski plastic to work with and a good base I think you can get 25-30 miles out of a waxing job. I apply the wax with a wax iron. Being careful not to use too high heat on the iron, that will damage the pores in the plastic.

The iron should definitely not smoke, just carefully melt the wax. After that I let the plastic cool off. Scrape the wax off and brush with a set of brushes using an electric drill to get the wax out of the structure and get a nice, polished surface.

This is a true science if you want to get good at it. Most of the bigger wax brands have web sites with “how to wax” pages that describes the process in detail. Ski shops also often offer clinics that are very good to attend to see a pro in action before you try out at home.

There are a million different waxes out there and every year there is a new “revolutionary” wax that they want you to buy but so far I have done pretty good with sticking to a limited amount of brands and learning to know them and in what conditions they work well in. After that it is as with everything else, you just have to do it over and over again to get good at it, find out the tricks and what works for you.

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Ramy Brooks We use the aluminum runners which make like life out on the trail a lot easier. Back when you had wood runners with little aluminum rails, if you dented your aluminum it would take a lot of time to get the runner off and repair it before replacing it. Now we have snap on and also the system where there is an inverted rail in the runner plastic. With that you can change plastics within 5 minutes, before it used to take over 30 minutes to get plastic runners changed on your sleds.

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When you are out there on the trail you don’t have electricity to use an iron to apply wax.

One of the other reasons we do not use wax is the time that it takes to wax the runners right.

The time it takes to wax runners properly is time that the mushers should be sleeping.

The quality of the plastic makes a big difference, and usually last a long time. It is when you go over rough ground and rocks that is when you will need to change the plastics. I probably send out 10 – 12 sets of plastics for the Iditarod. I would not necessarily use them. They are just in case I need to use them.

I have had really good luck with the Rex runners. I have been using the stamp on it, I like the black. It is really hard to tell the difference with some plastics. Sometimes you can feel a drag with the runners. There are differences in the additive with the plastics, the plastics are extruded now. The blue for the Rex Runner, I have run the Iditarod on 2 sets before. They hardly got scratched up all, but if you ask other teams, they will tell you that the blue was pulling (dragging) too hard. It is kind of hard to say what is best. Everyone has their own preference to runner plastics.

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Eric Lanser: Eric knows a little about waxing but chooses to leave it to the professionals. Rather than spending time waxing with what may be the wrong waxes, Eric takes his runners into a local cross country ski shop for waxing for the current snow conditions.

Technical information on waxing and base prep was compiled from many sources including, Joel Buth from Goldstream Sports in Fairbanks, Don Cadwell owner of Sled Dog Systems Sleds and Edgar Morey, of Outlaw Sleds.

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29

Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race... continued from page 22

trail to the Box Y ranch. The first three teams across the finish line were Melanie, Jacques and Wendy. Melanie however had finished more than 24 minutes ahead of second place Jacques to add significantly to her lead in the overall competition. She was 40 minutes ahead of Jacques in the overall times and if Melanie avoided mistakes it looked like she had an insurmountable lead with just three stages left.

Stage six outside of Kemmerer, Wyoming proved to be an extremely tough one. The approximately 55 mile course was covered with drifted, wind blown snow that had the mushers comparing it to the Iditarod at the finish. Wendy Davis won this stage in 5:40:53 compared to a less than four hour winning time in 2005 on the same race course. Jacques and Doug Swingley rounded out the top three finishers. Melanie was fourth just 45 seconds back of her husband. This was her first time out of the top three. Melanie still held about a forty minute lead in the overall times.

