Dog Sled Racing: What It Takes To Compete

In the snow-covered French Alps, one of the longest and toughest dog sled races in the world will take place for the 18th time this January: La Grande Odyssée.
The 35-year-old Norwegian dog breeder Sissel Wolf Mølmen is taking part. Over eleven days, she will compete against other dog sled drivers, the so-called "mushers,” making her way through the Northern Alps at temperatures as low as -30° C.
The "Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont-Blanc" covers 378 kilometers. This year’s edition will see the participation of 68 mushers from France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany and about 600 dogs.
How do you think Sissel Wolf Mølmen and her dogs will do?
#Dogsledrace #France #DWEuromaxx
---------------------------------------------
Subscribe to DW Euromaxx:
bit.ly/DWEurom...
Would you like to find out more about Euromaxx?
▸Website: dw.com/lifestyle
▸Facebook: dw.euromaxx
▸Instagram: dw_euromaxx
DW Euromaxx brings you engaging insights into European cultures and lifestyles.

[@wombatwilly1002]

Huskies must be in short supply in Europe..:) Interesting to see blue tick hounds pulling a sled...:)

[@wombatwilly1002]

@@SpecialSalads Thank you for your reply :)

[@wombatwilly1002]

They look very much like the "blue tick hounds" used here for deer hunting 😊

[@doggodoggo3000]

huskies are slow, so pro racers dont use them. Thats it. Racing is stupid and cruel. i used to work in dog sled racing.

[@angelacanaya6046]

They look strong and agile.

[@user-uj2qj3oc1o]

cool!

[@MichalNachlanis-ik2xj]

Goat

[@user-se2mh7qx5o]

Interesting

[@potugadu5160]

1st!

[@germanshepherd6638]

These dogs aren’t breed for this type of climate. These are greyhounds and only breed for speed. Alaska banned these types of dogs from the Iditarod because they were freezing to death. Please only use winter sled dogs for sledding!

[@eastereggersforlife5908]

They are actually eurohounds, they were bred for dog sledding

[@doggodoggo3000]

The iditarod banned these dogs to save face, thats about it. The iditarod dogs today are basically the same as these, but with just enough hair for them to get away with it. Theres no hard rule or anything like that. The dogs arent dying from freezing todeath, they are dropping dead from over running, damaging their lungs from running for hours through snow, damaging their stomach linings from over exertion. It doesnt have anythign to do with them being cold. They dont get cold when they are running. People LOSE from their dogs getting to hot though. Also this is a different type of racing. The iditarod is over 1000miles. There are three main kinds of dog sled racing, long distance, mid-distance, and sprint. They are all abusive and cruel, but the long distance races have more dogs randomly dropping dead. I worked in sprint racing and mid- distance. So "eurohounds" and GSPs were common. Dogs tend to flunk downward starting at sprint. sprint dogs can do middistance can do long distance, It rarely works the other way around. You can make fast dog run slow but you cant make a slow dog faster. in a nut shell. Just ban racing, its stupid and cruel. "only use winter dogs" is BS and has nothing to do with the issues that the dogs are actually facing.

[@doggodoggo3000]

Women have been in dog sled racing for decades. Its an open secret that women actually do better. Its a pulling sport, lighter drivers have an advantage. Some guys train the dogs all season but make their wives and girlfriends actually run the race. Frankly, the fact the men and women are competing together just highlights how its not actually a sport. If it was, that makes me a retired professional athlete. Which i am not.

[@doggodoggo3000]

Animal racing is cruel. horse racing, dog sled racing, all of it. I worked in dog sled racing, so i ve seen the abuse first hand. In europe they have laws against chaining, but the races are dominated by mushers from the few countries that dont have that ban. hhhmmmm.....

[@argust9574]

horrible animal abuse.

[@wombatwilly1002]

LOL...Ok Greta..:)

[@angelacanaya6046]

Nahhhh Vegans