mushing | The Filson Journal

Filson Life: Mush

In Alaska’s North Slope, professional dog musher Lauro Eklund and team set out to hunt the migrating porcupine caribou for winter sustenance.

2 Min

Featured

Martin Buser: The Racer Comes Home

Running a string of sled dogs in the cold arctic night on the Iditarod Trail is not for the faint of heart. Ripping over frozen undulating terrain, dimly lit by an ever-bobbing headlamp, a musher must alternately trust that his team is not heading towards disaster while cheering them on as they plunge further into the darkness. They tread on a razor’s edge at times. Mushers often tie themselves to their sleds to ensure that if things go south, they are not stranded on the trail as their dogs continue to race forward. There is little time to soak in the icy beauty that surrounds the sled. Instead, one must focus on the next checkpoint and the ultimate goal, Nome. The race is infamous for breaking the will of even the heartiest, and many a musher has called it quits mid-race. But not Martin Buser.

5 Min

Profiles

Tonje Blomseth: From Norway to Alaska

Rumors were flying around like bugs in the small Norwegian town I lived in, and among people I didn’t necessarily want to run into at my local grocery store. I needed a break. When the opportunity to leave for a few months arose, I booked the first flight I could—a one-way ticket to Alaska. It was now just me and my dogs, a team of six malamutes.

3 Min

sled dogs standing in front of their pen outside with harnesses on

How-To's

How to Train Your Dog to Pull a Sled

Luna Lobos Dog Sledding is a family-owned dog sledding operation based in Peoa, Utah. Owners Fernando and Dana Ramirez believe that dog sledding is a work of art, and that all the pieces have to work together to create a successful team. Fernando has raced professionally, competing in both the Pedigree Stage Stop Race and the World Championships, the dog-sledding counterpart of the world series. His dog sled team comprises an interesting mix of professional racers as well as rescues. Below, he shares his experience in training a dog to mush.

3 Min