Stage seven starts outside of Evanston, Wyoming and finishes outside of Mountain View, Wyoming. This 40 plus mile trail swings briefly into Utah. The top three teams for the day were Melanie, Doug Swingley and Gwen Holdmann. With just one 8 mile Stage left in Park City, Utah it looked like Melanie had a lock on first with a lead of about 57 minutes in the overall times over Jacques.Stage eight in Park City, Utah unfolded just as expected in the top couple of positions. Melanie ran a solid but conservative eight miles and held her lead in the overall standings while placing sixth for

R AC E Mackinaw Mush Mackinaw City, Michigan February 4 & 5, 2006 Place Name Day 1 Day 2 Total Time 2 Dog Junior (1.8 miles) 1 Sarah Cullip 06:33.2 07:05.2 13:38.4 2 Justin Rondo 07:04.3 07:14.1 14:18.4 3 Eran Menard 06:25.4 08:19.5 14:44.9 4 Emily Matalski 07:20.9 08:14.9 15:35.8 5 Adreanna Smith 08:44.7 09:38.5 18:23.2 6 Emily Miller 08:46.0 10:08.0 18:54.0 7 Rachel Radick 08:38.8 10:53.6 19:32.4 8 Austin Downey 09:05.7 11:09.8 20:15.5 9 Devon Holod 09:57.0 11:28.0 21:25.1 10 G. Stivers-Biscuso 09:04.5 13:21.3 22:25.8 11 Amanda Toews 11:18.7 14:06.6 25:25.3 3 Dog Junior (4 miles) 1 Jacob Cullip 14:33.5 15:16.0 29:49.5 2 Kaleb Hauser 14:23.4 15:30.4 29:53.8 3 Courtney Frank 14:46.5 15:17.8 30:04.3 4 Douglas Frank 14:49.4 15:47.4 30:36.9 5 Gena Buckler 14:46.6 15:51.8 30:38.4 6 Simon Kimball 15:34.5 15:11.5 30:46.0 7 Kritterman Karson 15:55.3 16:01.3 31:56.5 8 Emily Payne-Matalski15:24.4 17:11.4 32:35.8 9 Brittany Menard 17:30.5 19:40.3 37:10.9 10 Brittainnie Wiggins 19:48.8 22:12.6 42:01.4

the day. Jacques held his second place in the overall placings with a fourth place finish for the stage. Doug Swingley however donned his running shoes and won the stage by almost two minutes which moved him past Wendy in the overall results.

Stage Racing has its own little niche but it is also great preparation for other types of racing later in the season. This year Doug Swingley, Jacques Philip and Ken Anderson will go on to race in the 2006 Iditarod. Buddy Streeper followed his 2004 win here returning to open class sprint racing with some impressive wins.

Ken Anderson and his wife Gwen Holdmann have also done credibly well in Sprint races following stage racing as have Jacques and Magali Philip.

With the reverse start order many people can participate in this race without undue pressure. If you have a good dog team and the time and ability to prepare them you won’t be disappointed. It is a tremendous opportunity to learn the countless details that go into becoming a successful musher. Race Marshall Mark Nordman and Judge Ray Gordon do a great job and are always willing to answer questions. The Vet team of Caroline Griffitts, Denny Albert and Lannie Hamilton will work with mushers to prevent injuries first of all and to identify and treat them when they do occur. Stan Rogers and his wife do a fantastic job with timing and statistics.

This Stage race is like an entire season of weekend races in terms of bringing a team

forward. Your dogs learn more and you learn about them. Send in your entry fee and the renowned western hospitality takes over from there. If you choose to you will be matched up with host families to stay each night during the race. It saves big on hotel expenses and in many cases you gain a friend.

The Junior Stage Stop following the Park City stage links aspiring young mushers with the adult competitors. The youngsters are provided a small team and race with or without an adult musher as they agree on for a few very safe miles. There are some high wattage smiles at the finish line and events like this insure the future of our sport. Each youth is given a document with their elapsed time along with this thrill of a lifetime.

Lloyd Gilbertson got his first sled dogs in 1978. For the next ten years he maintained a kennel of 10-20 dogs and guided trips in the Minnesota/Canada wilderness area and traveled extensively with dogs in Northern Canada and the Northwest Territories. In 1988 he entered The John Beargrease ten dog race, after 130 miles he finished second in a field of 24 and was hopelessly hooked on sled dog racing. Lloyd and his wife Mary currently live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where they operate the Caribou Creek Sled Dog School, Caribou Creek Pet Food and the Caribou Creek racing team. Lloyd and Mary are looking for a sled jockey for their racing team as they find it necessary to devote more time to their dog food business.

