West Coast Dryland Mushing Events, Fall 2014

Just a few more weeks, and mushing season 2014/15 will be here!
Here are a few scheduled events for the western US and Canada:

September 21 & 28: CDMA Dryland Race, Chugiak AK
October 4-5: Camp K Dryland Challenge, Cle Elum WA
October 13: So Mush Fun, Vacaville CA
October 18-19: Rosebud Dryland, Didsbury AB
October 18-19: Pacific NW Dryland Championships, Cle Elum WA
November 1-2: Dirt Rondy, Spokane WA
November 8-10: La Pine Mushing Weekend, La Pine OR

For additional races throughout North America, please see Sled Dog Central's race schedule.

While we are completely booked for the remainder of the year, please contact us if there's a new cart in your future, so you'll be ready to hit the trails in spring.

For more information about our carts, please see:

Arctis 3-Wheel

Arctis Mid-Size 4-Wheel

Arctis Heavy 4-Wheel

Did you check all your lines and harnesses before starting the new season?

If you need replacements, please see our friends at Alpine Outfitters for quality gear.

For non-mushing related pet supplies, please see Pet Club Online.

New Arctis 4-Wheel Dryland Mushing Rig

It's finally here!
The mid-sized Arctis 4-wheel cart to fill the gap between our 3-wheel and heavy 4-wheel carts.

The specs are as follows:
Length 78" (198cm)
Width 46" (117cm)
Height ~46" (117cm) The cart's height can easily be made to your preferred size.
Weight 140lbs (63kg) to 180 lbs (81kg)
Made from 1" steel tubing
Powder coated finish in any color
Structurally sound sandrail design
Strong front bumper/brush bow to protect wheels from trees and poles
Rear hydraulic disc brakes standard (front optional)
Two circuit brake system for added safety
Locking "digger" earth brake with replaceable tips
Front axle suspension
Rear independent suspension with adjustable springs and air shocks
Single-sided rear swing arms
Solid 5/8" axles
Quality traction tires (Dunlop, Pirelli etc)

As always, all our products are hand crafted in the U.S.A.

Please contact us for 2015 pricing. 

Optional equipment:
Front wheel disc brake system
Rear fenders
Front fenders
Passenger seat
More options to come soon.

Shipping not included. We'll be glad to send you a shipping quote to your location and will work with your shipper as well. Local pick-up in Central Oregon is possible, too.

PLEASE NOTE: as of May 2014, we are booked solid for the entire summer. If you have not placed your order at this time, delivery will be in September 2014. We are looking to add capacity to reduce our back log in the near future.

For questions or to place your order, please e-mail info@arctis-carts.com or call (949) 280-7019

Spring Dryland Mushing

Finally another blog update!
We've settled in to our new location in central Oregon and have started to manufacture and ship the first products "Made in Oregon"! Our friends at Alpine Outfitters were the first ones in line with an order for sled brakes and snowhook holders.
The fist carts out of the shop will go to the mid-western US as well as Asia! Yes, the first Arctis cart to leave the North American continent.

Just before our move, we received an inquiry about converting a snow sled for street use in a commercial.

A few 2x4s and casters later, the "roller sled" was ready to go.





The commercials can be seen here:


and here:




While winter is still in session, it's never too early to think "spring training".
We are currently booked through mid-April, but there is still time to get in on a new cart before summer time hits again. Feel free to contact us to check on availability and delivery schedule.

For our west coast mushers, we have two dates for dryland events:
Mush without slush on 4/6 - 4/7 in Sisters, OR
Spring Fling on 4/27 -4/28 in Cle Elum WA

Arctis Carts Dryland Mushing Rig

Here's an overview of the standard features, options and pricing for our 3-wheel cart as of June 25th 2013.
(please also see our mid-size 4-wheel and heavy 4-wheel carts)

Standard features:
- 6' length, 3½' width
- heavy-duty steel tube frame, powdercoated in the color of your choice (300+ colors available, including metallic. Please note, that some colors will incur additional cost. Please check with us for details.)
- four wheel colors available (black, silver, red & blue)
- easy to fold down to 20" height for transport and storage. All joints in the folding mechanism have solid reinforcements to prevent wear and tear

