Sled dog racing season underway at Montana Creek Dog Musher's

After the first scheduled sled dog races at the Montana Creek Dog Musher’s track had to be canceled, trail conditions last weekend improved and were suitable for sled dog racing. Mushers and skijorers from Anchorage, Seward, Willow, Eagle River and Chugiak raced on Saturday and Sunday. Willow’s Egil Ellis won the open class race on Sunday and tied with Willow’s Greg Sellentin on Saturday. The open class raced 13 miles.

Anchorage’s Kim Wells dominated the skijor and 4-dog class events. Trail conditions were slower on Saturday with fresh snow on the hardpacked trail base. On Sunday, temperatures plunged to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit and made for excellent trail conditions.

The Montana Creek Dog Mushers Association are going to hold two more sprint sled dog races at the Montana Creek Dog Musher’s track next weekend.

Another race scheduled for that weekend is the Alaska Excursions 120 sled dog race, organized by Ryan and Erin Redington. The race is on and the start has been moved from Knik to the Aurora Dog mushers club house in Big Lake. Thirty-eight mushers are signed up. The trail follows the Iditarod trail past the Nome sign and back.