Sledding in North America
Where to go?
North America has 3 main areas to go dog sledding in. The first of thes is The USA itself. Many of the northern states experience cold winters which are idea for dog sledding and winter holidays. Alaska, the northernmost state of the USA is propably the most associated with dog sledding with the history of Nome and the annual races. Of course, the Alaskan Malamute also hails from here as well as the rarer Alaskan Husky. The final option is Canada. Canada is a large country and in winter months usually gets a lot of snow! of course, with the country being so far north in places, it's possible to try dog sledding all year round. Some of the more popular areas of Canada to dog sled are the west coast in British Columbia and the neighbouring areas including the famous Rocky Mountains!
A closer look at Alaska
Alaska in general has a long history of dog mushing. It was, and still is in some places, an important mode of travel during winter months. Although, many have switched over to machine powered transportation like snow machines or four wheelers, there are still plenty who choose to run dogs for both practical, recreational, or professional sporting reasons.
In accord with the different types of dog mushing comes a variety of types of sleds. A basket sled, used in dog sled racing, has a bed raised several inches above the surface of the snow. Sprint sleds are often short-bodied basket sleds. In contrast, a toboggan sled has a lower carriage and uses a closed bed, allowing the sled to slide or float over deep snow.
Both of these types of sleds have runners which stick out behind the sled, on which the musher can stand. Older sleds relied on hooks attached to the sled with a rope, whereas modern sleds usually include drag and claw brakes built into the sled. Fairbanks hosts many dog sled races, including the Yukon Quest, the North American, and even the Iditarod which made a historical start in Fairbanks in 2003 due to lack of snow in South-central Alaska.
Many residents of Alaska mush dogs for fun and pleasure, to run a trap line, access areas for hunting, and an increasing number of people are offering dog sled rides to tourists that come visit Alaska.
