By Julie St. Louis
Special to the Turnagain Times
Most dogs love to play in the snow just like their people. Fortunately there are winter sports and equipment to accommodate both two and four-legged athletes. Skijoring, sledding, or just hiking in the snow till you plop down to make human and snow puppy angels will put a smile on your face and make for a tired pooch at the end of the day.
Skijoring originated several hundred years ago in Scandinavia as a way for
people to travel during the winter months. Back then the animal was a horse or reindeer. Today when people talk about skijoring they usually refer to one of the fastest growing snow sports that combine cross-country skiing with dog mushing.
Skijoring is great way for you and your dog to keep in shape during the long winter without spending a lot of money. Not including skis, the set-up will run you around $110 to $150. The initial outlay covers a specially designed belt for you, a harness for your dog and the bungee-like cord that connects between you and your pup. Even if you have a dog that is too small to pull you, he or she can still run alongside you while you cross country ski.
Another option for you and your pack is sledding or dog mushing. For the novice, a kick-sled is a good option. A kick-sled is as it sounds—a sled that you push by kicking your foot off the ground. This is also a lightweight sled that you can hook your dog or dogs to and let them pull you and your gear, or maybe a lucky lad or lass riding on the seat in front of you. For sledding you'll need a pulling-style harness and the bungee type cables that connect to the dog and the sled. A harness and a cable will cost around $70 and a kick sled between $200 and $400.
Girdwood and surrounding recreation areas provide many options for skijoring and dog sledding. Moose Meadows and the trails behind Alyeska Resort leading through the aptly named Enchanted Forest are wonderful spots for beginners as the terrain is mostly level and often groomed for this purpose. There are also skijoring clinics and clubs in Anchorage. Once you get the hang of it you can even enter skijoring races. To find out more visit the Anchorage Skijor Club on the web at http://www.skijoring.org or call the “Woof Line” at 907-349-WOOF.
GRRdwood Pets & Green Goods stocks all of the skijoring pieces in assorted colors, sizes and set-ups for multiple dogs as well as standard sled dog harnesses. We also have the book “SkiJor with Your Dog” by Mari Hoe Raitto, the person who first introduced skijoring to North America. Girdwood Ski & Cyclery rents and sells kick sleds.
Finally, if you don't want to begin a new sport, take your pooch with you on a hike on one of the many wooded trails, including parts of the Iditarod Trail in Girdwood, or trails in Chugach Forest or State Park.
For more information on winter trails check with the U.S. Forest Service office as you turn into Girdwood, just past the rail crossing at Monarch Mine Road, or call 907-783-3242.
Julie St. Louis is the proprietor of GRRdwood Pets & Green Goods located at 148 Holmgren Place, next to the Laundromall, 783-0226 or http://www.grrdpets.com.
