Wednesday, January 30, 2008

SUNDAY 10TH FEB: DUFFY'S PETS AND TANZILLA HARNESS SUPPLY RACE DAY

Next Race is:

SUNDAY 10TH FEB

previously scheduled as the 3rd Feb, this race has been put back to the 10th due to worryingly cold temperatures. It will definitely be warmer on the 10th, and we still need volunteers - if you're keen to participate in a dog race, and would like some deliciously healthy omega-3 and vitamin D-filled Arctic Charr fillets for free, email Jon at grizzlysnowpigs@gmail.com


Emily Dessurealt with Team Frosty

Moe Boksa, in a mist of drifting snow, Alpine Vet CHT

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

NEWSFLASH!

Due to very low forecast temperatures (so low the element of fun is simply frozen out), the Duffy's Pets race is postponed until Sunday Feb 10th. There is no race Feb 3rd.
*
Unfortunately we have no regular volunteers able to come out on the 10th. The races need 7 volunteers. Please ask around and bring people! This might be a good time for League contenders to volunteer! If you can volunteer, please let Jon know at grizzlysnowpigs@gmail.com

Alpine Vet Race Winner Lee Kirkpatrick

At -27'C, with a gusty north breeze drifting snow like sand grains over the trail, Lee floated home to 1st place. (photo Jessica Simon)

Alpine Vet Race Day, Jan 26th, Race Results

1 Pet dog, 5km
*
1-----Ottie, Kawina Robichaud, kicksled, 26:30
2-----Cosmo, Anissa Guenfoud, skijor, 27:23
3-----Asha, Jonathan Lucas, skijor, 27:36
4-----Nanuq, Michael Pealow, kicksled, 29:51
5-----Sean, Taz Fitzpatrick, kicksled, 37:00
*
Pet Dog League Table, after 3 races:

Place---name------------------races------points------volunteered?
1-----Jonathan Lucas                2                  16                       Yes
2=---Heather Swystun              1                  10                       No
2=---Kawina Robichaud          1                 10                        Yes
4-----Anissa Guenfoud              1                   8                        No
5-----Michael Pealow                1                  4                         No
6-----Sean Fitzpatrick               1                   2                         No

To place in the League, competitors must have raced at least 4 races and volunteered out on the 12 mile course for another, or raced 3 races, and volunteered for the fourth. Placings are based on points from best 4 races, (or 3 if only 3+volunteering are entered)
*
5km Kids Race (all ran 4 dog sleds)
*
1-----Ben Kinvig, Kinvig Kanines, 9:57
2-----Rachel Kinvig, Kinvig Kanines, 10:00
3-----Jeff Diment,                                        13:00
4-----Erin Spicer, Dogged Pursuit, 16:14
5-----Larissa Ruekenbach, Huskyteers, 17:03
*
Kids League Table, after 3 races
*
Place---Name------------Races--Points--Volunteered?
1..........Rachel Kinvig....1........10..........no
2.........Jeff Diment.........1........8...........no
3.........Erin Spicer.........1........6............no
4.........L. Ruekenbach...1........4............Yes
*
To qualify for the League competitors must race at least 4 races, and have arranged a friend or relative to volunteer out on the 12 mile course for one race. League placings are based on the points from the best 4 runs.
*
Yukon Brewing provide the following cash prizes in both the Pet dog and Kids Leagues:
1st $125
2nd $100
3rd $75
4th $50
5th $25

12 Mile Copper Haul Twister
*
1st Lee Kirkpatrick Drag 'n' Fly 6 dog sled 51:09
2nd Crispin Studer None 6 dog sled 52:07
3rd Luc Tweddell Echoes 6 dog sled 57:47
4th Ben Kinvig Kinvig Kanines 6 dog sled 1:02:56
5th Jonathan Lucas Snowpigs 6 dog sled 1:03:04
6th Darrell Sheepway Smokin Paws 4 dog skis 1:03:27
7th E. Dessureault Echoes 6 dog sled 1:04:14
8th Moe Boksa Furry Moon 6 dog sled 1:11:09
9th William Kleedehn Limp-Along 6 dog sled 1:13:42
10th Genesee Keevil Skinny Puppy 6 dog sled 1:14:06
11th Yoann Voyer Limp-Along 6 dog sled 1:20:02
12th Kate Weekes Skinny Puppy 5 dog sled 1:26:26
13th Ian Stewart Skinny Puppy 5 dog sled 1:38:15

DNF Gene Ennis Drag 'n' Fly 6 dog sled
DNF Aileena Ruekenbach Huskyteers 6 dog sled
*
Place---Name---------Races--Points---Volunteered?
1........Luc Tweddell......3.......24.........No
2.......Crispin Studer.....2.......18.........No
3........Lee Kirkpatrick..1.......10..........Yes
4........Eilidh Lucas.......1.........8.........Yes
5......Jonathan Lucas... 2........8..........Yes

To qualify for The League, competitors must compete in 4 or more races, and volunteer out on the 12 mile course for one race (or compete in 3, and volunteer for the fourth). Yukon Brewing provide the following for the CHT League:
1st $250
2nd $200
3rd $150
4th $100
5th $50

And the engraved CHT Trophy remains with the winner for a year.




