The Weather Notebook: Musher

Musher
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Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is The Weather Notebook. It almost goes without saying. Sled dog racing is weather dependent. No Snow, no race. But, even when there is snow, mushers must gauge weather conditions and make adjustments to run their best. Assistant producer, Doug Sanborn recently asked a competitor in Maine to find out more.

Sara Vanderwood is a 26 year veteran of sled dog racing. The Oxford, Maine resident considers her involvement less than a career but more than a hobby. A lifestyle. One, I might add, that's dependent on the snow and cold.

But not too cold. 10s and 20s with moderate humidity are ideal:

"You don't necessarily want it too, too dry because it slows down the sleds on the trail because there's not a lot of water on the snow surface which does make it slower."

Or too wet which leads to stickiness on the track.

But there are other issues-like rough and icy terrain which can hurt the pads on the furry competitors feet. Dogs are outfitted with special boots but even those paw protectors can't prevent other issues.

"If it's too icy generally you have to shut down your training program because if the dogs were to slip on the ice it could cause shoulder injuries, wrist injuries, and back injuries".

And sometimes when it's too hot, some in Vanderwood's team overheat. Size is a factor.

"The smaller dogs tend to do better. Larger dogs, which is the type of dogs that we have currently, they don't fare as well in the warmer conditions because they are bigger and the way that they expend energy is different. So, it's harder for them in warmer conditions than it is for smaller dogs."

This year, several races that Vanderwood and her team entered were cancelled or postponed due to the warm weather.

Doug Sanborn is usually found in the studios of The Weather Notebook in North Conway, New Hampshire. Our program is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory and is sponsored by Subaru.