The 2012 Race To The Sky, Montana

Still on the trail are James Bardonner of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, at 2:48 p.m., Tuesday with 11 dogs.  Steve Riggs of Olney, Montana, left Seeley Lake Checkpoint after his 6 hour mandatory layover at 3:17 p.m. today with 8 dogs.  The finish line is 70 miles away.  They are both expected to finish in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Steve Mullen of Clearwater, BC, Canada, withdrew at Owl Creek Checkpoint late Monday.  Peter McClelland of Ely, Minnesota, Scott White of Woodinville, Washington, and Chuck Sterni of Tracy, California, withdrew also.

RACE TO THE SKY 350 RESULTS

1st Warren Palfrey, finished at 2:27 p.m., Tuesday, 12 dogs

2nd Laura Daugereau, finished at 4:50 p.m., Tuesday, 10 dogs 

3rd Mark Ibsen, finished at 8:16 p.m., Tuesday, 10 dogs

4th Blake Freking, finished at 9:20 p.m., Tuesday, 11 dogs

5th Tom Thurston, finished at 9:40 p.m., Tuesday, 11 dogs

JR. RACE TO THE SKY RESULTS  

1st Jenny Greger, finished at 6:20 a.m., Monday, 8 dogs

2nd Alea Robinson, finished at 6:23 a.m., 8 dogs

3rd Bailey Vitello, finished at 6:25 a.m., 8 dogs

4th Aiyana Ferraro, finished at 7:00 a.m., 8 dogs 

5th Trevor Warren withdrew

100 MILE ADULT RACE

1st Garrett Warren, finished at 7:38 a.m., 8 dogs

2nd Monte Pearson, finished at 8:29 a.m., 8 dogs 

3rd Chris Adkins, finished at 8:31 a.m., 8 dogs

4th Terry Adkins, finished at 9:36 a.m., 8 dogs

5th Rick Katucki, finished at 9:44 a.m., 8 dogs

6th Morgan Buckingham, finished at 12:50 p.m., 7 dogs

 

Yesterday's news....Warren Palfrey of Quesnel, BC, Canada, left the Seeley Lake Checkpoint at 4:42 a.m. on Tuesday morning with 12 dogs.  He finished his 6 hour mandatory layover and headed to the finish line.  The 70 mile stretch normally takes  8 hours for the quicker teams and at least 10 hours for others.  We may see a winner around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hi-Country Snack Foods near Lincoln.

About an hour behind him is Laura Daugereau of Port Gamble, Washington, leaving Seeley Lake Checkpoint at 5:46 a.m. Tuesday for the finish line with 10 dogs.  It will be one of the earliest finishes for the 350 mile dog sled race.

The public is urged to go to Hi-Country Snack Foods, near Lincoln to see who will be the winner of the 27th Annual Race to the Sky 350 this afternoon.   There will be mushers finishing until early Wednesday morning under the Hi-County Snack Foods finish archway.   Everyone is welcome to cheer them across the finish line.

Mark Ibsen of Helena, Montana, arrived at the Seeley Lake Checkpoint at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday morning with 11 dogs.  Ibsen will be leaving Seeley Lake close to 7:15 a.m. today for the finish line after his 6 hour mandatory.  Next into Seeley Lake Checkpoint was Blake Freking of Finland, Minnesota at 3:49 a.m. Tuesday morning with 11 dogs.   Freking can leave at 9:49 a.m. for the finish line.  Last into Seeley Lake of this group of mushers was Tom Thurston of Oak Creek, Colorado with 12 dogs at 6:37 a.m. Tuesday.  Thurston will be heading to Iditarod in March and can leave Seeley Lake at 12:37 p.m. Tuesday.

Still on the trail to Seeley Lake are Steve Riggs of Olney, Montana and James Bardonner of Signal Mountain, Tennessee.  Both were scheduled to leave Owl Creek Wilderness Checkpoint together around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday for Seeley Lake.  Bardonner is also heading to Iditarod in March.

Steve Mullen of Clearwater, BC, Canada, withdrew at Owl Creek Checkpoint late Monday.  Peter McClelland of Ely, Minnesota, Scott White of Woodinville, Washington, and Chuck Sterni of Tracy, California, withdrew also.

It makes thousands of hours of training, thousands of dollars of dog food, vet bills, and 100% dedication for these teams to get to a race like Race to the Sky.  It is a test of the musher’s training of the dogs and a test of stamina for the teams as well.  Both canines and mushers must be in top physical condition to finish a distance race of 350 miles.

The awards ceremony for the 27th Annual Race to the Sky is at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday at Lincoln Community Hall, main street, Lincoln.  

 

...From 13th - A fast, great trail into White Tail Ranch near Ovando posts some quick times from Hi-Country Snack Foods, near Lincoln and 50 miles over Huckleberry Pass to White Tail Ranch this evening.