R E S U LT S

11 Amanda Toews

25:27.1 27:02.3 52:29.4

4 Dog Sport (4 miles) 1 Ryan Finch 13:25.5 13:03.1 26:28.6 2 Bev Reinhard 14:32.7 14:57.7 29:30.4 3 Tim Kimball 14:27.6 15:09.6 29:37.3 4 Carol Finch 14:45.8 14:59.1 29:44.9 5 Daniel Swiriduk 14:45.6 15:17.5 30:03.1 6 Oyuna Gabbard 16:00.8 17:38.3 33:39.0 7 Justin Frank 18:08.1 17:07.2 35:15.2 8 Brad Bowman 19:35.5 19:44.2 39:19.7 9 Ken Wheaton 19:28.4 20:43.0 40:11.4 10 Bonnie Masood 21:55.8 22:05.2 44:00.9 11 Janey Frizzle 22:05.9 23:11.7 45:17.6 12 Kathleen Williams 20:19.4 26:07.8 46:27.2 13 Susan Hafner 27:24.6 29:46.8 57:11.4 4 Dog Purebred (4 miles) 1 Linda Burba 16:05.1 15:12.1 31:17.1 2 Nancy Wolfe 16:15.6 16:08.3 32:24.0 3 Paula Harding 16:48.5 17:24.9 34:13.4 4 Matt Radick 17:39.2 18:36.0 36:15.2 5 Jenna McVey 18:13.4 18:54.9 37:08.2 6 Mary Groth 18:46.7 19:03.8 37:50.5 7 Karla Dann 19:27.4 19:37.3 39:04.6 8 Anthony Griffith 19:21.0 20:47.4 40:08.4 9 Joe Holod 22:42.6 23:07.3 45:49.9 10 Wanda Wiggins 21:37.8 24:32.2 46:09.9 11 Larry Nelson 20:58.4 29:33.3 50:31.6

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4 Dog (4 miles) 1 Jan Kiesling 13:10.9 12:26.5 25:37.5 2 Tim Stadt 13:08.7 12:51.8 26:00.5 3 Lou Serre 13:10.9 13:11.3 26:22.2 4 Gary Callaghan 13:13.0 13:24.0 26:37.0 5 Caitlyn Waller 13:10.2 13:28.0 26:38.2 6 Trent Palmer-Vance 13:22.7 13:24.7 26:47.4 7 Kenny Bernard 13:42.2 13:26.0 27:08.2 8 Bert Abbott 13:21.9 14:23.2 27:45.1 9 Jay Olmstead 14:19.9 14:26.8 28:46.7 10 Daniel Swiriduk 14:33.5 14:42.1 29:15.5 11 Mark Broughton 14:35.3 15:14.2 29:49.5 12 Brittany Henry 26:29.2 25:18.7 51:47.9 6 Dog Sport (6 miles) 1 Adam Malicke 20:29.0 20:00.2 40:29.2 2 Sandy Schreiber 19:57.5 21:09.0 41:06.5 3 Hubert Winkelbauer 25:24.2 21:55.2 47:19.4 4 Jill Cadwell 23:31.4 29:15.3 52:46.7 5 Kyle Hudson 28:40.7 31:39.8 00:20.4 6 Dog Purebred (6 miles) 1 Linda Burba 20:35.6 20:16.7 40:52.3 2 Mary Groth 20:34.2 20:26.1 41:00.3 3 Tim Scheall 20:02.1 21:27.6 41:29.7 4 Dale Wolfe 22:44.6 22:45.5 45:30.1 5 Nancy Wolfe 23:12.2 22:49.5 46:01.7 6 Sue Radick 24:06.5 25:26.6 49:33.1 7 Doug Jones 27:17.8 28:29.9 55:47.7 8 Brian Palmer 27:17.3 29:27.6 56:44.8

9 Anthony Griffith 10 Ann Palmer 11 Diane Parkinson 12 Maxwell Wiggins

27:24.6 35:15.5 02:40.1 33:48.8 29:10.8 02:59.6 32:43.8 36:24.4 09:08.2 38:19.0 43:11.7 21:30.8

