Freight Pull ON; Reach for the Sky... ON

Trail flagged, volunteers prepared, everything is a go.

One small change, max dog numbers reduced to 10 on account of thin snow cover in some places. Cover is complete, but thin occasionally. Flagging is green and orange; Standard CHT race rules apply.

Freight Pull - standard rules apply, your dog has 60 seconds to pull the weight. NO treating during the competition.

Dress warm, it was cold on the trail tonight. Bring a log for the firepit, and something for the potluck. 

Good luck (oh, does that bring the element of chance back in? I'd better call the Gambling Police to check)

Reach for the Sky AND TAKE THE BEER

Race is on, trail is being flagged as I type!!

Sat Dec 1st - a Feast of Dogsports

Taplow/First Mate Extreme Dog Food Freight Pull

One Tonne of dog food to be won across 3 classes. Meet at Icy Waters Ltd, km 4.2 Fish lake Rd at 11.30am (very reasonable, even Janet might be able to wake up by then eh Ms. Kerr? Janet was to run in the Sportees Twister, but turned off her alarm clock and rolled back to sleep - shades of Slacker Kennel from 2006 and of course the classic Eilidh Lucas rollover that cost her $100 and a second place in the Pet Dog League - enough embarrassing histories...). Freight Pull (FP) - all you have to do is get your dog to stand/sit/wait whilst it is connected to a sled, then you walk 16 feet to the finish (such a short distance), then you turn, call your dog, and FP Marshall Judith Belair (her word is law) times the dog's pull. You have 60 seconds the complete the pull. If another dog matches the weight, another round ensues. In the event of a tie, the fastest pull wins.

Yep, sounds really easy - try it out on your backyard.

Please do not place bets, this is a gambling free sporting event, I am in enough trouble regarding my alleged illegal dog gambling ring in the "so-called' Poker Run (see below). I am very grateful to the upstanding moral local citizen who reported me to the Gambling Police and has kept dogsports on the straight and narrow. Clearly Yukon dog sports were in grave danger of being sucked into the murky depths of vice in the Yukon.

REACH FOR THE SKY AND TAKE THE BEER

AIR NORTH, YUKON BREWING, AND HOT HOUNDS COMBINE FOR THE FOLLOWING PRIZES:

1st $100 Air North Certificate; $100 Yukon Brewing Certificate; $200 Hot Hounds Cash

2nd $100 Air North Certificate; $100 Yukon Brewing Certificate; $50 Hot Hounds Cash

3rd $100 Air North Certificate, $50 Hot Hounds Cash

Not too shabby for a $ZERO entry fee. A big thank-you to Air North, Yukon Brewing, and all you summer Hot Hounders (and HH sponsors - Yukon Gardens, Phillipe's Bike Repair, Icy Waters, and Yukon Brewing)

Meet at Icy Waters Ltd (IWL) km 4.2 Fish Lake Rd at 8.30am. 

4-6 dog teams leave at 10.00am, 7+ teams at 10.30 am.

Route: IWL - Jackson Lake - Sunshine Valley Ranch (stakeout lines, heated shop, coffee, hot water - a good place to take a break) - Sky High Ranch (Fish Lake area support skidoo) - Fish Lake - shoulder of Mt Mac (4400')(card drop and pick-up of Yukon Brewing refreshing beverage) - Copper Haul Trail - IWL.

Sign the disclaimer, answer the SKILL TESTING math question, collect 6 cards over the trail (be nice to the people with the cards, they don't have to run after you if you miss the pick-up). At the finish line hand over your cards to Race Marshall Bill Stewart. The best 5 card Poker hand wins.

There's no rush, take your time, enjoy the view, and have fun. Bring something for the prize award potluck!

Disclaimer: This sporting event will not be found in on-line gambling

Sportees Race Day -

Under thin cloud cover and over even thinner snow, 16 teams launched the first meet of Yukon Brewing’s second Copper Haul Twister season.
A slight trail detour, and a one week delay, to the Sportees league opener compensated for November’s balmy weather. “In places the snow looked all fluffy and thick,” said Eilidh Lucas. But when she face-planted near the top of the course, she discovered, “There were big rocks underneath.”
Conditions didn’t slow rookies or veterans, though. Speeds ranged from 15 to 23 kilometers per hour over the 12-mile course. First place went to Luc Tweddell’s four dogs. His 51:04 finish beat his November 2006 time by over 11 minutes. Eilidh Lucas' four-dog second of 52:12 topped her father Jonathan’s three-dog third of 53:51. Eilidh's runners sprayed Dad with snow as she sped past laughing while he wrestled out a tangle among team and skis.
For handler-in-training Faith Green, Saturday’s Twister was her first time on the runners. “Man, it was great! I’ve never had so much fun in my life.” Now she’s considering the “Reach for the Sky and Take the Beer” 22-mile poker run up and down Mt. MacIntyre (and presently the subject of a Lottery Commission investigation – see newsflash below) or the Taplow/First Mate Extreme Dog Food freight pull at Icy Waters on December 1.
In the pet-dog class, the Lucas’ Rottweiler, Asha, stood alone at the start. Bike-joring with Jonathan, she completed the 5-K course in 16:07.
No competitors registered for the kid’s race, so the 5-K under-14 class stays open. Haines Junction musher Sean Fitzgerald was also missed, but Heather and future dog drivers, Sarah Grace and Adelaide Anne, are doing well.
Next month’s junior and youth Arctic Winter Games dogsled trials, hosted by the Twister, should bring out many young drivers. Meet at Icy Waters at 9 a.m. for H. Coyne and Sons Race Day on Saturday, December 15.
-30-
Jessica Simon yukonwriter@lycos.com writes about adventure sports from Whitehorse, Yukon.

NEWSFLASH: Reach for the Sky and Take the Beer raided by Gambling Police

Complaints regarding illegal gambling of the so-called "poker run" prompted a raid by Yukon's Gaming and Lotteries Commission on the HQ of the CHT today. The HQ, hidden in a dark backroom inside Jon Lucas's head, was informed that an "entry fee" is the same as a "wager" on a "chance" (taking the cards to make up a "poker" hand), in order to "win" a prize, or bet. Threatened with the RCMP over infringement of the Canadian Criminal Code, the CHT took legal advice and the race is STILL ON, with the following changes:

1) There is NO Entry Fee,  - free racing!! - therefore no one places a wager

2) There must be a skill factor - apparently driving a team of dogs over 22 miles, up and down 2000' , over frozen lakes, glaciation, and dodging trees etc is not the right skill for a dog competition...so: the disclaimer will have a mathematical 4 step skill testing question - the math question adds the factor of skill and removes any chance in the outcome.

Yes, it would  be most amusing, if it weren't true. Additionally the legal advice still could not guarantee that this would not be breaking the law - well the competitors won't be - the organisers may be ... for holding a free race. 

Very seriously, it's a free race on Saturday, no donations either thank you; answer the math question on the disclaimer, and enjoy the ride.

See you all 8.30am sharp at Icy Waters Ltd - please don't dribble in over 30mins - like some Twisters did on the 24th.

Race Leagues after Race 1 (Sportees)

Pet Dog League

1 10 points Asha + Jon Lucas Snowpigs

Copper Haul Twister League

1 10 points Luc Tweddell

2 8 points Eilidh Lucas Snowpigs

3 6 points Jonathan Lucas Snowpigs

4 4 points Dominique Ouleray

5 2 points Maren Bradley

Dogs Love the Twister!!

Moose warms up with a few star jumps just before the off