Alaska Skijor and Pulk Association

Chena Lakes Race Saturday, February 11

stabbert — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:50:33 +0000

ASPA will be holding a race at the Chena Lakes Recreation Area on Saturday, February 11. There will be 3.8 mile and 6.5 mile distances, and racers can run 1, 2, or 3 dogs. Please preregister by contacting Sara Tabbert at 479 0456 or stabbert@hotmail.com before Thursday Feb 9 at 6 pm. (I will be away from phone and email from Tuesday morning through Wednesday afternoon so don’t worry if you don’t hear back right away.) All racers need to preregister for this race, and participants need to be current ASPA members. If anyone is interested in a longer distance please contact Sara. Check in at 11:30 or earlier, race meeting at 11:40, racing starts at noon. Please see the trail map for the Mike Agbaba trail system on the “trails” section of this website.

If it is -15 or colder at 9:30 am at 458-3745 extension 1113 on the day of the race it will be cancelled. Call the ASPA hotline 457 5456 shortly after 9:30 to verify the status of the race. We also need volunteers for starting, timing, and handling.

Complete race details: [Word] [PDF]

Practice Clinic #2 Date and Time Change

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:28:07 +0000

The second of two Practice Clinics is scheduled for Saturday, February 4th at Creamers Field. NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE FROM THAT REPORTED IN THE JANUARY 2012 NEWSLETTER WHERE IT WAS TO BE ON SUNDAY. I’ve moved it forward one day because I really want to do the Trail Tour on Sunday. With this long cold snap, I am really missing skiing–badly. We will be slow and out of shape. Besides, the clinic
won’t interfere with any Superbowl Sunday activities of our ASPA members.

This clinic will emphasize the basics and is meant for novice skijorers. In my travels around town, at the dog park, Petco, etc. I’ve had folks who have tried skijoring, but are not good skiers and/or the dogs won’t pull, etc. Well, this is the clinic for you! In particular we are going to discuss and practice SKIING basics. I will have both my skate as well as classic skis on hand. The biggest thing I’ve noticed keeping owner and dog from being able to skijor is the owner’s inability to ski or stay upright. Having good balance and confidence in skiing is a very important first step to successful skijoring. It is important when starting your dog in skijoring to not be frustrated when you fall. The most important thing for your dog as well as for you is to have FUN!!

We will meet at ~~11:00 AM~~ 1:00 PM (new time!) at the Creamer’s Field farmhouse and have a 30 minute question and answer session. Afterwards, we will practice skiing basics, using the skijor training trails at Creamer’s Field across from the Farmhouse. Afterwards, if there is still interest, we can attach our dogs and continue to practice. All participants must be members of ASPA due to liability concerns. Cost is free to all ASPA members.

The Practice Clinic will be cancelled if the temperature at 458-3745 extension 1113 at 9:30 AM on February 5th is colder than –15F . NWS states it is supposed to be warmer this weekend….

So come and practice skiing and skijoring and most importantly, HAVE FUN!! If you would like to help out with handling, advice, and/or show up with behaved dog(s) who will act as “rabbits” for novice dogs to chase later in the clinic please contact Lisa Stuby at 458-7657, or e-mail at las@acsalaska.net.

Isberg Recreation Area Trail Tour Feb. 5th

matt — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:49:17 +0000

Join us for a trail tour of the Isberg Recreation Area on Sunday, February 5th. The trail can be bumpy in sections and encounters with other trail users and/or moose can occur. No unleashed dogs please. The tour will cover 7.5 miles of flat and hilly terrain. The trail is nice for 1 or 2 dog skijor teams. More can be used, but you may be skiing by yourself. Let’s plan on meeting around 12:50 on Oboe Ct. (Isberg trail head). To get there: follow the Parks Highway away from Fairbanks, Make a Left onto Cripple Creek Rd.(past Ester), after 1.5 miles make another Left onto Isberg Rd., Make the first left onto Oboe Ct. and park along the right side of the road. If the temperature is below -10F at 11:30 that morning (458-3745 ext 1113 weather) we will cancel. The Isberg trails can be a little warmer than in town, but remember to dress appropriately and bring extra layers and snacks. If you have any questions contact Matt Sprau at 456-8585 or matt.sprau@gmail.com. Participants in the trail tours are required to be members of the Alaska Skijor and Pulk Association. Membership forms are available on the website and will also be available on Sunday.

