Huskies will say 'woof we go!' at Aviemore this weekend
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All good things ‘mush’ come to an end, say the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain.
This weekend will see the very last Sled Dog Rally in Aviemore, the club told the Strathy as the finishing touches were being put to the 2024 celebration.
“We just want to end of a high,” said committee spokesman Pete Jones.
“It has been in our minds now to move on for some time, but we wanted the timing to be right and since this year marks our 40th anniversary.
“With around 100 teams taking part, the atmosphere will be right for us to call it a day.”
Every year since 1984, mushers from the UK have gathered in the forests around Glenmore for the biggest event in the British sled dog racing calendar.
But this Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain Aviemore Sled Dog Rally on Saturday and Sunday will be the most special.
“There will be available viewing areas for public viewing,” said Mr Jones, “as spectators are always welcome, but they will all be advised on just where to be, for safely, while the races are running.
“And we’ll have a central marquee as our headquarters, along with a selection of stalls and catering facilities. It’s all coming together very well, and there will be teams out all week practising around the trails.
“Of course we don’t know exactly what the weather’s going to do but as ever we’ll expect to have just missed the snow!
“Nevertheless, we’ll be ready for just anything the elements throw at us. We’re all just as handy on wheels as on the sleds, but the one thing that everyone dreads is ice, as that can, at its worst, make racing simply too risky for the competitors.”
Mr Jones is thanking all the locals and the Aviemore businesses for their fantastic support over the years. “And especially Forestry and Land Scotland. They’re helping us find a new venue for the next era of Scottish rallies. We’ll be announcing that when we know.”
Organised by the club in conjunction with FLS, the event is sponsored by CSJ specialist canine feeds, Leucillin and Photizo Light Therapy.
The races are run on forest trails around Loch Morlich. From an original entry of only 12 teams, the rally has grown to become the most prestigious sled dog event in the UK. It features teams of between two and eight dogs pulling their musher on a sled around a four to seven mile trail.
If there’s no snow at ground level for the event, the races still go on with mushers using three-wheeled or four wheeled rigs.
There are eight adult classes and two children’s classes and mushers range from just eight years old to over 60.
Along with the Siberian Huskies, race dogs include Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds and Canadian Eskimo Dogs – the pedigree breeds of dogs first bred to pull sleds in Arctic conditions hundreds of years ago
The start lies just over the wooden bridge from the car park and runs parallel to the ski road for a short distance before entering the forest.
