When the 15 mushers registered in the 2020 Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race get to the starting chute in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Feb. 1 to start the 1,600-kilometre trek to Whitehorse, all eyes will be on the mushers and dogs whoB次元官网网址檝e spent years preparing for the trip.

There is, however, another equally as important cog in the machine that is the Quest B次元官网网址� the sleds.

More than just a platform to carry the musher behind the dogs, the sleds used in long-distance mushing are technological marvels in their own right, composed of high-tech materials and refined over the years to be as light, durable and reliable as possible.

Hans Gatt, a four-time Yukon Quest winner and Whitehorse resident, has been making sleds for as long as heB次元官网网址檚 been in mushing.

B次元官网网址淚 got a couple of Huskies B次元官网网址� that was about 30 years ago B次元官网网址� and immediately started building a sled out of skis,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淭hat was the first step and it just went from there.B次元官网网址�

People liked his sleds, he said, and soon orders started to come in.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 how it all got started.B次元官网网址�

Traditionally made out of wood, sleds today are typically constructed from much fancier and more suitable materials B次元官网网址� typically fibreglass, carbon fibre, aluminum and plastics.

Although the Iditarod allows mushers to use multiple sleds during the race, the Yukon Quest limits each musher to just one sled.

B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got a wooden sled and you hit something, itB次元官网网址檚 pretty hard to fix and youB次元官网网址檙e very likely out of the race,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淪o we were looking at different materials over the years and came up with this. There is a lot of aircraft aluminum used in them now.B次元官网网址�

With the changes in materials, sleds got lighter, stronger and more flexible B次元官网网址� all things Gatt said are ideal in a sled.

Gatt builds his sleds with aircraft aluminum runners that come from the United States designed to work with the Matrax runner system, allowing mushers to quickly and easily swap out the plastic runners.

The stanchions, the posts on the sled that serve as the base for the frame to secure the sled bags, are carbon fibre and use a linkage system to both provide flexibility and make repairs easier.

B次元官网网址淓verything is built to be super flexible,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a linkage system and the sled can bend any way. ThatB次元官网网址檚 important to get the strength because if you built a sled really stiff, it will break every time you hit something.B次元官网网址�

The sleds are typically able to withstand anything the trail throws at them.

B次元官网网址淲e hit trees all the time out there,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淪ometimes when there is not enough snow, youB次元官网网址檙e slamming into stuff. Jumbled ice is another one B次元官网网址� if you hit one of those ice blocks, theyB次元官网网址檙e very unforgiving so the sled just has to take that impact without breaking.

The front of the sled, sometimes called the brush bow, is made of the same material as the plastic sled runners B次元官网网址� ultra-high molecular weight plastic, a material that is both very strong and has a very low co-efficient of friction that allows it to slide through and over the snow better.

As for the sled bags, Gatt said he uses 1000D Cordura B次元官网网址� a nylon product much more durable than the ripstop he previously used.

B次元官网网址淚 used to run with lighter material, but really that stuff is only good for one race,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淭here is so much rubbing going on and you end up with holes.B次元官网网址�

Gatt said he also uses just two different size bolts on his sleds, explaining loose bolts is one of the most common mid-race repairs mushers may face.

B次元官网网址淲e use a lot of thread lock on all the bolts and so on, but they still rattle loose,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淚 try to keep it very simple on my sleds B次元官网网址� so you donB次元官网网址檛 have to carry a whole toolbox with you.B次元官网网址�

Aside from the wrenches required to tighten the bolts, Gatt said wire and duct tape are two absolute essentials.

B次元官网网址淕enerally there is not much which can break,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淪ome people do crash really, really hard and have to fix some stuff but over the years I think I came up with a design which is super reliable.B次元官网网址�

One of the biggest changes to sled design for long distances was the introduction of B次元官网网址渢ail draggerB次元官网网址� sleds, ones with a prominent seat or storage area located behind where the musher would stand, an idea Gatt credits to Jeff King, a past Quest and Iditarod winner.

B次元官网网址淭he idea was to distribute the weight a little better, so youB次元官网网址檝e got some weight in the front, some weight in the back and youB次元官网网址檙e standing in the middle of the sled,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淚t makes a turn very easy and you have a seat of course, which comes in pretty handy in a long-distance race.B次元官网网址�

Another name for tail draggers, Gatt added, is OMS sleds or B次元官网网址渙ld man sledsB次元官网网址� although used by almost all long-distance mushers today.

The tail draggers have another trick up their sleeve though, as Gatt is quick to point out that by removing a handful of pins, the entire rear section of the sled can be removed B次元官网网址� perfect for a finishing kick over the mountain summits headed to a Fairbanks finish line, for example.

B次元官网网址淚t can be done in like a minute at a checkpoint and we all do that at the end of the race,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淟ast year in Central before going up Eagle Summit I did not want that box at the back because you really have to run behind the sled. At that point, itB次元官网网址檚 only 200 miles to go so you donB次元官网网址檛 need the extra space anymore.B次元官网网址�

Having to run beside a tail dragger rather than behind, it turns out, is one of the few disadvantages.

While mushers are stopping by to have their sleds looked over, Gatt said he always builds a new sled for each 1,000-mile race.

B次元官网网址淭he biggest reason is probably because IB次元官网网址檓 always trying out new stuff,B次元官网网址� he said with a laugh. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 always running a prototype and there are always some new ideas I want to try out.B次元官网网址�

Sled building, it turns out, is quite a cooperative process with ideas like KingB次元官网网址檚 tail dragger innovation quickly being adopted by others.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e come up with a lot of new stuff over the years and other people take the idea and implement it into their own sleds,B次元官网网址� said Gatt. B次元官网网址淭here is nothing wrong with that. I mean, you could put a patent on everything but whatB次元官网网址檚 the point in that?B次元官网网址�

Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com