6 Dog (6 miles) 1 Lou Serre 2 Jan Kiesling 3 Erika Seifert 4 Gary Frank 5 Will Bomier 6 Gary Callaghan 7 Julie Roggow 8 Tony Wolf 9 Shirley Wolf 10 David Burt

18:07.2 18:06.3 36:13.5 18:24.1 18:34.6 36:58.8 17:47.8 19:24.0 37:11.8 18:53.6 19:23.4 38:17.0 18:54.4 19:59.2 38:53.6 20:26.2 19:16.3 39:42.5 18:51.2 21:11.6 40:02.8 19:08.6 21:18.5 40:27.1 18:25.9 22:13.3 40:39.2 20:14.1 20:29.0 40:43.1

8 Dog (7.2 miles) 1 Lou Serre 2 Will Bomier 3 Shirley Wolf 4 Erika Seifert 5 Adam Malicke 6 Jerry Mulvey 7 Clement Boudreau 8 Ken Roggow 9 Jim Moyer 10 James Callaway 11 Joe Powell 12 Dan Briggs

20:52.2 20:40.1 41:32.4 20:11.3 22:00.4 42:11.7 20:37.8 22:25.8 43:03.6 21:22.7 21:49.8 43:12.4 21:45.3 21:46.7 43:32.0 22:00.3 21:45.8 43:46.1 21:48.0 23:38.6 45:26.7 21:39.0 24:39.5 46:18.5 23:56.2 24:58.4 48:54.6 26:07.4 26:36.7 52:44.0 27:14.3 29:40.7 56:55.0 31:36.4 29:43.7 01:20.1

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31

Pirena 2006...

a racer’s report

By Andy Seitz Cinco, quatro, tres, dos, uno, GO!!!!!!!

Located high in the Pyrenees Mountains, the 2006 Pirena sled dog race had begun.

Describing Pirena in a magazine article simply can’t do it justice. It is as much an experience as a race, as much a journey as a trail, and as much a test of the grit of the musher or skijorer as the condition and fitness of the dogs. It is unlike any other sled dog race in the world. Spanning three countries, the race consists of 15 stages held over the course of two weeks, each stage ranging between 4 and 27 miles. There are two divisions: skijoring and mushing, with mixed breed and pure breed classes in each division.

Contestants in the skijor race are allowed to race two dogs each day, out of a three dog pool, while mushers are allowed to race 12 dogs each day, out of a 14 dog pool.

I was fortunate enough to participate as a skijorer in this year’s race. I had never heard of Pirena until last year when a couple from the Czech Republic, Pavel and Jana Porubsky, raced the Fairbanks sprint circuit in preparation for the World Championships in Dawson, Yukon Territory. Trying to be friendly hosts, my wife Susan and I invited the Czechs, as well as Kriya Dunlap, the highly successful skijor racer and daughter of the famous musher Harris Dunlap, to our house for a roasty fireside feast. After our gluttonous meal and copious amounts of wine, Pavel seriously stated, “Next year, you must attend Pirena to see what Europe can offer you in skijor racing. I will arrange everything.”

Never ones to turn down an international trip of mystery, it was agreed that Kriya and I would race in the 2006 Pirena. Little did I know, deciding to race was the easiest part of the process.

Race preparation began in earnest in August 2005. Pavel warned us of the steep hills, soft snow and long courses, for which I attempted to prepare in the dogs’ and my personal training

Counter-Clockwise from Upper left: Contestants line up their dogs at the Veterinary Control in Zaragoza, a big media extravaganza for promoting the race. The author and his three workhorses, Yeller, Ed and Cheeks, at the ski resort Grand Valira in the mountain country of Andorra. The three “H”s: heat, height and hills. This is the apex of the Grand Valira trail. Getting here (7,500 feet above sea level) required climbing 2,250 vertical feet in 4 miles, in temperatures reaching into the 50’s. The author (right) finds the elusive podium for the first time. Third place isn’t too bad, behind race veterans Jana Porubska (middle) and Richard Barta (left), both of the Czech Republic. regimen. Because most of the sprint mushing trails near Fairbanks are generally flat, I spent the fall and early winter driving here, there and everywhere in an attempt to train for big hills. We free-ran, bikejored and ran on the four-wheeler through rain, mud, sleet and snow. Although spending several hours every week driving to various training locations was tedious, the physical conditioning was the most enjoyable part of race preparation.

