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.

Siberian Husky Rescue in Washington needs help

We've known Sue Scofield for many years and have seen firsthand the good work she does with her "Stargazer Siberian Sanctuary" in Washington State. Please take a moment and read her story and, if you can, donate to save her sanctuary, so she can continue helping those Siberians in need.

Spring Madness !

Springtime is here, and so is dryland season.
It's been busy, busy, busy in the shop. Filling orders for carts, carriers, scooter racks and at the same time working on our new cart model, which is in the final stages of completion.

Earlier, we delivered our 50th 3-wheel cart to a customer in Iowa, which is the 21st state in "Arctis Country". Our carts also found homes in 5 Canadian provinces, Mexico and now even in Asia!
No.50 should have been a golden cart, but the customer preferred an all black version:

While we're busy with new carts, an old friend, cart no.3 (also in all black), came in for a substantial upgrade. We added all features we had changed over the years, plus a new set of wheels, tires and brakes to bring it up to 2013 standards and added a passenger seat as well.
No.3 was the original "Bat Cart" and it was used for dryland racing in Washington:

Now, it'll be a training and racing cart in California:

Our long awaited new cart model is in its final stages and should be completed shortly. We will keep everyone updated on this blog and our facebook page as well.

Stay tuned for an event we're organizing for Portland OR in June!

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

Oregon and the Pacific Northwest

We recently embarked on another road trip north to Oregon and Washington.
First stop was La Pine, OR. for the annual Veterans Day Mushing Weekend at La Pine State park.
While we only stayed for a short while, it was nice to see and catch up with good friends.
This year was the first time that the La Pine area received a good 10" - 12" of fresh snow for the weekend. Since it's billed as a "dryland" event, not necessarily what's expected, but for anyone into running dogs, fresh snow is never a bad thing.

We then stayed a few days in the wonderful city of Bend, OR. A great place to relax, go hiking and enjoy the wide variety of excellent eateries in town.

Then it was time to head farther north to Maple Valley and Seattle, WA.
Washington state, along with Oregon, is one of our favorite places. The people of the Pacific Northwest are just so friendly and hospitable, no matter if you're at the local coffee shop or a shipping terminal at the port of Seattle. We visited the facilities of Northland Services, a company specialized in shipping between Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. It was the 2nd time we've used them for our carts and their service and friendly attitude was a breath of fresh air in the shipping business. We highly recommend their services for your shipping needs to "the northland"!

After Seattle, we headed back south and added one more "service stop" for one of our customers in California's Bay Area. It's always nice to visit with our customers when we travel the country.

Now that we're back home, we'd like to announce that Arctis is moving to a larger facility in central Oregon!
Starting in 2013, our carts will be made in "the Beaver State". Increasing size, should help with being more efficient, reducing wait times and finally getting a few new products on the market that we had to put on the backburner this year. And who know? Maybe there will be an additional "Arctisan" or two in the near future.


Stay tuned to this blog for more news.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall is here!

Fall weather has arrived almost everywhere in North America, except in southern California, where temperatures are still in the eighties at the end of October. This weekend, Northwest Sleddog Association hosts the annual Pacific Northwest Dryland Championships, next weekend it'll be the Spokane Dirt Rondy and the week after that, the annual La Pine Mushing Weekend in Oregon.

The Arctis shop is still busy and we're already scheduling orders for the new year. It looks like January is filling up quickly and next thing you know, spring dryland season is here again. If you are in the market for a new training cart, please contact us to check availability and production schedule.

Our recent batch of orders covered the country (again), from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest to the East Coast. Our next set of carts will be spread out all along the 49th parallel from coast to coast. Thanks again to all our customers all across the continent!

Recently, our 2nd cart ever built came in for an overhaul. We added all the improvements we've made over the years and had our paint shop put an awesome "anti-freeze" green metallic coat on it.
Here it is, all fresh and clean, nicely folded-up and road ready on our "easy load" rack:

A word about our paint jobs: our carts are powder coated, not spray painted. The paint is electrostatically applied and then cured at about 400°F. It makes for a tougher finish than conventional paint, which always comes in handy in the conditions most of the carts are being subjected to.

We hope to see some of you at the La Pine mushing weekend in November!

Summertime...and the shop is busy!

Even during the hot southern California summer days, there's plenty of work to be done in the shop. It's rather odd to be working on dog sledding equipment when it's in the upper 90s outside.

