Connect with us

Canada News

Yukon Quest to follow new route this winter because of climate change

Published

on

Yukon musher Michelle Phillips leaves Whitehorse at the start of the 2023 Yukon Quest dog sled race on Feb. 11, 2023. This winter, the race will start and end in Teslin, following a route through Johnsons Crossing, Ross River, Faro, and back again. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

By RCI, CBC News

Race in February will start and end in Teslin via Ross River and Faro

The Yukon Quest sled dog race will follow an entirely new route this winter and organizers say they really have little choice, thanks to climate change.

“We’ve dealt with open water for the past three years, especially,” said Ann Tayler, president of the Yukon Quest board.

“I know that people saw it last year with the open water around Shipyards Park and coming out of Whitehorse, and there was a lot of open water all the way to the Dawson Trail.”

For decades, the annual long-distance race was an international event with mushers racing through the remote backcountry between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska. A few years ago, however, the race was split into two separate events on either side of the border. In Yukon, that’s meant a much shorter race between Whitehorse and Dawson City.

And last year, the Yukon event was cut shorter still as organizers were first forced to make a last-minute change to the start location because of poor trail conditions near Whitehorse, and then also end the race early — in Pelly Crossing instead of Dawson City — because of a long stretch of open water at McCabe Creek.

It simply makes sense to run the event elsewhere this year, Tayler said, because of “Mother Nature, and climate change.”

“So it’s a lot of awareness of how that’s changing and what we have to do to stay safe … it’s pretty striking, and very much present in our thoughts,” she said.

A team gets ready at the start line for the 2019 Yukon Quest at Shipyards Park in Whitehorse. Race organizers say there will be a ceremonial start for this winter’s race on Feb. 1, 2025, in Whitehorse, the day before the actual race begins in Teslin on Feb. 2, 2025. (Crystal Schick/The Canadian Press)

The race this winter will now begin in Teslin, and mushers will travel along Teslin Lake to Johnsons Crossing. From there, they’ll go along the South Canol Road to Ross River, and then along the Dena Cho Trail to Faro before turning back toward Ross River and ending back in Teslin.

That’s about 684 kilometres, organizers say.

A shorter 280-kilometre version of the race will also start in Teslin and end just outside of Ross River.

Tayler said they just didn’t have time to figure out a route that would carry on from Faro all the way to Dawson City, but she’s expecting that will happen for the 2026 race.

“I don’t think people realize how much goes on, to actually scout and check for hazards and do risk assessments along the route, and actually negotiate with people to make sure that you’re not infringing on any land issues, and that you’re going to have a respectful trail through traditional territory of First Nations,” Tayler said.

“It simply takes time, and lots of discussions.”

The 2025 race begins in Teslin on Feb. 2, and there will be a ceremonial start in Whitehorse a day earlier, on Feb. 1. Tayler said the Whitehorse event will be for people who want to see the mushers and their dog teams but can’t make the trip to Teslin, a two-hour drive away.

“Whitehorse has been involved with the Quest forever, as the start line. So we wanted to really try and honour that past, if we can,” she said.

With files from Leonard Linklater

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Lifestyle13 hours ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle1 month ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle2 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver3 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver3 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

My Love Affair With Pearls

On March 18, 2023, my article, The Power of Pearls was published. In that article, I wrote about the history...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

7 Creative Ways to Propose!

Sometime in April 2022, my significant other gave me a heads up: he will be proposing to me on May...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

Why Eating Healthy Matters

We are what we eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy, or fake — we should take these words to...