Dog Sledding in Breckenridge
By Michelle Post; courtesy photo
In the spirit of the “Last Great Race on Earth” and reminiscent of sled dog racing, Siberian huskies are the center of attention when adventuring out to explore dog sledding. It is a thrilling way to experience the Rocky Mountains, taking in breathtaking scenery and creating unique memories, and all within a few hours of home.
I remember watching many moons ago the Iditarod race and thinking how awesome that would be to run a dog sled. Several decades later, I had the privilege of experiencing it firsthand.
My husband and I moved here from Texas 18 years ago, so snow sports were a new adventure for us. We have made it our mission to participate in as many snow sports as we can, and dog sledding was on the top of that list.
We found GoodTimes Adventures (www.goodtimesadventures.com) in Breckenridge, that offered dog sledding where you get to “mush” a team of huskies. Our team had 12 huskies who loved to run. And run fast! My husband is the more fit of us, so he ran the team up the hill, and I was the lucky one to run them down the hill.
As I was coming down the hill standing on the skids and holding on for dear life (these dogs can really haul butt), I began to make the curve when the skid of the sled nipped the curve and all at once the sled flipped with me going one direction and the dogs going the other, pulling an empty sled behind them. As I rolled to a stop, I could not quit laughing … it was like something you would see in a comedy film.
Our guide, who was in front of us on a jeep, suddenly stopped and ran to catch the dogs, with sled in tow. I was already to my feet and still laughing when he reached me. He asked if I was okay and I said, “Heck yeah, that was fun!” Our adventure continued with more times of running the sled.
Here are a few things I learned about huskies. If you stand on the skids and don’t help them, they will stop, turn, and yell at you. When you stop to take a break, they love to stick their head in the snow to cool off and get a drink. If you are breaking too long, they will yell at you because they love to run and want you to get back on the sled. And finally, if you have the last leg of the run, which is heading to the barn, you better hold on tight because they know it is feeding time when they make it back.
If you want an incredibly unique experience (for roughly $100 per person), I highly recommend dog sledding in Breckenridge. The scenery is breathtaking, the dogs are amazing, and it was a good time adventure!
