BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: ALPINE OUTFITTERS
Reprinted from the March/April 2006 Mushing Magazine.©Mushing Magazine 2006Alpine Outfitters was opened in 1988 by Becky and Joe Loveless of Roy, WA. Becky started making custom harnesses in a spare bedroom with a few rolls of webbing and a very old, 1930’s era, sewing machine bought with proceeds from selling…
BEGINNERS PAGES
Wherever we are in our lives and no matter what our age, we all have beginnings. From the day we were born, walking, talking, or riding a bike for the first time. But can you still remember your first dog sledding experience? Most mushers I’ve met over the years can…
SLED DOGS STAR IN TALE OF ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE
The only thing against us was that these were huskies, dogs who don’t instinctively appreciate the notion of moving slowly. Still, the animal trainers were confident. The call for “Action” echoed across the snow-swept, barren prairie, above treeline – high above the pretty little town of Smithers, British Columbia. The…
BEGINNERS PAGES: PINKY’S GOOD IDEA
That first race, no not the first race of the season, I mean the first race ever. Everyone has experienced it and most of them lived. My first race was ‘The Empire’ in Solon Springs, WI. Of course we had been training our 6 dogs since early September and since…
FREIGHTING DOGS: WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Freight historySome breeds of freight dogs (such as the Siberian Husky, Samoyed, and Inuit sled dog) were developed over centuries. Human and dog depended on each other in the harsh arctic environment. Dogs had to come when called, accept the harness, identify seal blow holes for the hunter, corral polar…
THE FINE MADNESS OF THE JACKPINE 30
I had been running six dog races in Minnesota and Wisconsin for the past five winters and this was going to be my last year. There is a certain cycle to having a dog team. You start with a few dogs. Like a new relationship, it is fun and exciting….
RANDY CHAPPEL INTERVIEW
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…
YUKON QUEST: TOUGH WEATHER: INTERVIEW WITH MIKE MCCOWAN
Tough weather in this year’s Quest forces tough decisions for long time veteran Race Marshall Mike McCowan.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…
BRENT SASS WINS QUEST 300
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…
YUKON QUEST 2006
Mackey wins toughest Quest yet.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…