The fastest 350 mile teams into White Tail Ranch (checkpoint #3) were Warren Palfrey of Quesnel, BC, Canada, at 5 hours and 2 minutes, next in was Tom Thurston of Oak Creek, Colorado, with a time of 5 hours and 10 minutes.

Other 350 mile teams into the White Tail Ranch  are:

3rd Place          Laura Daugereau of Port Gamble, Washington (5:13)

4                      Steve Mullen of Clearwater, BC, Canada (5:23)

5                      Peter McClelland of Ely, Minnesota  (5:39)

6                      Mark Ibsen of Helena, Montana (5:42)

7                      James Bardonner of Signal Mountain, Tennessee (5:44)

8                      Blake Freking of Finland, Minnesota (5:45)

9                      Scott White of Woodinville, Washington (5:47)

10                    Steve Riggs of Olney, Montana (6:16)

First in for the juniors was Alea Robinson of Eagle River, Alaska with a time of 4 hours and 53 minutes.  Jenny Greger of Bozeman, Montana, and Bailey Vitello of Brookfield, Massachusetts finished in a tie into White Tail Ranch with a time of 4 hours 55 minutes.  Following close behind is Aiyana Ferraro of Victor, Montana with a time of 5 hours and 3 minutes.

Not into White Tail Ranch at the time of posting was Chuck Sterni of Tracy, California, Rick Katucki of Eagle, Idaho, Morgan Buckingham of Garrison, Montana and Trevor Warren of Council, Idaho.

The 100 mile teams must take a mandatory 6 hour rest at White Tail Ranch before they head to the finish at Morrell Creek Trailhead, the north edge of Seeley Lake.

Finishers could complete the 100 mile race as early as 6:30 a.m. Monday morning which will no doubt be one of the teenagers.  The trail from White Tail Ranch to Morrell Creek (Seeley Lake) consists of forests, meadows, a saddle and mountain roads.

Race to the Sky started Friday in Helena with the Vet Check from noon, writes Pam Beckstrom, until 3:00 at the Capital Hill Mall.  Race to the Sky is Montana’s premier dog sled race featuring a 350 mile 12 dog class, a 100 mile 8 dog class for adults and a 100 mile 8 dog class for teens.

Three more teams are into White Tail Ranch near Ovando for the first day of the continuous mileage of Race to the Sky.

One 8 dog, 100 mile teams finished the Hi-Country Snack Foods to White Tail Ranch, Ovando leg: Rick Katucki of Eagle Idaho, finished at 9:16 p.m. with 7 dogs (6:31)

One 8 dog, junior team finished the Hi-Country Snack Foods to White Tail Ranch, Ovando leg: Trevor Warran of Council, Idaho, finished at 9:15 p.m. with 8 dogs (6:24)

The last of the 350 mile teams came into White Tail Ranch from Hi-Country Snack Foods at 7:39 p.m. on Sunday night with 11 dogs.

That means there is one final team on the trail from Hi-Country Snack Foods near Lincoln. That team is Morgan Buckingham of Garrison, Montana. Buckingham runs Alaskan malamutes, bigger dogs but steady working dogs which typically run at a slower speed than the Alaskan malamutes.

This is the 27th Race to the Sky

The official start of Race to the Sky takes place at Camp Rimini, at the bottom of McDonald Pass near Helena, at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 11 and runs approximately 60 miles to the Elk Park finish that day.  Teams are expected to finish between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  The finish at 367 Lowland Road, Elk Park, was previously not accessible to the public but due to the efforts of volunteers, landowners, and snow plowing efforts to open up parking, the finish on Saturday will be accessible to the public as well as the vet check for the 100 mile teams. 

On Sunday, the Restart for the 350 mile teams takes place at 2:00 p.m. at Hi-County Snack Foods in Lincoln, Montana.  The official start of the 100 mile race, both juniors and adults will take place following the 350 mile teams at Hi-Country Snack Foods, also.

The teams will run from Lincoln to the White Tail Ranch near Ovando on Sunday, which is approximately 55 miles nestled up against the Bob Marshall Wilderness.  Teams are expected to come and go from there from 7:00 p.m. and into Monday morning.  The 100 mile teams have a 6 hour layover at White Tail Ranch. 

From Ovando, the 100 mile teams will finish their race at Morrell Trailhead, near Seeley Lake in the early hours of Monday morning with an awards ceremony that afternoon for both junior and adult mushers running the 100 mile race.  It will be at Seeley Lake Community Center.

The 350 mile mushers will continue from Seeley Lake to Owl Creek Wilderness Camp where there is no handler assistance—just the mushers and their dogs camping.  From Owl Creek, the mushers will proceed back to Seeley Lake for a mandatory layover before proceeding to the finish at Lincoln.  Finishers are expected across the finish line in Lincoln on Tuesday afternoon if temperatures stay cool.

