This season is ging to its end but tomorrow me and Lotta go on a Mountain tour
with the young ones and next week we have a great trip to Pältsa..Swedish Northern Post
I love this end of season trips..its 20 hours sun and you can run the dogs all the days :)
There have been many Females here at the kennel and we made some great breedings
of our own also
There will be some puppies for sale in a while
The breeding we have done is
Alamo and VInd (Roger Dahl/Engholm)
Rumba and Holly
Alamo and Selma
Castro and Libby
We have also used Skorpan in bredings to dogs from Finland and Sweden
I plan a new visit to Alaska in 2-3 weeks
I am bying 2-3 Dogs who run the Iditarod this year in Top Teams
with the best bloodlines avalible over there..
Realy looking forward to it..
I love Alaska
Happy trails
Mats
FEBRUARY 2
The Last Preparings !
The week before the Europes longest race finnmark is always the most to do for us..and me
Run tours, Preparing food drops, Run the race dogs, Check the race dogs..
The Team for the Race this year is
Ross Senja
Titan Belmore
Chess Gross
Alamo Cookie
Daim Duffy
Jenta Elton
Cash Skorpan
Tams Holly
We have Castro injured and Sussex not in good shape
I run the last longer training trip 110 km 2 days ago..and they where realy fine the dogs
MY running schedule for this year is no secret..I am going to run the race with 4-6 hours lesser resting time then last year
it will be good to see how the dogs handle that :)
WE are also Nordic champions in long distance 8 dog class !!
My handler and Guide Roger won the 320 km Tobacco trail with a happy team from my kennel
in very bad conditions snow storm and loose trails
His first sleddog race ever !!
Congrats Roger
Happy trails
Mats
JANUARY 22
Training Season
HI !
This is the Hardest part of the year to train the dogs for Europes longes sleddog race www.finnmarkslopet.no in March
where i going to participate in, But its also the best part !
I realy love this winter period when you can train the dogs for days without meeting other People on the trail only you and the the Dogs and
a lots of wildlife..
On the long run i did 2 days ago to Soppero 220 km..I meet on the trail 11 Moose, Reindeers, Fox, Rabbits, Kings Eagle..Its sooo Nice::
The Trom quest race this weekend was cancelled but it was expected with so less snow they got this year, The next race is the Tobakslöpet in february http://www.huskyexpedition.com/
Its a long distance race for 320 km..3 weeks before the start of Finnmarkslopet
I got help with the training the last weeks its Roger Kemi a former Sprint musher he is singed up for the Tobakslöpet trail in february with my Team
It feels super good he is a good Dog Person and we head out for training next week togheter
This is the Team with 18 Dogs who is in full training at this moment
Holly Titan
Alamo Jenta
Cash Tams
Skorpan Senja
Daim Duffy
Elton Chess
Castro Gross
Belmore Cookie
Ross Sussex
Happy Trails
Mats
Oktober 5
Visit From Hans Gatt
HI again..Last weekend we had a super nice sleddog seminarium in Kiruna
with visits of Great Mushers as Hans Gatt (Yukon quest winner), Roger Dahl (FL Winner), Sven Engholm, Milos Gonda and much more.
It so nice to meet all this people every second year talking training, equiments, dog and whatever..
I was also a personal friend to Hans Gatt during this days in Kiruna.Hans is a super friendly guy who has run all the longest sleddogs races in Alaska and Canada the last 15 years !
WE was also out an training my dogs togheter, and Hans gave me some nice talk about checkpoints routines and training scedules for the sleddogs preparing for longer races
WE have just passed 1000 km in training this week and we are looking forward to the snow for the dogs feets and they realy love it when it comes !!
The A Team in training is
Alamo Holly
Ross Senja
Sussex Jenta
Castro Chess
Gross Cash
Daim Duffy
Elton Jackson
Titan Belmore
Tams Hedda
Meja Cookie
September 17
NEW Handler
HI everybody, The Training here is going fine..Rain 11 days in a row !! Wow
WE have run with the ATV and The Troll Carts 500 km since August 1 st
We run 3 Different Teams, 2 Teams run the longer Run 17 km and one team with young dogs and the Older
ones run 10 km.
We have a New Kennel Help here name is Marit Hetta and has run dogs last year for the
Iditarod Champion John Baker i Kotzebue (Alaska).
