Trail Report - Thursday 19th Nov

8 mile skijored with 3 dogs tonight: S-L-I-C-K, well packed and good fun.

Due to Yukon Electric Co Ltd Ploughing the first 400m of the trail, special rules apply for Sunday:

all sleds must have drag/pad brake

use of claw brake in first and final 400m prohibited - there isn't enough snow cover for it to work anyway.

See you all Sunday!

Snow, Snow, and some more....snow!

Eight Mile trail shaping up nicely, with good packing. Intrepid ATVs and 4 x 4 trucks are having a very selfish (but thoroughly enjoyable, I'm sure, for their drivers) time carving up both this and the CHT Kid's and Pet Dog Loop, but presently the snow is soft amd moist enough to be continually repacked by snowmachine and adapted pallet.

If anyone wants to help pack, and get to know the course, call Jon at 667 4138.

It's all go for the funtastic:

ALPINE VET RACE DAY, Sunday 22nd Nov

8 Mile, Twister, Sleds 2-4 dogs, Skis 2-3 dogs, Age 14+

5km Kids, Sleds 2 -4 dogs, Skis 2-3 dogs, Age 5-13

5km 1 Pet Dog, 1 erm Pet dog, anything goes (unmotorised :) )

Meet - 10am Icy Waters Ltd, Km 4.2 Fish Lake Rd, Whitehorse; Dog Truck parking - usual place at the MacIntyre Marsh Gazebo lookout. $10 entry fee, each race.

Race Marshall - Carolynne Campbell - the Race Marshall only needs the one rule: The RM can make up any rule at any time for any occurance and backdate it to 5 minutes before the occurance took place - everyone be nice to the Race Officials and Volunteers.

Volunteers always needed and appreciated - Arctic Charr fillets as a thank-you, and of course a chance to win a delicious glass wrapped packet of 6 mouth watering T-shirts from Yukon Brewing.

Next races

- Dec 6th : Chocolate Claim Race Day

- Dec 13th : Reach For the Sky and Take the Beer: Air North, Yukon Brewing, and Hot Hounds' Hill Climbin' Poker Run. Purse $1200; and at the same location -

- Dec 13th : First Mate Extreme Freight Pull: 36 Bags First Mate Extreme up for grabs!

Happy training...or happy tumbling into the rocky bits you Snowpigs!

New route! CHT breaks new ground!

The CHT Org has changed the direction of the CHT - now we will be riding West (no, not into the sunset, we're starting at 10am - don't forget). Parking area, and meeting place is the same - the MacIntyre Marsh lookout and Icy Waters Ltd - but we will be starting on the other side , just like we do for Yukon Brewing and Air North's Reach for the Sky and Take the Beer Poker Run.

This is a far more "interesting" trail - climbing a bit up Haekel Hill, then turning off through the woods onto the Trans Canada Trail, then gently climbing on a narrower section of the Copper Haul till some short steep climbing to get above the old dump (with a marvellous view I might add - and that's what's important in a sprinty race), before about a 1 mile downhill glide with some real fun turns ending at a (relatively wide) 90' left (that's "haw" or "HAW! HAAAAW!" for all you dogs reading this - Ivy, Loki) turn at the new dump fence (it's electric, don't touch, or touch and re-energise - look at the thrills the CHT Org finds for you!), then it's off towards Trails North, but we turn and loop back before reaching there, running back along the new dump fence with some super head on passing opportunities before diving (the operative word) back into the woods for some twists and turns before re-emerging on Copper Haul above Icy Waters and there's simply a gentle sidehill swoop down and gentle rise back to the start/finish line - and its only 8 miles! 8 smiles of fun trail :)

Seriously: it's been packed, it sees very few trucks, it's narrower, twistier, and has a a much better view than the relatively boring wide Copper Haul we used to run on, and Jon's skijored it with 3 dogs and only fell over a bit - but then that's to be expected. Additionally C & C Dirt and Gravel havn't locked a giant metal gate across it, like thay have on the funnest part of the old CHT trail.

Annnnd, the first race is just 4 dogs for sledders, if you have a brake pad you'll love it. If you don't, it'll be really fun for any spectators!

So - park as usual, meet as usual, please volunteer as usual (with Arctic Charr thank-yous as usual), then run the new unusual trail:

ALPINE VET RACE DAY, Sunday 22nd Nov, 10 am Icy Waters Ltd, $10 entry fee. 8 Mile CHTwister sleds 2-4 dogs, skis 2-3 dogs; 5km Pet Dog, and 5 km Kids Races same route as the past 3 seasons.