We're just finishing up the last summer orders for carts that are on their way to destinations all over North America. So far this year, we've pretty much covered the entire continent, from central Mexico to Alaska, from Oregon to Newfoundland and many places in between. Once again, a big "Thank you!!!" to all our customers.

Once those carts are on their way, work is beginning on our new project which will be announced in a few weeks right here on this blog, so stay tuned for some exciting news.

In the meantime, our friends at NWSDA in Washington have announced their fall schedule:
September 29th - Fall Warm-Up at Camp K in Cle Elum WA
October 13th - Dryland Challenge at Camp K in Cle Elum WA
October 27th - Pacific Northwest Dryland Championships at Camp K in Cle Elum WA
For more information about NWSDA events, please see their website or facebook page.

Also scheduled is Sierra Nevada Dog Drivers' annual mushing clinic on
October 20th & 21st in Truckee CA
Please see their website for more information.

Last, not least: the annual Veterans Day Mushing Weekend on
November 10th - 12th in La Pine OR
For more information click here.


In other news, our friends at Alpine Outfitters have just introduced a new product to their catalog:
the "See Me Safety Vest" . Check it out here.

Upcoming Dryland Mushing Events

'Tis the season to keep us busy in the shop and away from updating the blog.

Thanks to all our customers for their support!

The first dryland events are coming up within days, after this odd winter most of us had. No snow in most areas, late snow for some folks, and tons of snow in Alaska.

On Sat 3/31 & Sun 4/1 Pacific Sled Dog and Skijor Association is holding its 4th annual "Mush without Slush" in Sisters, OR. www.psdsa.org/Races/MushWithoutSlush.aspx

Sat 4/28 & Sun 4/29 Northwest Sleddog Association's "Spring Fling" in Cle Elum, WA

www.nwsda.org

Mon 5/7 - Sun 5/13 Quinault Malamute's "Malapaloosa" in Ovando, MT

http://run4thered.blogspot.com/2012/03/malapaloosa-2012.html

At this point we are pretty much booked until mid-May. For information about our carts please click here , and to place an order please contact us.

Ready for dryland season?

Well, for many mushers in the lower 48, the entire season seems to consist of dryland training and racing this year. With the exception of Alaska, there's just not that much snow around and many races have been canceled due to lack of the white stuff.

We've certainly noticed, that there's an increased demand in dryland equipment and it's been busy since the season began last fall.

Delivery estimates for current orders are early to mid March at this point, and we always have a few interested mushers "hovering", waiting to place their order.

In order to maybe give an incentive to one or another musher on the west coast, we're thinking about attending NWSDA's spring fling on April 28th & 29th in Cle Elum WA. As always, we can bring a cart or two along the way and drop it off at your door step (if you live somewhat close to or route) or deliver at the race site for free.

Keep in mind, that time and space will quickly run out, so you may want to take a minute and think about a new cart for the upcoming season.

For cart features and pricing, please click here.

If you have any questions regarding our carts and free delivery or are ready to place your order, contact us at info@arctis-carts.com

Dryland Mushing Events, Fall 2011

Newly updated list for dryland mushing events around North America:

- September 16th - 18th, Presentation & Clinic with Karen Ramstead, Calgary AB
- September 17th & 18th, SNDD dirt fun run, Hobart Mills CA

- October 1st & 2nd, New England Sled Dog Trade Fair, Contoocook NH
- October 1st & 2nd - SNDD Mushing Clinic, Truckee CA
- October 1st & 2nd, NWSDA Fall Warm-Up, Cle Elum WA
- October 8th, "So Mush Fun" NorSled Fun Run & Fundraiser, Vacaville CA
- October 8th & 9th, Camp K Dryland Challenge, Cle Elum WA
- October 22nd & 23rd, Pacific Northwest Dryland Championships, Cle Elum WA

- November 5th & 6th, Spokane Dirt Rondy, Spokane, WA
- November 11th - 13th, La Pine Mushing Weekend, La Pine OR
- November 12th & 13th, Canadian Championship Dog Race, Bristol ON
- November 20th & 21st, Dryland Sled Dog Challenge, Kirtland OH

- December 11th & 12th, Between the lakes sled dog dash, Grand Rivers, KY

- September - December, Mid Union Sled Haulers Fall Training Sessions, MI



Based on our current production/shipping schedule, the next available cart could be ready for shipment or delivery in the third week of November. If you are still in the market for a new cart for the upcoming season, please contact us asap.