She run also some race there as Kobuk 440, So ths year she is going to stay at our kennel and do some Guiding tours and some Races
with our Sleddogs.
We also have some Beutiful Puppies 4 weeks old now after Alamo (J.King) and Megan (Kvikk/Jarvi) R.Dahl
They look Great ! i will be selling one or two from this litter, they are ready to go when we have the Seminarium here in Kiruna the first week in oktober.
Where we have visit From Hans Gatt, Roger Dahl, Jerry Vanek, Tim White and Milos Gonda.
We realy looking forward to that !
The Race plan for this year is
Training race in Dec (2 Teams)
Troms Quest in January (2 Teams)
Tobaco Trail Race in Kiruna 17-19 February (1 or 2 Teams)300- 350 km long new race
Finnmarkslöpet 1000 km in March (Mats)
Pasvik Trail April (Marit)
More information later on
Happy Trails
April 15 Breeding Season
HI
The season is still going fine here at our kennel..
Today Sam is at Riksgränsen running some dogs with some guests, Me and Elin running our Troll Carts with guests here at our kennel and we are waitning for 3 Females to have puppies next week, Thers is going to be 2-3 Puppies for sale if someone is interested.
The Litters is Skorpan/Paris and Rumba/Kynndalens Hennes and Alamo/Laika
The Puppies price is 7000 skr/puppie
Today also Mel Andrews comming to my kennel and looking for some adult dogs to buy and bring 2 Puppies
from Meja/Belmore breeding home to Norway
I will also sell 2-3 Adult dogs from my Training/Racing Team next week if someone is interested
I am so happy with the dogs during the the race what a team !
they did a super work from start to finish we come into a 9 th place with 13 hours more resting time then the team
just infront of us, and they where only one hour before us so we run 12 hours faster on the trail !!
My leaders where super Alamo run 90 % as leader dog and specially in bad weather he an Titan was super strong.
Ross was amazing and Sussex had more weight at the finsh line then the start, Cookie and Cowboy where the realy super strong dogs all the way
to the finish line, Skorpan got a small wrist injurie but he is ready to run Pasvik trail next week.
Holly 20 months old has run this year Training run, Troms quest, Femundlopet 600 and finish the Finnmaklopet 1000 km !! i can not think any other
20 months old dog doing that this year and finish all the race Super dog..Puppie on here in the summer for shure.
Elton is super strong dog and run 3 races this year, Castro and Chess is 2 of my favorites Chess run untill levajok 2 over 800 km untill i dropped here
because of a swollen biceps..she is ready again and run today on a tour.
Gross my old boy 6 years run to the finish line such a nice and friendly dog and never any problem with him.
The bigges surprise for me during the race was Daim a Rumba son so impressing and run with stretch line all the way.
So this years race is over with a 9 th place and so much comments from mushers along the trail that they where so impressing over the speed in the tam
actally we never was overtaken from a team on the trail since the second checkpoint in skogan varre, My team passed 16 team from that checkpoint to the finish.
Most impressing was at the finish line they where ready to go out again jumping in the harnesses, thats a nice feeling
I want to thank my super handlers during the race Sam and Alena (Making food) and Tormod and Berit for staying at there place before and after the race
its nice to have good friends.
.Super thanks
And a Big Congratulation to my good friend Roger Dahl and his super team who won the race
Best Regards
Mats
January 30
Race !!
I and Sam have been on the Troms Quest Race 180 km Long last week.
WE end up At the 7 Place of 28 Mushers
The dogs work fine for me even it was pretty warm minus 2 at the start, we have a cold winter and my dogs run best in minus 20.
I Run 4 Older Dogs and 8 young dogs at the Race, And the Rumba Young dogs are amazing nice dogs, Happy ! Sleep when they need
The Team I Run was
Alamo Ross
Chess Castro
Daim Laika
Elton Holly
Skorpan Tams
Gross Sussex
Now we are looking forward to The World Championship in Long distance where my Friend Tommy from Svalbard is Running with my dogs week.
The Team Tommy Run from me is:
Alamo Ross
Sussex Senja
Tams Skorpan
Isa Daim
Gross Holly
Chess Elton
Good Luck !!
January 05
Friends
Hi
Working with animals is the best i know, but sometime you have up and downs
for 3 days ago we find one of my best friend 2,5 year old Nelson dead in his Doghouse, it looked like he just was sleeping, a totlal mysterium for us we run him some hours before and he was totally fine..