Not all race preparations were tedious and difficult, and some of the easier aspects deserve to be highlighted. First, Pep Pares, the race director arranged for a sponsor, Grandvalira, to cover my entry fee, my handler fee and a portion of my travel costs. This greatly reduced

Upper and lower left: Typical European dog trucks, complete with larger-than-life sized murals. Promotion is VERY important in Europe. These trucks belong to the winning musher, Josep Domingo (top), and third place, Salva Luque, both from Spain. Upper middle: Kriya Dunlap, another happy American in Spain. Bottom middle: The author’s wife, Susan, passing through customs in New York City. Upper right (from left to right): Kriya Dunlap, her father the legendary musher Harris Dunlap, and the author enjoy some vino de la casa in a cozy Spanish restaurant. These experiences were a major part of what made the trip memorable. Lower right: Fireworks at the awards ceremony. These were accompanied by thousands of cheering spectators, loud rock n’ roll music, and bottles of champagne sprayed into the crowd.

TEAM WORK

the financial burden of the trip, for which I was immensely appreciative. Second, I did not have to worry about arranging transportation after I arrived in Europe. The Porubskys graciously agreed to pick up the dogs and us in Barcelona, as well as provide transportation during the race. Their big Mercedes dog-van could accommodate four people and 12 dogs, just big enough for Kriya, myself and our dogs, while our handlers, Susan and Harris would be in a rental car. Finally, dog food would be provided, free of charge, by the title sponsor of the race, Affinity-Advance. As an added bonus, AffinityAdvance is a premium quality dog food that is almost identical to Purina Pro Plan. Therefore, I was able to change my dogs’ diet months in advance so there would be a seamless transition

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33 3

in dog food once I arrived in Europe.

towards the overall time of each contestant, but determined the starting order for Stage 1. The prologue was a good introduction to Pirena.

Twenty nine mushers from 7 European countries were signed up for the mushing class, of which 24 showed up and started. In the skijoring class, 10 people were entered, five from the Czech Republic, one from Spain, and four from a strong North American contingent.

had a texture similar to mashed potatoes with deep holes, in which one of them I caught a ski tip and tumbled. Actually, it was more like a devastating crash. Not letting a small wipeout dent my pride, especially in front of a crowd of Europeans, I rose and again went screaming down the hill. And again, after another 200 yards, I caught a ski tip and crashed. This time I tumbled off the side of the trail into a gully full of mud. I had finally learned lessons number one and two…don’t go too fast down hill, and don’t be too daring until snow conditions are fully assessed.

After several eager months of anticipation, I was finally on my way to Spain. To allow our dogs to recuperate from their flight and to adjust to a new time zone, Kriya, Harris and I met in Barcelona four days before the start of the race.

Because Delta Airlines allows each passenger to transport two dogs, I only had two of my three team members while my remaining dog was to arrive with my wife and handler, Susan, the day However, in a last minute newsflash, we were before the start of the race. Kriya, Harris and informed that one of the Czech racers was I arrived in Spain with no hassles and enjoyed involved in a car accident on his way to the three days in a beach front community called El race and could not finish his journey. This left Masnou. While we ate gourmet Spanish food the skijoring class with only nine contestants, The next lessons would unfold over the course of and enjoyed the “vino de la casa,” or house wine, which meant no prize money. In the Pirena the prologue, which can be summarized best as Susan began a two and a half day travel odyssey rules, it clearly stated that a minimum of 10 “we’re not in Kansas anymore,” or should I say with my last canine competitor, Fairbanks, Alaska. The conditions complete with missed flights, were the polar opposite to those rude airline personnel and an found in and around Fairbanks. I Pirena distance and altitude chart. unplanned overnight stay in like to term the conditions as the These stages sure seemed longer than what is listed!

Seattle. Although not worried three “H”s: Hills, Height and Heat.

