Dog mushers competing in the 41st Yukon Quest will be mushing from Teslin to Faro starting on Feb. 2, marking a departure from the traditional route to Dawson for the 2025 race.
The 680-kilometre (450-mile) route goes from Teslin up through to the South Canol Road near Quiet Lake and up to a final push toward Ross River on the way to Faro. Racers registered for the 450-mile race will then make a return trip back to Teslin on the same route back through the South Canol Road.
Teams competing in this year's long-distance race come from a diverse range of backgrounds, said the Yukon Quest’s president, Anne Tayler.
Mushers will travel from Alaska, Denmark, New Jersey, Ontario, Wisconsin, and two Indigenous mushers from Fort McPherson and Ontario to compete.
There are 12 mushers registered for the 450-mile race and eight mushers registered for the 175-mile race, Tayler said.
Last year, the first 26 miles were a bit “iffy” for mushers to take off from the original start line, Tayler said. The 2024 start line from Shipyards in downtown Whitehorse was moved to the Suncatchers Inn Cattery on Takhini River Road because of what the organizers called “extremely icy” conditions.
Open waters on the Yukon River between the Carmacks checkpoint and McCabe Creek caused further disruptions during the 2024 race.
“There was a mile of open water last year, you just can't deal with a mile open water. You need a whole new section of trail,” Tayler said.
The 2024 race eventually concluded at Pelly Crossing instead of Dawson City after the discovery of open waters led to mushers being trucked up to McCabe Creek. A logistical issue with hauling supplies at the second-to-last checkpoint before Dawson ultimately led to the Pelly Crossing finish line.
The 2025 Yukon Quest route will take place on a route some mushers may be familiar with, Tayler said. She described the road as a good spot for winter sport adventurers.
“A lot of mushers in the Yukon have trained on the South Canol Road for years, like decades. So it's an area that local mushers have depended on as a route,” Tayler said.
A section of the trail will be going from Ross River to Faro and will utilize the Dena Cho Trail, Tayler said. She added that the trail had been jointly created by Faro and the Ross River Dena Council.
Adam Minder, who is a utilities operator for Town of Faro has been particularly helpful with creating a land route that would be used for the last portion of the race, Tayler said. She added the trail is often used for hiking and snowmobiling.
Mushers can take the mandatory rest breaks anywhere during their journey for the 2025 race, Tayler said. She added that not having a 36-hour layover in Dawson could potentially provide mushers with added flexibility while competing in the event.
“We used to have a 36-hour layover in Dawson. In a shorter race, you're not doing that, but what major change we made this year was that we've got data loggers so that mushers can choose to rest along the trail. There's a certain number of hours they have to rest, but it doesn't have to be all in checkpoints, and that's the key,” Tayler said.
Tayler confirmed with the News that the Yukon Quest began negotiating with Teslin and the Ross River Dene Council in May, 2024 over establishing trail routes and adding a bit of reliability to the race. She explained that the Yukon Quest did not have the time to negotiate down to Dawson but had looked at extending the 2025 race further.
“A new trail is a huge undertaking, and there's a lot more work that must go into negotiating access to different areas and being able to cross traditional territory, and in some cases settlement land. So, it's not a process that you can do quickly,” Tayler said.
The Yukon Quest considered an alternative finish line for the 2025 race by mushers continuing down from Faro to Pelly Crossing and then crossing the finish line at Carmacks.
“We've had really good discussions with both Ross River Dene Council and Teslin Tlingit Council, and we'll be having meetings after the race to make sure that you know that things have gone the way we hoped, and identifying things that need to change or improve,” Tayler said.
Tayler said that the Yukon Quest has worked with Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, Selkirk First Nation, Trondek Hwech'in and Kwanlin Dün First Nation on previous races.
The Canadian Rangers have been a steady and reliable source of help for establishing a trail network for the races, according to Tayler.
“We have a board member out there who is on with the Rangers. So she understands what the trail needs to look like and that’s been great. The reports so far look good. We haven't heard back on the river coming back from Faro to Ross River, that's the only piece that I haven't heard back on yet, but It is looking very good so far. And I have to say, it's a beautiful route,” Tayler said.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
-With files Matthew Bossons