Remember the Pot Luck round the firepit - see you there!

Glory Hounds

Give your dogs all the credit - I'll be posting monthly Pooper Scoops again this season, including photos and video clips. Send pix and poop to yukonwriter@lycos.com . I'll be somewhere around the pyramids.

After the race, I'll be signing From Ice to Ashes for the winners of the Hot Hounds finale, among others. I remember Janet Keller and Darryl Sheepway each won a copy, but I forget who the others were. Cash in your voucher on the 22nd.

See you at the SHINY NEW GATE.
Jessica Simon

posted by yukonwriter

SEASON 4 - RACE DAY ONE - ALPINE VET RACE DAY

The snow is here, it's being packed, and whilst there has been some terraforming at the 12 mile turnaround (no drop-kick turn anymore - oh I can sense the disappointment), the season is ready to roll...or sled...or ski.

ALPINE VET have kindly put up the cash prizes for the top 5 positions in the 12 mile CHT, the 5km 1 pet dog, and the 5 km kid's race; other merchandise prizes have been donated by Aurora Booties, Yukon Brewing, First Mate Dog Food, and Icy Waters Ltd. Please note although every competitor will receive a block of dog food from Icy Waters Ltd, the organisers cannot guarantee a prize for every place - if that's the case the available prizes will be randomly allocated to finishing positions before the bib draw. We do have some environmentally friendly Red Lanterns for the 12 mile this year though!

Still, at $10 entry fee (which goes back to those top 5 places), held at $10 these past 3 seasons, and a $5 block of dog food, it's still just $5 for a race and a chance to win some superb merchandise or cash - if you've been training (which lardy Snowpigs havn't, having put on 9lb lying on a beach for two weeks in late Oct.)

So, get out there and get training, especially those Snow(Beer)pigs and meet at the socially acceptable time of 10.00 am, Sunday 22nd November at Icy Waters Ltd - park as usual at the Gazebo at the MacIntyre Marsh lookout and walk down. Please be on time, bring stuff for a potluck whilst we wait for the results, and, oh yes, don't forget the skis, sleds etc and 2-4 dogs for sleds, and 2-3 dogs for skijorers in the 12 mile CHT - don't worry, you sledder monkeys get more dogs later in the season; one pet dog race - erm, bring one pet dog; and the kids 2-4 dogs for sleds and 2-3 for skijorers.

See you there, 10.00am (note that please, Kyla, Janet, you know who you are : ) ) Icy Waters Ltd, Sunday Nov 22nd

FIRST MATE does it again!!

Today the CHT Org received confirmation that First Mate will again Sponsor the FIRST MATE EXTREME FREIGHT PULL in December. 36 bags of First Mate Extreme are up for grabs for the best pullers across the light, medium, and heavy weight categories.

In the last two years, for the December and Summer Freightpulls, and CHT League, First Mate have donated almost 4 tonnes of dog food!

It's good stuff - as Asha the Rottie will tell you! and available year round at Duffy's Pets and Tanzilla Harness Supply.

So, let's get training. Sunday Dec 13th is the date - whilst those mushers are climbing 2000+ feet in their "Reach for the Sky and Take the Beer" Poker Run (purse $1200), the freightpullers and their incredibly hard working monkeys (as if they do any of the work!) will be competing for First Mate's most excellent EXTREME Dog Food!

City comes through! Parks and Rec to emplace gates on Copper Haul Trail!!

Most excellent news today - at a meeting at the MacIntyre Marsh Gazebo (the historic Yukon Brewing Copper Haul Twister start line) Doug Hnatiuk of City Parks and Rec outlined the City's plans to emplace a winter gate across the Copper Haul Trail to be locked Nov 1st - March 31st. The CHT Org will have access to a key. Doug expects the gate to go in before Nov 1st. Other access points at the base of the Mt Mac Road and at Mt Sima are to be blocked with significantly sized pieces of jagged rock.

Very great thanks are due to Doug Hnatiuk for working towards this and leading it to completion, and also to City Planning (Pat Ross), Klondike Snowmachine Association (Harris Cox), DPSAY (Gene Ennis), CHT Org (Jon Lucas) and most importantly all of you who emailed Doug to show your support for such a project - well done! See, your voices can be heard!

Of course, bad people may try to wreck the gates, but then Cabela's does a very cheap line in motion activated sit and wait cameras, well worth the investment to identify the vandals :) - Gotcha!

First Race, Nov 22nd, Alpine Vet Race Day - on a trail that will have a much reduced chance of being rutted like the surface of the moon. Thank you Doug and the City of Whitehorse!