- "no-fork" front steering for lower profile. No fork also means no worn-out bearings, no rattling or loose steering after hitting a number of bumps, ruts, rocks and tree stumps
- solid 5/8" axles, which won't bend or break
- heavy duty hydraulic disc brakes on rear wheels, incl. guards to protect them from being hit by trees, poles etc
- 4-prong "digger" earth brake with replaceable stainless steel tips to keep the cart (and team!) in place if you need to step off and attend to your dogs.
- 80/100-12 (3.00-12) off road tires on rear wheels for maximum traction, especially when hitting those brakes
- 30" x 20" cargo area to carry supplies, gear, injured dogs or a passenger. Comes with standard canvas cover on cargo platform. Optional sled bag, utility crate or jumpseat are available (see below).
- standard front fender to keep the mud out of your face :-) Optional rear fenders are available (see below)
- two weight options, 90lbs or 120lbs
- optional lower clearance frame and smoother tires are available at no cost, for those running mostly on smooth, well maintained trails
...and it's still handcrafted right here in the U.S.A.

Pricing and shipping:
Please contact us for 2015 pricing.
A 50% down payment is required to start the order, with the remaining amount due upon completion.
Worldwide shipping is available at actual cost, no handling charges, no crating charges. In-person pick-ups are welcome as well.
We have an excellent freight forwarder (Mapcargo International), who is working out great shipping rates for our customers. You are also more than welcome to arrange your own shipping.
The crate is approximately 6' x 4' x 2' and weighs about 200lbs (cart & crate).

Optional equipment:
- rear fenders
- sled bag
- heavy duty utility crate
- jumpseat
(please note, that utility crate and jumpseat have integrated footboards and will also include additional reinforcements plus a wider front tire; crate and seat are easily removable)
- "easy load" rack

Related products:
- "Grand Teton" outriggers
- Dog Scooter Rack from

Other Arctis products
- Sled Brake
- Replacement Tips for sled brake
- Snowhook Holder 

Cart shown with optional sled bag.

Cart shown with optional jump seat.

The "Bumble Bee" (named for its yellow/black paint job) made the long trip up north and has been seen on the trails of Alaska. Our friend and Yukon Quest veteran Brent Sass of Wild & Free Mushing saw our carts during his California trip and thought they just might come in handy as an additional training tool at his kennel. So as soon as his '10/'11 race season was finished, he came through and ordered his Arctis cart.
Thanks, Brent! We definitely appreciate it!
Hopefully, it'll help training the next set of Yukon Quest winners!

Cart shown with optional heavy duty crate.

Here is a picture of Brent taking 8 of his Yukon Quest & Iditarod proven dogs out on a training run:


Over the past 4+ years mushers all across North America have tried, tested and come to appreciate the Arctis cart. Our carts are now used for training and racing in 21 US states, 5 Canadian provinces, Mexico and the Philippines. All our customers' feedback went right back into the next model off the production floor. The cart is being used by recreational mushers with as little as two Siberians up to long distance veterans like Brent Sass. Last year, we had the privilege to visit Karen Ramstead's North Wapiti kennel and let Karen take the cart out with some of her Iditarod finishing Siberians.



The carts have been used on any kind of terrain, from the smooth trails of suburban Orange County to the northern Alberta bush and anything in between.

Earlier this month, Joe Loveless (WA) ran eight of his Alaskan Huskies on an Arctis cart at NWSDA's Spring Fling race.



We've spent countless hours trying to make the Arctis cart an excellent tool for training and racing your working dogs. Plus we're spending many more hours crafting each and everyone of our carts, doing our best to ensure that you will get many, many years of enjoyment out of our product when running, training and exercising your dogs.

Also, many, many thanks to our friends at Alpine Outfitters who have been very helpful in introducing our product to the mushing community and are also manufacturing the sled bag, jumpseat cover, canvas cover, digger brake bungee as well as all our lines, harnesses, belts etc etc.





Any questions? Please let us know. Our e-mail address is info@arctis-carts.com


Last, not least, thanks to all our customers over the past 4 years for trusting our equipment!

We'll see you on the trails!

Central Oregon dog scootering & dryland mushing

Sunday, April 11th- scootering fun run- not suitable for larger teams/rigs-
Shevlin Park, west of Bend @ 9am. Spencer Egbert has agreed to be the point person for this run.