Also, we're traveling to various events around the country and can always drop off a cart along the way. Check with us for our travel schedule to arrange delivery.

Road Trip!

It looks like plans for our first major road trip of the season are starting to fall into place.
Time frame will most likely be mid-September. As always, we're happy to carry a cart or two with us for in-person delivery, so if you live in the general area of the map shown below, please contact us to check for details.



If you live in CA, OR, WA, NV, UT, ID and MT, as well as BC & AB, we might be able to swing by, say hello, and drop of a brand new Arctis at your door.
The routes run roughly from Los Angeles along the I-5 and I-15 corridors to the Canadian border and extend north to Canada Highway 16, between Prince George, BC and Edmonton, AB.

Ready for dryland mushing season?

Dryland season? Now? It's only June and we're just about to head into summer, right? Right!
But: fall is only three months away and the first dryland events on the west coast have been posted:

- Oct 1st & 2nd: SNDD 14th annual mushing clinic, Truckee, CA.
- Oct. 8th & 9th: NWSDA Dryland Challenge at Camp K, Cle Elum, WA
- Oct. 22nd & 23rd: Pacific Northwest Dryland Championships, Camp K, Cle Elum, WA
- Nov. 11th - 13th: La Pine Mushing Weekend, La Pine State Park, OR
...and many more to come!

Are you ready for the new season? All your equipment in good working condition? How about that new cart? After our "Bumble Bee" made it up to Fairbanks, AK, we received quite a bit of publicity and interest in our carts, thanks to Brent and his Wild & Free Mushing team. Slowly, but surely orders are coming in, and since all our carts are handmade to order, production slots are filling up. As of today (June 20th), our next available cart would be ready in the 2nd week of July, so it won't take much and we'll be in August, and boom, fall his here. Mix in work on one or two brand new products and our own road trips to various events, and time will run out before you know it. So now would be a great time to contact us in order to receive your cart just in time for the new season.



On a different note: are you interested in being a handler for a racing dog kennel?
Our friends Wild & Free Mushing in Fairbanks, AK and Kipp D'Amundsen Kennels in Strömsund, Sweden are looking for kennel help for the upcoming season.

Last call for free delivery on the West Coast!

After the "Spring Fling" dryland race in Cle Elum, WA was postponed (now scheduled for May 7th & 8th), we had another space available for free delivery of one of our carts along our route from southern CA to central WA.
If you are interested in saving about $250 in shipping costs, please contact us no later than Sunday 4/24 to make sure, it's finished in time for our trip.
It looks like this will be our last trip out that way until at least October, so don't miss out on this one.
Please call or e-mail with any questions (or your order!).
For more information on the "Spring Fling", please check out NWSDA's website.

Washington Dryland Race Postponed!

NWSDA's "Spring Fling" race, scheduled for April 23rd & 24th, has been postponed until May 7th & 8th, due to conditions at "Camp K".
This date coincides with the final race for the Scooter Championships Northwest, also at Camp K.
So NWSDA will sponsor the 4, 6, 8 and 12-dog classes and K9ScootersNW will sponsor the scooter/bikejor classes.

The postponement of the races also means that we have one more opening for a cart and free delivery along our route (see below). So, here's one more chance to get that brand new Arctis Cart delivered straight to your doorstep or to the race site!

If you're interested, please contact us asap to get your order in before the production spot is taken.

Arctis Cart shown in Candy Apple Red Metallic with basket

and sled bag (by Alpine Outfitters), as well as optional rear fenders.

Sledding season coming to an end

Slowly, but surely, dog sledding season 10/11 is coming to an end.
Alaska's Iditarod ended with Alaska native John Baker crossing the finish line first in a new record time, ahead of Ramey Smith and Hans Gatt. Overall, 47 mushers completed this year's race.
For complete results, please click here.

In Europe, the annual Finnmarksløpet ended with an overwhelming victory by Norwegian mushers, who finished in 1st through 7th in the 1000km race. In the 500km race even more Norwegians placed in top positions.
For 500km and 1000km results, please click here.

The last distance race for the season will be the Kobuk 440 in Kotzebue, AK, starting on April 14.
Up-to-date information can be found here.