Distance (miles) Stage Location Skijor Mushing Min height (ft) Max height (ft) Total climb (ft) about Susan’s arrival, I was The hills were generally very long, Prologue Partacua 6.8 6.8 5051 5658 961 worried that my third dog would with some over 3 km without a 1 Partacua 6.8 16.7 5054 6593 2834 2 Formigal 6.8 19.2 4950 6593 4051 not arrive in time for the “vet break. Adding to this challenge, a 3 Candanchu 8.7 8.7 5281 5537 902 check.” After all, the race could few of the hills were so steep that 4 Pla de Beret 10.5 10.5 5766 6199 817 go on without a handler, but not the dogs were slowed down to a 5 Montgarri 5.0 10.5 5382 6199 817 6 Bonabe cancelled 27.3 4671 6199 3772 my dog! walk, with me desperately trying 7 Port Aine 4.3 11.8 6196 7452 not reported to “herringbone,” or walk with ski 8 Cancelled My previous mention of the tips pointed out, up these hills. To 9 Font Romeu 5.0 9.9 6553 7252 not reported 10 Chioula 8.1 21.1 5353 4198 not reported “vet check” and the use of make matters worse, the course was 11 Chioula 6.8 21.1 not reported not reported not reported the quotation marks deserve over 6,000 feet above sea level, to 12 Grandvalira 8.7 8.7 6481 6881 not reported an explanation. Although I which neither the dogs nor I were 13 Soldeu cancelled 8.1 5661 7485 2250 14 La Rabassa 8.7 8.7 6576 7344 1191 have never been to a vet check acclimated. Finally, there was not 15 La Molina 5.0 9.9 5674 6016 440 at another stage or distance a cloud in the sky and the sun was Average 6.8 13.0 5618 6400 1803 race, I only can imagine that blazing down on us. With the heat veterinarians check the dogs’ reflecting off the snow in the large, health and determine whether they are fit to participants is needed to disburse money. The bowl-shaped basin in which we were racing, race. Well, the “vet check” at Pirena brings new nine remaining skijorers started looking around the temperature was over 50 degrees. These meaning to the term. The mushers and skijorers the parking lot, until all eyes focused on my conditions persisted for the first few days of the assembled in a non-descript city, Zaragoza, near wife Susan…an accomplished skijorer in her race, until late in the afternoon of the fourth day, the foothills of the Pyrenees around 10 am. We own right. Susan, with a deer-in-the-headlights black ominous clouds obscured the mountain dutifully staked our dogs out for examination, look on her face, who had planned to sip wine tops. not by the veterinarians, but by thousands and and enjoy a European vacation, was suddenly thousands of spectators and fans. By noon, the target of our greed. With a slight hesitation, It appeared as though we were in for a change a mass of people at least 10,000 strong had Susan agreed to participate because she had of weather, but no one, including the locals, assembled in the main avenue of the city to brought her ski gear for post-race exercise. could have predicted what would transpire over gawk at, pet and choose his or her favorite dog. But whose dogs would she use? With only 20 the next three days. It started gently snowing Dogs that crave attention, like mine, were in minutes to go until the start of the race, and no during a dinner of tapas near a warm fireplace heaven. Photographs, hugs and sometimes tears permission from the race director, Susan thought in a cozy Spanish restaurant. After an evening ensued as human-canine bonds were formed on she may still dodge this bullet. However, Pavel of heavy wet snow, the race the following day the avenue. This was also a great occasion for once again made arrangements. He volunteered was abbreviated because the dogs would be each contestant to get a sneak-preview of the two of his old Siberians that were coincidentally swimming in nearly a foot of unconsolidated, teams of fellow competitors. In my opinion, riding on the truck, and then feverishly tracked wet and heavy snow. To make matter worse, the “vet check” was an excellent opportunity for down the race director. With only 10 minutes visibility was reduced to less than 30 feet the public to acquaint themselves with the hard- until the start of the race, the director approved in a thick fogbank with silver dollar sized working athletes that make our sport possible, Susan’s entry, and we were back in the money, snowflakes. After the race, the locals assured us and as a way of promoting our sport beyond the so to speak. that the weather was very unusual and that the typical audience of only other mushers. And snow would soon stop. Wrong. It snowed all to end the day on a high-note, Susan and my The prologue was also an invaluable educational day and all night. dog pulled into town at the last minute, escorted experience because it included all of the challenges by a Spanish film crew, complete with her own and adversities in the trails and conditions we On the second day of the snowstorm, all of the baggage porters. I was beginning to really like would face over the next two weeks. Of course, mushers and skijorers caravanned up a 10 mile, this country.