Saturday, April 17th- scootering fun run- suitable for teams/rigs- La Pine State Park, north of La Pine (some teams will run again on the 18th). Some of the folks from Cascade Sled Dog Club will be down for the weekend, which made it a good excuse for an outing!

Saturday, April 24th- Pacific Sled Dog & Skijoring Association (PSDSA) club meeting @ Diamond Lake- noon- scootering before or after the meeting.

Saturday, May 1st- scootering fun run or class- location/venue to be announced.

Saturday, May 8th- dog scootering class taught by Karen Yeargain & Jane Devlin- location, Karen's place

For info on any of these events, contact Karen at tumnatki@earthlink.net
Info will also be posted at www.tumnatkisiberians.com

Next up: Mushing events in Oregon, Washington & Utah

We're staying around the area this weekend to run the dogs locally and to keep building carts for the season.
Next weekend (Nov 7th & 8th), however, we'll be in La Pine, OR for the annual mushing weekend organized by Karen Yeargain. Come join the fun for a great weekend or running dogs in great company.
For more details, please see Karen's website here.

Also next weekend (Nov 7th & 8th), it's the Spokane Dirt Rendezvous in Spokane, WA, organized by the Inland Empire Sled Dog Association. For more information, please see their website.

Last, not least, it's the Round Valley CVM Dryland event in Park City, UT on Nov 7th. This event is organized by Utah paw Power and Cache Valley Mushers, and you can find more information here: Utah Paw Power

All good things have to come to an end, but...

Our free shipping offer has come to an end after two mushers took advantage of it and will soon enjoy their new Arctis carts on their local trails.
However, as previously mentioned, if you are anywhere in the western US and are interested in one of our carts, we can probably work out an excellent shipping rate, because we frequently attend races and other mushing events west of the Rocky Mountains.
Plus, we're now working with a different freight carrier and can offer excellent freight rates anywhere in the US & Canada and possibly overseas as well.
So get your order in and get those puppies moving!

Time to kick start the season...free shipping offer for our cart.

Fall is here, finally. While it may not quite feel like running the dogs, yet (at least not in southern CA), we know the mushing season is just around the corner.
So, in order to get off to a great start, we're offering the first new cart to be purchased this fall with free shipping within the continental US (lower 48).
Considering, it's a good 150+ lbs (cart + crate), that's quite an irresistible value.

In addition, we're keeping our introductory price of $1995.- effective, since most (if not all) of the country is still in recovery mode.

Last, not least, if you live in the western US, we may be able to work out a good shipping deal, even if you're not the first in line for free shipping. We have several trips coming up in the next couple of months up and down the west coast and may be able to deliver a cart in person.
So if you live west of the Rocky Mountains, send us an e-mail or give us a call, and we'll try to work something out for you.

For more information about our carts, please see our website arctis-carts.com , send us an e-mail at info@arctis-carts.com or give us a call at (949) 215-1478

Now, the only tough decision is going to be the color...shiny black, candy apple red, signal orange or ... ?

Working Samoyeds

Working Samoyed News recently contacted us about doing a feature about our carts in the next issue, which is now available online.
Thanks to Darlu for spreading the word about Arctis!

Up Next: NWSDA's Spring Fling, Roslyn, WA

After finishing the OC Pet Expo last weekend, we're putting the final touches on the cart we're going to bring to this weekend's Spring Fling in Roslyn WA.
North West Sled Dog Association is hosting, and Alpine Outfitters is sponsoring this dryland race.
Word on the trail is, that a team from Tumnatki Siberians is going to enter the race with one of our carts. We keep our fingers crossed, that it'll be a winning combination!
Just a reminder: if you're in the market for one of our carts and roughly live along I-5 or US-97, between Los Angeles and Seattle, please let us know, and we'll drop one off while we're on our way. That'll save you the shipping/crating expense.

Check out pictures from last year's event here.

Quick trip to the Sierra Nevada

"Team Arctis" went up north to the Eastern Sierra for a short and sweet run high above the Owens Valley. Temperatures in the low 40s on a clear and crisp day and spectacular views from 7500 ft made the long trip worthwhile.
Now we're back to building carts and getting ready for this weekend's mushing clinic.

Dashing through the park...

We took the three wheeler out for another fun run on Sunday at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa CA.
Just cool enough to let the Siberian Six Pack of Gaia, Niko, Gidget, Lyka, Obi & Silver have a blast on the trails.