Work group hopes to reboot Canada's Yukon Quest

Earlier this month the CBC reported that Canada's Yukon Quest board had disbanded and the race in 2026 would not take place. The reason? Essentially volunteer burnout. 

But today, a band of long-time Quest volunteers announced they were planning a work group to reboot their beloved race - with the hope to make a 1,000mile race fully in Canada. The original message traveled the rounds on facebook in Yukon Quest group pages. 

"THERE IS going to be a Spcial General Meeting of the Yukon Quest on Feb 17 at 6:30 PM at the new Hyatt Place in Whitehorse, in The Yukon Territory," Harry Kern wrote on Facebook. "This meeting will welcome all who are interested in The Yukon Quest, and who wish to know what the heck is happening with this event, and who want to maybe become members, board mermbers, and/or work on a committee."

This post met with almost immediate questions on who was putting this on, how it would work, and all the standard questions trying to vet the information and make sure a scam wasn't in the works. Kern was good to answer questions for much of the morning.

"At present there is no board. They have all resigned. There is now a ‘working committee’ of very dedicated volunteers who have been putting together the pieces required to have a new board of directors in place so that we can plan for another race in 2027," Kern responded to one person's request for information.

Kern encouraged any and all to join the meeting - and pay for a membership to give them voting privaleges. At the Feb 17 meeting they will form an organizing board and committees that will have what Kern says will be a very short term - only until August when they will then hopefully vote a permanent plan and board.

In another comment Kern responded to fans wanting the race to go back to being 1,000 mile race that crosses the Al-Can border. "You cannot plan a thousand mile international race with a thousand volunteers and a million dollar budget and have it sunk by mad cow, covid, or politicians at a ‘whim’," he wrote. "There are opportunities for a thousand miler right here in Canada, and that’s what we aim to do."

As news started to spread there were mushers and fans who were excited and more who were ready to watch with interest but hedged bets. (Sounds like the early 70s and another race.) 

Now, the information appears on the Quest's website and their official social media - giving even more weight to at least the initial plans. Time will tell how far this goes and how successful this work group is.

Meanwhile, the 750 Yukon Quest Alaska is set to start out of Fairbanks on February 7, 2026.

Thoughts on the news out of The Yukon Quest today? Do you think it's possible to right the ship? Comment below!

Canada's Yukon Quest releases statement on Facebook

In a post on Facebook Thursday morning, Canada's Yukon Quest broke its silence on the news yesterday that there would not be a race in 2026. The brief message lined out the biggest issues the organization faced. As with all of their posts in the last few months, the organization limited comments on the post, but that didn't stop a multitude of fans and mushers from sharing the post far and wide on social media.

"As you may have gathered from the flurry of CBC activity," the organization wrote, "there is presently no Yukon Quest sled dog race organized for 2026.

The reasons are quite long in the making, but the volunteer Board that formed in June 2025 inherited a debt of over $30,000 from the previous Board and Race Organization. The debt issue overshadowed everything the new Board tried e.g. one is not allowed to have a raffle license in the Yukon if the proceeds are to pay off debt; and of course divisions arose about the route, although the Rangers wouldn't prep a route on the Yukon River because of the dangers of thin ice...and so the Board became inactive one by one.

The Board could have accessed the funds from YG, except there are strict requirements to access such money, involving marketing plans, detailed budgets and detailed monthly cash flow projections - somewhat beyond most volunteer Board members - to access the money a professional was required to complete the paperwork in order to access the money ... that was needed to pay the professional...Catch 22, the money's there, but money is first needed to pay someone to complete the paperwork, and the Board was sitting on $30k of inherited debt.

If you wish to follow mushing in the Yukon, the sport and people who love and work with their dogs, we suggest you look up these sites:  Yukon Odyssey ,  Yukon Dog Mushers Association  (YDMA),  Dog Powered Sports Association of the Yukon (DPSAY). 

The Quest simply became a business that lost contact with, and failed to nurture, its base: the sport, culture, people and dogs of mushing.

Happy Trails!"