I learned them all the hard way. I brashly went narrow, and winding road. Because European tearing out of the starting gate down a moderate mushers do not use 4-wheel drive pick-up The following day, the race began with an 11 decline in front of hundreds, if not thousands, of trucks, the norm for mushers in North America, km “prologue” stage, which did not count cheering spectators. After 200 yards, the snow but rather large, two-wheel drive, cargo vans, March 2006 • Sled Dog Sports Magazine

getting stuck was inevitable. The possibility of a quagmired truck on a one-lane road necessitates being at the front of the pack so one does not have to stop due to a stuck vehicle in front. So Pavel courageously charged up this road and we successfully reached the parking lot of the race course. Yet only seven dog-trucks made it to the top. We assumed someone was stuck and putting on chains. When no one showed up for an hour, then another hour, we began to wonder where everyone was. As it turned out, two avalanches had swept across the road during the time the caravan was stopped, thus blocking road access. On typical Spanish time, the snow removal effort was slow at best.

Needless-to-say, when no one showed up by 1 pm, the stage was cancelled. We headed to the next stage where once again we were greeted by snow, fog and poor visibility, through which the dogs unrelentingly charged forward. After three days, the storm dumped almost 6 feet of snow, which proved to be the biggest snowstorm in the Pyrenees Mountains in 25 years.

After the snow had subsided and the clouds had cleared, the glorious, yet blazing hot, sun returned. Additionally, we received a change of scenery and culture when the race moved into two more countries, France and Andorra. The French stages were the highlight of the trip for me, not because my race results were better, but because of the food and wine. These must be experienced firsthand to fully enjoy them.

Following France, we moved to the mountain country of Andorra. This country is basically one large valley with a huge, government owned ski resort, Grandvalira, where we ran a few stages. The cafeterias at Grandvalira proved to be ideal locations to sit on a deck, face the sun and imbibe.

The final two stages were held back in Spain, where one of the more memorable experiences of the trip happened. After completing a beautiful course, high in the Spanish Pyrenees, Susan and I were enjoying some espresso in a wonderful ski lodge. As we walked out of the lodge, a news reporter and film maker requested an interview of Susan and me, so we could describe how we liked the race and how the race was different than Alaska. Not knowing what we were getting into, we graciously agreed.

Suddenly, we were descended upon by an entire film crew and an interviewer. Being relatively obscure skijorers from Alaska, it’s not often that we are interviewed. The most amusing part of the experience came later, when the interview was translated into Spanish, and aired on national television during a primetime show about Pirena!

As you can see, the race was only one of several components of the entire Pirena experience.

However, the race was as exciting to follow as the other aspects of this journey. In the mushing division, there were 15 stages, including the prologue, varying in distance between 7 and

27 miles, with an average distance of 13 miles.

Some of the trails were relatively flat, while one stage had over 4,000 feet of climbing. Almost all of the trails were technically difficult, including steep drop-offs, sharp corners, punchy snow, and long descents. On the morning of Stage 2, Graeme Scott, a musher from Scotland, remarked to me in the parking lot as he donned a brand new helmet he bought the night before, “This may prolong my life…slightly.”

In his 13th year running Pirena, Josep Domingo, a Spaniard from outside Barcelona, captured first place overall in the mushing division. Gregor Gumpenberg of Germany trailed Domingo by just over 10 minutes overall, while another Spaniard, Salva Luque, secured the third spot on the podium. For the first five stages, Alvar Lopez Coba, a Spaniard, held onto first place overall, while several mushers chipped away at his lead. By Stage 6, Domingo and Gumpenberg had moved into first and second place, where they remained for the duration of the race. An Austrian, Kurt Pichler, held on to the third spot overall, until Stage 10, when Luque displaced him. Individual stage winners included: Iker Ozcoidi (2), Lopez Cobo (1), and Domingo (6) of Spain; Gumpenberg (4) of Germany; and Graeme Scott (1) of Scotland.

