Skijor Prep

Instead of running in a 1000-mile race this year, I’m switching it up and designing a skijor trip. The current plan is to skijor from Kaltag through Unalakleet to a cabin in the Blueberry hills then back to Unalakleet. This section is one of my FAVORITE sections on the Iditarod trail. Also, with Tripod Flats cabin and Old Woman’s cabin, there are sheltered places to stop along the route. Unalakleet is also a major hub for coastal communities, so I can just book an Alaskan Airlines flight to bring us home at the end of the adventure. As long as we don’t get blasted by a coastal storm, it sounds perfect right? I’m excited.

Prior to this winter, the farthest I’ve skijored is 10 miles, so needless to say, I have a lot to learn! I grew up cross-country skiing and have still been using my 20-year-old skis to practice. At least there’s some foundational knowledge. While my old skis work great for playing around the kennel, I’ll need to do some research to figure out what kind of skis are best for a remote trip. Also, my current clothing options (parka, boots, bibs etc) are great for mushing; however, I doubt they’ll be the best choice for skijoring. Other gear I’ll need to experiment with are pulk sleds, tents, gloves (beaver mitts are probably not great for skiing), and hats. What kind of cooking apparatus should I bring? Our massive cooker pots are great for a team of 14 dogs, but perhaps not necessary for a human and two canines. Which brings me to my next big question, and honestly the one I’m most excited about- which dogs should I bring on the trip? How many dogs? Should I bring massive, powerful dogs like Mose or Sherlock? Or is that too much power since it’s hard to slow a dog down with skis? Should I bring smaller dogs with perfect recall like Oryx so that they can be loose on downhills. I’m inclined to bring younger dogs to show them the coast, but perhaps I should bring at least one trail-hardened veteran who I can 100% rely on if the conditions get dicey. So many decisions and experiments! Tucker will be going on this adventure as well, so at the moment, I’m planning on four canine athletes to join us (two for Tucker and two for me, unless Tucker is in too good of shape in which case, two for me, one for Tucker, and one running loose).

Last week, Sam and I brought Fox, Thresher, and Tucker’s dog Charlotte on a day of bikejoring for the first test. Fox was spectacular. A+++. Like a rockstar from the first moment. We biked a trail that went straight up a mountain (I might have left my lung up there from wheezing so much), and Fox drove hard into his harness as if he’s been bikejoring his whole life. Thresher was a bit more confused. He did great in chase, meaning pulling Sam behind me, but he was a little softer on the tug when he partnered with Fox to pull me at the front. Thresher- B. Charlotte (who is only one year old) was solidly mediocre. C-

Since bikejoring with Fox and Thresher, I’ve tested Mose and Sherlock. I’d give Mose a C+ and Sherlock an B+. However, I think both are too powerful, making it hard to regulate our speed. My initial thought is dogs in the 45-55 lb range are best. We’ll see!