The Yukon Quest in Canada was scheduled to be a 100mile race starting from Whitehorse on January 31, 2026. Alaska's Yukon Quest is still set to start on February 7 in Fairbanks, Alaska, and will travel in a loop of 750miles back to Fairbanks.

What are your thoughts on the Yukon Quest's statement? Do you think it can be saved? Should it? Comment with your ideas below!

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Two more races cancel 2026 events

While the Copper Basin 300 is set to be an exciting race in Alaska this weekend, two races announced they would not run in 2026. As Alaska sees record cold temps and record snow accumulation (thinking of you, Juneau!) the Lower 48 is still waiting for winter weather causing races to continue to cancel or postpone in hopes of better conditions. And another beloved race is looking at an uncertain future with a cancelation fans did not see coming.

Late Wednesday Morning (Pacific Time) the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race announced that the race scheduled for January 22 is canceled. Citing lack of snow to be able to put in safe trails, the race took to Facebook to deliver the news. "We held off making this decision for a few days because of the current storm cycle approaching the area," the race wrote.

"I spoke with a forecaster at the National Weather Service yesterday to get a better idea as to the storm track and timing," the missive continued. "It turns out the forecast was pretty accurate and the storm has tracked well north of us leaving us with rain and a very light dusting of snow. This morning saw lots of blue sky in Wallowa County. Going into next week, we are seeing a warming trend with no additional significant moisture."

The Eagle Cap is the only Iditarod and Quest Qualifier run in Oregon and while the rosters are smaller than what Canadian and Alaska races see, it's a healthy one with many loyal kennels. Comments from mushers and fans alike flooded the Facebook announcement Wednesday with most being grateful for the early announcement so they could make arrangements to run other races outside of Oregon. Others asked if for future years an optional second site for the race could be chosen. 

Wednesday afternoon saw the second cancelation announcement, this one coming from Canada. From an article on the CBC website, the mushing community learned that there will not be a Yukon Quest run in Canada in 2026. The race was scheduled to run on January 31, but little had been released about the race. The Quest in 2025 chose to lock its Facepook posts down not allowing anyone to comment on what they shared. It had many side-eying the race and wondering just what was going on with the beloved event.

While the official reason for the race seems to be something of "volunteer burnout" with the board of directors, there seems to be a little more to it. In the CBC article former board members chimed in with their thoughts and disappointments on the organization. Citing challenges like climate change, trail changes, and community support - it seems the race has no shortage of excuses for why things couldn't come together in 2026.

Pointedly one musher who was a former board member made note that the way the organization handled this year's race information was "disrespectful to mushers." 

This year's race was planned to only be a one hundred mile race, about 350 miles shorter than last year's Quest, and 900miles shorter than its original structure of a cross border race into Alaska. The 1000mile race ended in 2022 when the two boards that ran the International race decided to divorce each other over organizational disagreements (the most public one being about rest schedules and how to track rest). Some also argue that the dwindling roster numbers made it continually difficult to run a successful race with a purse participants came to expect from the race.

This year the Alaskan version of the Quest is set to take place February 7 and has a 750mile loop trail starting and ending in Fairbanks planned with a decent number of mushers signed up to run.

Are you surprised by today's cancelations? Thoughts on the Yukon Quest issues? Comment below with your thoughts!

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2025 Yukon Quest (Canada) race preview

A "cold wave" has washed over the Yukon Territory ahead of this weekend's Yukon Quest (Canada). Yes, do not be confused. We've already talked about one Quest on the Alaskan side of the border, now it's time to talk Canada. 

It's been long enough without the one long thousand mile race that most fans are getting used to (if not accepting of) the duel[ing] Quest races. But, for those who may be newer and don't know the difference, let's get a reminder. The Yukon Quest originally ran a thousand miles through the Yukon region of both Alaska and Canada. It was the only thousand mile race of its kind that ran across country borders. Two boards worked together to put on the race, one on the Alaskan side and one on the Canadian. They would take turns hosting the start and finish. It was considered the "harder" thousand mile race or the "better" thousand mile race by its incredibly loyal fans.