Lars Rubenkamp of Germany captured the purebred division with his team of athletic Siberian huskies while the team of Ursula Pueyo and Lazaro Martinez, both from Spain, secured second place. Ursula lost a leg in an accident years ago, and rides in a modified pulk between her team and Lazaro, who drives on a sprint sled. In a couple of the relatively less technical stages, Ursula drove the team solo, without the help of Lazaro…a very impressive feat. A final mention goes to the team of Manel Avila, who is a paraplegic, and Jorge Ruiz of Spain who also competed as a team in a set-up similar to that of Ursula and Lazaro’s.

The skijoring race consisted of 13 stages, including the prologue, varying in distance between 4.3 and 10.5 miles, with an average distance of 6.8 miles. Joe Runyan, the American race marshal, cancelled 2 of the stages for skijorers because running the same course as the mushers would have been suicidal. These stages included prolonged, precipitous declines where slowing down a two-dog team with only a pair of skis and some sweat would have been absolutely impossible. Nonetheless, the skijorers faced some harrowing challenges on the trail. The main obstacles were short dropoffs and narrow river crossings that required slowing down to a crawl…a slow crawl.

Jana Porubska of the Czech Republic won the prologue stage and never looked back. She dominated the field with her 75 lb. husky/pointer cross, and her two 80 lb. greysters. Winning every stage but two, in which she placed second in both, she built a 19 minute lead over the

closest competitor. An American, Fritz Howard of Leadville, Colorado, who had two individual stage victories, was the only other skijorer to win a stage. Howard and Richard Barta of the Czech Republic battled for second and third overall. By Stage 5, Barta had pulled away from Howard by almost 4 minutes. However, over the next week and half, Howard whittled away at Barta’s lead, and by the last stage, only 7 seconds separated the two competitors.

In an amazing last stage, Barta held onto his lead with an almost impossible dead heat with Howard, who had to settle for the third spot on the podium.

The awards ceremony was a fitting end to this amazing race. Complete with fireworks, the ceremony resembled a rock concert more than mushing awards. Each competitor who placed in the top three assembled in a staging area above the podium with his or her dog team. At the mention of each competitor’s name, he or she mushed or skijored down a ski trail onto a snow covered stage, while being followed by two blinding spotlights. This was accompanied by deafening rock music and thunderous applause from a crowd of thousands of cheering spectators. At this point, the handler removed the dogs from the stage and a beautiful wooden plaque and a bottle of the Spanish version of Champagne, or Cava, were presented to the competitors. After all three contestants received their Cava, corks were removed, bottles were shaken and the crowd, the competitors and the race organizers were thoroughly drenched in a frenzied celebration.

Reflecting back on Pirena, this was the opportunity of a lifetime. The combination of beautiful mountain scenery, fine European food and drink, camaraderie with European mushers and mostly the chance to race dogs in this epic setting all made this trip unforgettable. The race is a test of the speed, power, stamina and mental toughness of dogs, unlike anything encountered in North America. Previous to this year, only one other American musher competed in Pirena.

For a new and monumental experience, I urge other North Americans to partake in the Pirena journey. You will not be sorry.

Author’s note: For more details of race organization and logistics, please see Joe Runyan’s article in the December 2005 issue of Sled Dog Sports Magazine. Complete results can be found on Pirena’s website www.pirena. com or by contacting the author at aseitz@ims. uaf.edu. Questions? Please feel free to contact the author for additional information.

Andy Seitz lives in the Goldstream Valley, outside Fairbanks, AK. He and his wife Susan operate a “micro-kennel” of four husky/ pointer crosses. When not skijoring, Andy is a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbank in Fisheries Oceanography. He can be reached at: aseitz@ims.uaf.edu.

35

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