The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain 40th Aviemore Sled Dog Rally

Every year since 1984, mushers from the UK have gathered in the forests around Aviemore for the biggest event in the British sled dog racing calendar, The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain Aviemore Sled Dog Rally January 27th-28th will be the 40th anniversary rally and also the last ever SHCGB Aviemore Rally.

Organised by the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain in conjunction with Forestry and Land Scotland and sponsored by CSJ specialist canine feeds, Leucillin, and Photizo Light Therapy .The race is run on forest trails around the beautiful Loch Morlich, in the shadows of the Cairngorm mountains.

From an original of only 12 teams, the race is now one of the most prestigious sled dog races in the UK . The race features teams of between two and eight dogs pulling their musher on a sled around a four to seven mile trail. If there’s no snow at ground level for the event, the races still go on with mushers using a three-wheeled or four wheeled rigs. There are eight adult classes and two children’s classes and mushers range from just 8 years old to over 60. Along with the Siberian Huskies, race dogs include Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds, Greenland Dogs and Canadian Eskimo Dogs – the pedigree breeds of dogs first bred to pull sleds in Arctic conditions hundreds of years ago

The trail is a designated cross-country ski course and is clearly defined. The Start lies just over the wooden bridge from the car park and runs parallel to the ski road for a short distance before entering the forest. The first part of the trail is quite demanding, but then runs along the loch side to the Finish without great problem.

Image credit Judy Wakker