I have my best friend Tommy preparing for Femundlopet here also some days and we made longer trips to Soppero with the dogs nearly 200 km in 36 hours and the dogs look very fine, i even bring 3 young dogs on the trip Meja and Jenta thats 2 Rumba daugthers and Holly, it was nice seeing Per-Nils and Britt mari again in Soppero.
Kurt and Lindsay is also here helping me preparing for the season with training and some work and thats fine.
is 20 dogs still in training for the race this season and the race is Troms Quest in Norway in 2 weeks.
WE have perfect conditions with much snow and cold days for the dogs and Mushers.
Happy trails Mats
December 16 Race reports
HI
The Race season has started..My handler Sam was participated in Taistos Race last weekend with a lot of Good Mushers who is in training for La Grand Odysse and other big Races.
A lots of Fast dogs and mid distance teams..
Taistos Handler Milos was winning the race over 160 km with a very nice team and Sam did a grat work with the dogs he had
Titan Ross
Skorpan Senja
Holly Elton
Gross Castro
The Most of the Team had 11-12 dogs but since it was Sam first race 8 was fine.
He actually gained on 3 teams the last 50 km which is very impressing !!
Now its snowing a lot which is good the trail has been hard the last days and i was afraid of injuries.
WE have trained 20 dogs more then the others and its very hard to take out the best so far..We
have run between 300- 400 km/week with some of the Race dogs and we havent had one bigger injuries so far.
The race is mayby around New year to Soppro and back if Taisto have time to arrange it and after that its Troms Quest,Femund lopet and Finnmarsklopet 1000 km for the dogs this season..
Mayby we end the Season with a Pasvik Trail also..
Happy Trails
Mats and Dogs
November 30 Northern Lights and Dogs
So we have had some perfect conditions over the last few weeks and have been enjoying the cooler days. The dogs are in hi sprit and have been whitness to some spectular Northern Lights (check out the new photos added). We are doing longer runs with the race dogs which gets me back to the fact that i better get back out this evening
If you have not all ready booked you tour, what are you waiting for as the conditions could not be better!!!!
Happy Trails
Sam Walmsley
Kiruna Sleddog Tours
October 28
Good To run on Snow
HI..
WE have been working with the Trail the last days and now we can make our Runs for the last days to our closest Village Kurra vaara its about 20 km.With the Race dogs we make to Runs about 40 km..And Yes its nice to be on the Sled..
The Race dogs is now 20 dogs that we train and its a lot of leaders.
Some of The Ledares Are
Titan (Yea his Good)
Alamo (Very Good on commands)
Skorpan (Good Speed)
Senja (Speed)
Sussex (Brain)
Ross (Cool Boy)
Holly (Howling when its to slow)
Happy Trails
Mats
October 12
Camp Training
So, it finally looks like winter is upon us. It snowed overnight and we are silently praying that it sticks around so we can get the sleds out.
Emily, a French girl who has been assisting training the last couple of weeks, and I (Sam) have been out camping with the dogs to get them used to sleeping away from the yard, as you would on the race trail. Emily, took many photos during the trip and some of witch can be found on the photo album , 'camping and more fall training' they are extremely cute, and should not be missed.
The puppies are starting to get bigger and bigger and we have been taking them out on progressively longer walks, I say walks but we have been using the ATV to try and keep up.
Sam Walmsley
Kiruna Sleddog Tours
October 12
Camp Training
Hello..The training is going great so far..and i have a new handler who helps me from Australia his name is Sam and has been running dogs in Canada the last 2 years..He is going to help me uppdate my home sajt later on with s and storys..
They look Great ! i will be selling one or two from this litter, they are ready to go when we have the Seminarium here in Kiruna the first week in oktober.
The Litters is Skorpan/Paris and Rumba/Kynndalens Hennes and Alamo/Laika
Elton is super strong dog and run 3 races this year, Castro and Chess is 2 of my favorites Chess run untill levajok 2 over 800 km untill i dropped here
because of a swollen biceps..she is ready again and run today on a tour.
Gross my old boy 6 years run to the finish line such a nice and friendly dog and never any problem with him.
Hello..The training is going great so far..and i have a new handler who helps me from Australia his name is Sam and has been running dogs in Canada the last 2 years..He is going to help me uppdate my home sajt later on with s and storys..