Then small differing of opinions between boards grew into not so small things and a breakdown happened. A pandemic happened. Now, we have two Quests that fans and mushers have had to choose sides. Because instead of having different weekends for the two races in the last couple of races they've run at the same time. Le sigh.

But enough of rehashing the rehashes. Let's talk this year's race.

The Yukon Quest will start out from Teslin, YT and will travel to Quiet Lake, Ross River, and Taro before turning around and heading back for a finish in Teslin. The shorter route goes from Teslin to Quiet Lake and finishes at Ross River. The Yukon Quest is a unique race in that it allows mushers to count their rest on the trail as well as in the checkpoints, only requiring a 6 hour rest (plus time differential) in one of two checkpoints (Ross River 1 or Faro)  in total 32 hours of rest must be taken for the 450. Mushers are allowed to rest in checkpoints outside of that mandatory 6 hours, and it will be counted as "trail rest" so long as it's at least 30 minutes.

For the 175, four hours of mandatory rest must be taken at the checkpoint at Quiet Lake (plus differential) and ten hours out on the trail for a total of 14 hours.

There are ten teams set to run the 450 and eight teams for the 175. Fans will recognize many of the names on the rosters with a few newbies in the mix.

Who to Watch

The 450 is stacked with fan favorites and some great up and coming names, however there are three teams that are most likely strongest to take the top prize.

Jessie Royer - One of the smartest mushers in the field, Jesse is no slouch. She is consistently at the top of very competitive fields both Quest and Iditarod. Jessie is a master at dog training and is quite capable of getting a large team to the finish line. Expect Jessie to run a smart race but be right in the mix and able to take the prize. 

Michelle Phillips - Michelle kind of owns the Quest now that isn't not the beast it once was. Even before she was well known for being in the top five consistently. She's won the 450 twice and is looking for a three-peat. She's nearly a shoo-in.

Mille Porsild - Tenacious is a word often used to describe Porsild. The woman ran the Iditarod with a bout of pancreatitis that nearly derailed her race in McGrath last year. Even with the medical setback that forced her to change her scheduled rests to compensate, Mille managed to come in seventh in a highly competitive field. But, right, we're talking the Quest. Mille is no longer a newbie to this race and she's a quick study. She has decades of experience running dogs. Don't count their fierce musher out.

The 175 is a little harder to tell who may be the best chance to win it all. However with most of the readers of this blog being part of the UglyDog community I would be in the dog house without fleecelined jeans if I didn't mention Quince Mountain as someone to watch just because he's just so gosh darn nice! (But I'd also keep an eye out on Nathaniel and Miriam.)

How to Watch

Official Website
As with all races, the best way to get information about the race is by visiting the official website. The race's website is full of information on the race including rules, musher bios, and checkpoint information. This is where armchair mushers will be able to keep up with the race's press releases.

GPS Tracker
The trackleaders link is already live! The YQCanada is on the ball getting that info to the right people. The only "problem" is it gives the Aliens that much more time to decide where they are going to cause trouble.

Social Media
The race's Facebook page is where the race is most active on social media. They do have an X (Twitter) account but they haven't posted since 2024. They also have an Instagram page. The race plans to do live feeds of the bib draw, start, and possibly finishes on their Facebook page.

Schedule of Events
(times are local time)

Thursday, January 30
6:15pm - Meet the Mushers
7:00pm - Bib Draw

Saturday, February 1
1:00pm - Meet the Dogs

Sunday, February 2
1:00pm - Race Start (450 first, 175 following)

Monday, February 3
2:00pm - Estimated first finish for the 175

Wednesday, February 5
5:00pm - Estimated first finish for the 450

Friday, February 7
5:30pm - Finisher's Banquet

Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

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2025 Yukon Quest (Canada) musher roster

As said previously, we still have two Yukon Quests. Gone are the days of one, thousand mile race across a border traveling historic trail. Now there are two truncated Quests. Sure, it means we get more races - but to make things more "fun" the "new" races continueally take place on the same weekend. So here we are. Try not to get the two confused when watching trackers!