 

RACE CHANGE! RACE CHANGE!!

NEWSFLASH!!
*
Duffy's Pets and Tanzilla Harness Supply Race Day is now
*
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 10TH
*
Forecast temps of -25 to -42 cause postponement of race to Feb 10th.
There is NO race on Feb 3rd

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Trail Report Friday Midnight

Trail packed Thursday night by Jon Lucas, very firm base. Snow falling most of Friday, Harris Cox of KSA packing Friday night. 

Race is a GO, see you all Saturday.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Sat Jan 26th, Alpine Vet Race day is ON!

Trail was run by at least Lee Kirkpatrick, Jim Hajash, Carolynne Fujda, Gene Ennis, and Jon Lucas at various times this afternoon (Weds). The Mt Mac Rd Post managed to smack most of them over, although Carolynne sailed serenely past and stayed upright. Trail has been recently groomed by Harris Cox of the KSA (many thanks) and will be done again before the race - and if the weather forecast is to be believed (snow, and then some more snow) there will be plenty to sink the snow hook into. Although skijorers have no use for such nasty sharp pieces of metal.

We understand "The Taz" scourge of Haines Junction, and possibly one of the smallest racing dogs ever seen may be coming out to challenge Asha and Kodiak in the Pet Dog. Lee Kirkpatrick is set to make a re-appearance on the trail, after handling at the Carbon Hill, and Race Timer Gene Ennis has thrown in  the stopwatch for a team.

Greg Kent of Alpine Timing will be timing, keep an eye on that big timer board, it helps remind you of your chute exit time, and we welcome back the Yukon Army Cadet Corps as trail volunteers.

See you all Saturday, bring some wood for the firepit, it might be a cool one!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Carbon Hill Race Results

30 mile 8 dog, 22 entrants
1 - Crispin Studer
2 - Blaine Walden
3 - Hans Gatt
4 - Luc Twedell

10 mile 6 dog, 13 entrants
1 - Jonathan Lucas
2 - Aileena Rueckenbach
3 - Cheryl Wishart
4 - Jim Hajash

30 mile, 4 dog skijor, 4 entrants
1 - Darrell Sheepway
2 - Nansen Murray
3 - Susie Rogan
4 - Linda Lewis

6 mile, 2 dog skijor, 11 entrants
1 - Kendra Murray
2 - Karen McKenna
3 - Jonathan Lucas
4 - Heather Swystun

It was a great day, around -16'C with sun, excellent trails.

Next CHT Race is the Alpine Vet Race Day, Saturday 26th Jan, 9am Icy Waters Ltd: 12 mile Twister: 2-6 dog sled, 2-4 dog skis; 5km 2-4 dog kids race; 5km 1 pet dog race. Twister goes out first at 10am, Kids race to follow at approx 11.30, then the Pet dog.

SUNDAY Feb 3rd is the Duffy's pets and Tanzilla Harness Supply Race day. 9am Icy Waters Ltd. 12 mile Twister is 2-5 dog sleds and 2-4 dog skis; + kids and pet dog races as usual.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Busy Race Season Begins!!

A helpful guide to this season's races for you to cut out and keep

Sat Jan 19th - Carbon Hill, Mt Lorne Rec Centre, Annie Lake Rd

Sat Jan 26th -Alpine Vet CHT, 

Sunday Feb 3rd - Duffy's Pets and Tanzilla Harness Supply CHT

Sat Feb 9th - Quest 300 and Yukon Quest, Fairbanks

Sat Feb 16th - Oscars' Electric CHT

Sat/Sun Feb 23/24th - Rendezvous races, Whitehorse

Sat/Sun Mar 1/2 - Silver Sled Weekend, Haines Junction

Sat Mar 8th - Sprint, Skijoring, Triathlon racing, Haines Junction

Sun Mar 9th - Sat Mar 15th - Arctic Winter Games, Yellowknife

Sat/Sun Mar 22/23 -Sprint races, Tok, Alaska

Sat 29th Mar - Icy Waters Ltd CHT

Sat April 6th - "Claws on Ice" 4 dog sprint drag racing; 2 team  knockout heats , Fish Lake - finish the season with a rip roarer! (there are some items to be confirmed, so watch this space...but the purse is presently at $350 cash (courtesy of the CHT and Icy Waters) and building.

Trail Update Thurs 17th January

With recent snow being packed by the public, this weeks warmer temperatures caused a settling and further packing of snow on the trail. Trail is firm, but not hard, and all forms of braking and holding work very well (even the skijoring "body drag and elbow hook"). The granite boulders at the "stone chute" (at the top of the very wide trail leading to the quarry, for those of you who ran last year's course) are too big, too close to the trail, and just too nasty to risk running  by (they are on the inside of a very narrow section of curve) so for the rest of this season the course will remain the same as it has been for this year's Sportees and H Coyne & Sons races.

