CASCADE, Idaho — The sixth annual Idaho Sled Dog Challenge will kick off at the end of January, but will be a bit different. This year there will be a solo course!
The two separate paths for these winter paths will add a new chapter to the region’s seasonal competition. Race organizers are excited to add the solo race into the mix!
“I’m hoping that separating the McCall Winter Carnival and the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is a big benefit for our community, because now people will have to visit Valley County twice if they want to attend both events,” race founder and organizer Jerry Wortley said. “We really hit our stride last year after several years of trial and error and we’ve got it pretty well dialed in now. The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge showcases the remarkable partnership that’s possible between humans and canines and has become one of the West Central Mountains’ most iconic winter events.”
The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge features one of the most grueling mushing competitions due to its topography. It is the only 300 mile Yukon Quest qualifier in the lower 48.
Iditarod and Yukon Quest are considered the longest and the toughest sled dog races in the world!
“Mushers will tell you this is a very, very atypical race,” Idaho Sled Dog Challenge co-founder and trail coordinator Dave Looney said. “Our elevation change is 36,000 feet, which is greater than the Iditarod. They call it a 500-mile race packed into 300 miles. So the dog care and the pacing and the attention they have to pay to the terrain is really important, because there’s a lot of up and down. One musher said the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is like climbing Mt. Everest — twice.”
The 2024 Idaho Sled Dog Competition will begin on Jan. 20 with the “Meet the Musher” event at the Ponderosa Center in McCall. Following this will be a 52-mile Warm Lake Stage Race on Jan. 24 – 25.
Then the 300-mile and 100-mile race starts on Jan. 29 at the Lake Cascade State Park Boat ramp! This year, organizers expect the 100-mile racers to finish the course on Jan. 30. The racers for the 300-mile course are expected to finish around Jan. 31 and throughout the day on Feb. 1!
If you are attending this event or have an interest in going, they are seeking volunteers to help! Volunteers will help with everything from handling dogs to managing parking, setting up and staffing checkpoints, providing food, operating ham radios, putting up fencing, moving straw bales and assisting at the start and finish lines.
“The race could not happen without the generous support, time, and enthusiastic spirit of over 200 volunteers,” Wortley said. “This race belongs to them.”
If you want to volunteer, visit the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge website to sign up!
For more information about the challenge itself, shuttle services and more, please visit the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge website.