Like the Alaskan version, there are different mileages being raced. For the Canadian Yukon Quest there are two races a 450 and a 175. The 450 has a healthy number of ten teams, and the 175 currently shows eight are signed up. Registration is closed so the rosters are most likely set unless more teams drop out.

As with all of the musher rosters, this post will be updated with any changes and with bib numbers once those are announced on Thursday. For now they're in alphabetical order.

450 Mile

Bib	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
1	Erik Oline	The J Team	Website	Facebook	Instagram
2	Michelle Phillips	Tagish Lake Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
3	Jessie Royer	The J Team	Website	Facebook	Instagram
4	Benjamin Pier Boucher Simard	Tagish Lake/Growlers Kennels	Website	Facebook	Instagram
5	Connor McMahon	Feral Racing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
6	Jesse Terry	On the Land Sled Dogs		Facebook	Instagram
7	Mille Porsild	Mille & Co	Website	Facebook	Instagram
8	Michael Burtnick	Keystone Sled Dogs	Website	Facebook	Instagram
9	Anna Hennessey	Shameless Huskies	Website	Facebook	Instagram

175 Mile

Bib	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
1	Nathaniel Hamlyn	Step Up Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
2	Johnny Koe	Keystone Sled Dogs	Website	Facebook	Instagram
3	Alexander Pai	Dew Claw Kennel		Facebook	Instagram
4	Misha Wiljes	WW Kennel	Website	Facebook
5	Jill Johnson	None	Race Bio
6	Mary England	On the Land Sled Dogs		Facebook	Instagram
7	Miriam Osredkar	Mille & Co	Website	Facebook	Instagram

Rosters as of January 31, 2025 at 4:00pm AKST.

Thoughts on the upcoming races in Canada? Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.

2024 Yukon Quest (Canada) musher roster

Whitehorse is gonna be busy this weekend as it sees the start of the 2024 Yukon Quest (Canadian side). Cold temperatures and icy conditions have modified the start plans and played a role in roster changes. Still, there's a strong list of teams in the 450 and 100 races. The 250 saw the largest drop in names with just two remaining. There are two mushers still trying to make it to the race - given special permission to be late - as their dog truck died on them shortly after entering Canada and they had to be towed back to Tok, Alaska. Fingers are crossed the Squids make it to the starting line (as such they do not have bib numbers as they missed the draw.)

As stated on the previous roster for the Alaskan Quest you kinda wonder what the races would look like if the boards would combine efforts, find a common ground, and put on another 1000 mile race crossing the border... with a 300 and 100 in the mix as well. Pipe dreams...

The YQ250 originally had 4 names on the roster, but two dropped out last minute so the two teams still in it were given two bibs (guessing due to sponsor commitments). 

But you're just here to learn about the teams, not to get all the random details of drama. Let's get to it.

YQ450

Bib #	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
1	Misha Wiljes	WW Kennel	Website	Facebook
2	Normand Casavant	Casaventures	Website	Facebook
3	Connor McMahon	Feral Racing		Facebook	Instagram
4	Kailyn Olnes	ReRun Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
5	Michelle Phillips	Tagish Lake Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
6	Mayla Hill	Elevation Sled Dogs	Website	Facebook

YQ250

Bib #	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
30/33	Louve Tweddell	Echoes Kennel	Website	Facebook
31/32	Crystal To	Elevation Sled Dogs	Website	Facebook	Instagram

YQ100

Bib #	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
45	Amelie Janin	Northern Escape Kennel		Facebook	Instagram
46	Claudia Wickert	Fox Creek Kennel		Facebook
47	Nathaniel Hamlyn	Step Up Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
48	Silas Godber	Elevation Sled Dogs	Website	Facebook
49	Jonathan Lucas	Snowpigs		Facebook
50	Vico Fauveau	StinkyPup Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
51	Sean de Wolski	Bouncing Bumbles	?	?	?
52	Jimmy Lebling	??		Facebook	Instagram

Edited Feb 2, 2024 @ 10:14pm.

So who are you rooting for? Any surprises on the roster? Predictions for who wins? Comment below with your thoughts!

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