Skijoring at Vasaloppet Minn.

The traditional race offered limited snow this winter and a shorter course but all of the fun and a new kind of race. 

• 

  Skiers, dogs, handlers, friends, volunteers, and families met near the Swedish Bell Tower on Lake Mora, for some preliminary instructions on the 1st annual Skijor competition at the Mora Vasaloppet.

• Skijoring, a winter sport in which cross-country skiers are pulled by one to three dogs was successfully introduce at this year's Mora Minn. event. Some dogs were there for socialization, to introduce them to the sport and give them the idea that it could be something they might try in the future. Others were experienced skijors. On the race track some dogs bounded, while others were companions in the trek as they ambled alongside their owners, who mostly had to ski and pole instead of being drawn across the ice by their four-footed partner. By race’s end, some dogs would have been happy to go around again rather than be directed toward the finish line. In fact, everyone — dogs included — seemed happy with the event. If one could measure a happiness quotient before, during and after the race, one would have to say, “Ja, just det. Absolut!”
  More on the Vasaloppet, Minnesota itself: Vasaloppet's Snow less Success

• 

  Preliminary instructions on the 1st annual Skijor competition at the Mora Vasaloppet.

• More info, see http://www.vasaloppet.us/ Photos by V. S. Arrowsmith.