Trail officials state there is plenty of snow on the trail for a distance race and that snowpack in some parts of the trail are extremely good.  The trail is hard-packed in most parts thanks to the snowmobiler and groomer assistance.

Adanac Sleds and Equipment in Montana, the home of the world's first x-back harness the Zima x-back, is again sponsoring the Race to the Sky and thus Xtra Dog is involved as we import the Adanac range to the UK. The Xtra Dog Facebook page will provide coverage of the race as it happens as Pam Becktrom will be watching the race and sending us regular updates. If you want to follow the race, please like our pageon Facebbok and keep up to date.

Montana has become an epi-center for high-profile dog sled races and events, including the Race to the Sky. It is ranked as one of the top five sled dog races on earth. This competition is a test of endurance for both dog and driver.

The 350-mile Race to the Sky begins at Camp Rimini just outside of Helena. Camp Rimini was established in 1942 as a military training center for sled dogs and their handlers in case of an invasion of Norway during World War II (luckily, that never happened!). The race runs from Camp Rimini to Deer Lodge. The next day it restarts in Lincoln and goes to White Tail Ranch, Ovando, Seeley Lake Community Center, Seeley Lake, to a wilderness checkpoint and back to Seeley Lake Community Center. The race continues on to the finish at Hi-Country Beef Snacks archway near Lincoln. This long, grueling, winding path makes The Race to the Sky one of the most physically challenging sled races in the world.

It should be a great race and and some great competitors!  Billy Snodgrass has won it before, so has Tom Thurston, Warren Palfrey came in second, Laura Daugereau has placed second, for the 100 mile adults:  Butch Parr won the 300 mile race, Terry Adkins has finished in second, Chris has finished in second, for the 100 mile Juniors, Jenny Greger won the Jr. race last year, Aiyana Ferraro came in second and they are between 14 and 16 years old.

Race to the Sky, Montana’s premier 350 and 100 mile sled dog races, starts on February 10th with the Vet Check at Capital Hill Mall (east side), in Helena, from noon to 3:00 p.m.

On Saturday, February 11th is the Official Start of the 350 mile race at Camp Rimini, at the foot of McDonald Pass, near Helena.  The race kicks off at 10:00 a.m. at the Snowmobile Parking Lot on Rimini Road.

Also on Saturday, February 11th is the 100 Mile Junior and Adult Race Vet Check on Lowland Road, Exit #138, near Butte, off I-15.  The Vet Check starts is from 3:00-4:00 p.m.  Also that afternoon, come and watch the finish of the 350 mile leg on Lowland Road as well.  The 350 mile racers will go approximately 60 miles that day, load their team and head to Lincoln for the continuous race start at Hi-Country Snack Foods near Lincoln at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 12.

This year, there are two 100 mile races.  The Junior Race to the Sky is a 100 mile, 8 dog class for mushers under the age of 18 years old and the Adult Race to the Sky is a 100 mile, 8 dog class for adults.  Both officially start at Hi-Country Snack Foods near Lincoln on Sunday, February 12, at 3:00 p.m.

Checkpoints this year include:  Camp Rimini, Elk Park, Hi-Country Snack Foods, Lincoln, White Tail Ranch, Ovando, Seeley Lake Community Center, Seeley Lake, Owl Creek Wilderness Camp, back to Seeley Lake Community Center, and to the finish at Hi-Country Snack Foods.  Mushers have until Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. to finish the 350 mile race.

Junior and Adult mushers entered in the 100 mile races will finish starting Monday early morning and there will be an awards ceremony for them at Seeley Lake Community Center on Monday, February 13, in the afternoon.

 

2012 Musher Entries

(updated 4/2/12)

 

350 Mile Race

 

Laura Daugereau         Port Gamble, Washington

Steve Riggs                 Olney, Montana

Chuck Sterni               Tracy, California

Billy Snodgrass           Dubois, Wyoming

Mark Ibsen                 Helena, Montana

Scott White                 Woodinville, Washington

Peter McClelland         Ely, Minnesota

Warren Palfrey            Quesnel, BC, Canada

James Bardonner         Signal Mountain, Tennessee

Steve Mullen               Clearwater, BC, Canada

Blake Freking              Finland, Minnesota

Tom Thurston             Oak Creek, Colorado

 

100 Mile Adult Race

 

Garrett Warren           Council, Idaho

Butch Parr                  Whitefish, Montana

Chris Adkins              Sand Coulee, Montana

Jeff Adkins                 Butte, Montana   ?

Monte Pearson           Trout Lake, Washington

Rick Katucki               Eagle, Idaho

Terry Adkins              Sand Coulee, Montana

Morgan Buckingham   Garrison, Montana

 

100 Mile Junior Race

 

Jenny Greger               Bozeman, Montana

Trevor Warren             Council, Idaho

Alea Robinson             Eagle River, Alaska

Aiyana Ferraro             Victor, Montana

Bailey Vitello               Brookfield, Massachusetts