With the KSA getting out and grooming the trail, it should be very good for the Alpine Vet race on Saturday Jan 26th: 12 mile Twister (and we have a photographer  at "that post" for this one) 2-6 dog sleds, 2-4 dog skis; 5km 5-13 year-old Kids 2-4 dogs sled, 1-2 dogs skis; 5km 1 Pet dog - anything!
*
Note - Registration at 8.45am, Meeting 9am and the Twister goes out first to allow all those Quest 300 and Quest hopefuls to get to their food drop on time.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Alpine Vet Race Day Saturday Jan 26th

This is the same day as the Quest and Quest 300 Food Drop, but the food drop is open to 4.30pm, so to accommodate everyone who wants to go on the small race starting in Alaska, we will meet at 9am as usual, but the 12 mile Twister will go out first, at 10.30am, so please be punctual. If we can get going at 10.30, The Twisters should be finished their extremely important race by noon and can be away back to the wee race in the far hill's food drop before 1pm. I know it makes for a long day, but just think of it as training for the long days scrambling up Eagle Summit, Rosebud etc and all the the god-forsaken miles in-between.

ALPINE VET RACE DAY
*
10.30am 12 MILE TWISTER: 2-6 DOG SLEDS; 2-4 DOG SKIS
*
12 Noon 5km Kids Race (5-13 yrs): 2-4 dog sleds; 1-2 dog skis
*
12.30 5km 1 Pet Dog race: 1 dog, attached to you, anything goes

But don't forget the Carbon Hill races at the Mt Lorne Rec Centre, Annie Lake Rd
Jan 19th 2008
30 mile, 10 mile, Sleds;
30 mile, 6 mile Skijor + Kids races

Thursday, January 3, 2008

REACH FOR THE SKY AND TAKE THE BEER, Race Report by Jessica Simon

Dog mischief skewed all odds on the inaugural 22 mile Reach for the Sky and Take the Beer poker run.
Luc Twedell got things started when his 10-dog team peeled away from the start without a brake pad. At mile 4 he lost his claws on the first ice patch. Unstoppable, the team took their head and one took off. Luc kept control of the nine, and in a hairy ride with three in the basket he returned to scratch at the finish line.
There he found his renegade hound at the Taplow Freight Pull where Fred Last’s heavyweight, Titan, a veteran of the Rendezvous One-Dog Pull, hauled 600 pounds over 16 feet. The Lucas family Rottweiler, Asha, pulled 450 pounds to take the hotly contested middleweight class, and Genesee Keevil’s Severn, the lone featherweight, pulled 85 pounds to win five bags of First Mate Extreme Dog Food.
Meanwhile, a few miles down the trail at the Jackson Lake Road, Lucie Waidhaus’ 8-dog team bolted for Kyla Boivin’s dog yard and dove into the nearest empty house. With energetic coaxing Lucie untangled the furballs and continued on to earn the red lantern in 3:21:41.
On the crest of Mount McIntyre, Harvey Van Patten took time out of his 2:29:38 run to toast his 6-dog team with a complimentary Yukon Gold. “Brilliant idea, brilliant view, what a race!”
At the end of the day, Ian MacDougall of Sky High Ranch finished in the money, awarded by Air North, Yukon Brewing and the Hot Hounds Dryland Race. In 3:10:20 Ian collected three nines, topping the two pair (jacks over threes) dealt to Jeff Butler in 2:33:30, and Moe Boska’s tens over twos gathered in 2:09:56.
Crispin Studer posted the fastest overall time with nine dogs in 1:58:10, just five minutes quicker than Jeremie Matrishon’s 8-dog finish of 2:02.56.
Thanks to the sponsors, all the volunteers, and the Whitehorse 2685 Army Cadet Corps for ensuring trail and team safety during the most entertaining day of dog sports yet.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

"Reach for The Sky and Take the Beer" more photos courtesy of Mike Simon

Race Start - No7 heads for the chute, ably assisted by Maren Bradley and Pierre Luc

Leaving Fish Lake Colin Morrison's veteran Leader Orion passes on some advice to his trainee "it's a good long pull now, but impress our Monkey and there'll be a treat a the top"

Colin Morrison reaches the top, whilst Orion looks back, thinking, "Whew! that was a climb, where's that drink then?"

No. 16 in full lope to the shoulder of Mt Mac, where Mike Simon and Lee Kirkpatrick were waiting with some Yukon Gold, and (unknown until the finish line), his third Queen card!!
So, at this speed, why did the team take over 5.5 hours, and scratch 3 km short of the finish?

The real reason No.16 took so long...Yukon Brewing's beveredges were so delicious, he just had to lie back and keep sampling and sampling, until he needed the volunteers to help push him along!!