Willow Winter Carnival Skijor Race This Sunday

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:55:47 +0000

Rebecca Knight of the Anchorage Skijor Club would like to invite skijorers this Sunday to the Willow Winter Carnival Skijor Race. More information is available here. This could be a great opportunity to race, since we’ve had to postpone so many ASPA events this year!

Goldstream Valley trail tour Sunday Jan 29 . . we hope!

stabbert — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:44:35 +0000

The weather has foiled us every weekend in January so far, but. . . . . Let’s meet shortly before 1 pm at the pullout on Ballaine road (approx 3/4 of the way down the hill on the right if you are headed into Goldstream Valley. ) If it is colder than -10 degrees F. at 11:30 that morning (458-3745 ext 1113 weather) we will cancel. We’ll travel a 9 mile loop on various kinds of trails. This is a good route for a mellow two dog team or one strong dog. Encounters with other trail users, overflow, moose, and ungroomed trails are all possible. No loose dogs, please. If you have any questions please contact Sara Tabbert at 479 0456 or stabbert@hotmail.com. You need to be a member of the skijor club to participate.

Jan 22 trail tour canceled

janna — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:45:27 +0000

The weather forecast is not favorable for a trail tour this Sunday. Our minimum is -10 and it’s looking like -17 at best. So stay home, curl up with War and Peace, and gives your dogs extra tummy rubs. We’ll see what the following weekend brings.

UAF Race Postponed

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:56:28 +0000

From Brian Charlton, race director:

I’m sorry to inform you that we are cancelling/postponing this Saturday’s race due to weather. I realize this is in advance of our standard policy but with the signage and preparation required to put this race on we needed to make the decision before the morning of the race. The forecast is for a high temperature for the day at or near our 9AM race cut off.

I will attempt to reschedule this race, likely some time in March, pending UAF approval. Thanks for your interest and thanks to the optimists who were still sending me per-registrations.

Skijor Trail Tour – Sunday 15 January

dkatwood — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:54:48 +0000

If things warm up, join us for a trail tour off Chena Hot Springs Rd. We will meet around 12:45 PM at the end of Love Rd and head out at 1:00 PM. (Heading east on CHSR, you will pass a sign for Steele Creek Rd well before Nordale Rd. Love Rd is just past that sign, on the right hand side.) If it is colder than -10 degrees F at 11:30 that morning (Check at 458-3745 x 1113 weather), we will cancel.
The route we select will be approximately 8 miles long, through forests and over frozen ponds. This is a beautiful area with generally nice snow machine trails.
If you have any questions please contact Don Atwood at 347-9493 or dkatwood@alaska.edu.
Make sure to dress appropriately and bring extra layers/snacks just in case.

Trail Tour – January 8 in Goldstream Valley

matt — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:15:55 +0000

Join us on January 8th for a trail tour in the Goldstream Valley. You need to be an ASPA member to participate. We’ll have a quick briefing around 12:45 pm at the pullout just past Anne’s Greenhouse on Sheep Creek Road and then we’ll get on the trail by 1 to maximize the daylight. If it is colder than -15 degrees F. at 11:30 that morning (458-3745 ext 1113 weather) we will cancel. The route we will take is about 10 miles long and the trail can be narrow and bumpy in some sections. As of January 5th the trail was in great condition. This is a good route for a mellow two dog team or one strong dog. Encounters with other trail users, overflow, moose, and ungroomed trails are all possible. No loose dogs, please. If you have any questions please contact Matt Sprau at 456-8585 or matt.sprau@gmail.com. Make sure to dress appropriately and bring extra layers/snacks just in case.

Practice Clinic #1 on January 8, 2012

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:11:52 +0000

It is that time of the year again for the first of two Practice Clinics. These are very low-key sessions where we will practice skiing and skijoring basics. These clinics are meant for novices. In my travels around town, at the dog park, Petco, etc. I’ve had folks who have tried skijoring, but are not good skiers and/or the dogs won’t pull, etc. Well, this is the clinic for you! This year in particular we are going to discuss and practice SKIING basics. I’ll have both my skate as well as classic skis on hand. The one thing I’ve noticed keeping owner and dog from being able to skijor is the owner’s inability to ski or stay upright.

We will meet at 11:00 AM at the Creamer’s Field farmhouse and have a 30-minute question and answer session. Afterwards, we will practice skiing basics, using the skijor training trails at Creamer’s Field across from the Farmhouse. Afterwards if there is still interest, we can attach our dogs and continue to practice. Total time should be approximately 1 to 2 hours.

The temperature cutoff for this event is –15F. Cost is free, and you must be a member. You can join at the clinic.