So, now it's back to the dirt trails for several dryland events up and down the coast, as well as across the country.
On the weekend of April 9/10 Pacific Sled Dog & Skijoring Assocation will host a fun run/ race weekend near Sisters, OR. For up-to-date information about this event, please check Tumnatki Siberians' website.

At the end of April (23rd & 24th), NWSDA is hosting their Spring Fling at Camp K in Cle Elum, WA.
Team Arctis will be there again to join the fun!

Dryland Mushing Spring Race, Washington

Yes, yes, yes, it's still winter and there's still plenty of snow on the ground in many areas, but spring will be here sooner than later, which means dryland mushing season!

We're going to attend NWSDA's spring races in Cle Elum, WA on April 23-24.
As always, we're offering free delivery of a new cart to anyone living in the vicinity of our route, which is along I-5 and/or US-97 between southern CA and central WA.

At this point, we have one spot left for a new cart order to be finished before that weekend. If you're interested, please contact us asap, so we can get going on your cart.

Cascade Quest Sled Dog Race

The Cascade Quest Sled Dog race is coming up this weekend, Jan 28th - 30th, at Lake Wenatchee, WA.
Unfortunately, we won't be able to make it up there, but many of our friends will be running in various distances. Hopefully, snow conditions and weather are going to be great and everyone will have a great time! Good luck to all participants!



Speaking of races, we will attend the American Dog Derby in Ashton, ID, Feb 18th - 19th.
As previously mentioned, we can bring a cart with us and deliver along the way to save on delivery charges for our customers, but if you are interested, you would have to contact us now to squeeze your order in, so we can finish it before we leave.

Upcoming West Coast Mushing Events

The following races and clinics will take place in CA, OR & WA.
Click on the event for more details.

- Pacific Northwest Dryland Champioship, Cle Elum WA, Oct. 23 & 24
- Big Bear Mushing Clinic w/Karen Yeargain, Big Bear CA, Oct 23 & 24
- Dog Scootering Class, Prineville OR, Oct 30
- Spokane Dirt Rondy, Spokane WA, Now 6 & 7
- Dog Scootering Class, Prineville OR, Nov 6
- Urban Go Dogs Clinic, Bay Area CA, Nov 6
- Urban Mushing Intro, Bay Area CA, Nov 7
- La Pine Mushing Weekend, La Pine OR, Nov 12-14

NWSDA Dryland Challenge & PNC Championship

We just returned from our trip to Washington to attend NWSDA's Dryland Challenge at "Camp K".
As always, we had a great time catching up with old friends, making new ones and participating in the races. "Team Arctis" only placed 6th in our class, but all other teams ahead of us were genuine racing teams, as opposed to our "working pet Siberians", so overall, we didn't do too bad.
Plus, we won the award for "Best Kept Small Team", yay!


We had a few carts on hand and several teams ran them in the 6-mid and 6-sprint classes.





Coming up October 23 & 24, it's the first race for the Pacific Northwest Championship (PNC). Just like last weekend, this race is a dryland event and will be held at Camp K in Cle Elum WA.
For race information, please click here.
While we won't be there this time, a couple of our carts are going to be on site and one of them (the red one shown in the pictures) will be available to test and for purchase.
Please contact us if you have any questions in regards to our carts.

Coming up November 12th -14th, the annual La Pine mushing weekend in La Pine, OR.
We're going to attend this fun event once again and will bring carts with us.
As always, while on the road, we'll be happy to deliver a cart free of charge along the way, so if you're interested and live anywhere between southern CA and central OR, please contact us, and we'll make arrangements.

Reflectra Candy Purple Twilight

Yes, that's what the color is called which our latest customer chose for her cart.
Our friends at Embee Performance outdid themselves with this one.
Outstanding job once again, turning a steel frame into a piece of art.


Our fall travel schedule is filling up.
We're going to make the long trek up north to visit the "Pretty Sled Dogs" of Karen Ramstead's North Wapiti Kennel in Alberta, Canada from September 10th - 12th.

In October, we're going to attend NWSDA's opening race of the season in Cle Elum, WA. This is going to be the weekend of October 9th - 10th.

And in November it's an annual tradition to attend Karen Yeargain's La Pine Mushing Weekend on Veteran's Day, November 12th - 14th.

As always, we can deliver a cart in person if you're located anywhere along the way, which in these cases is mostly I-15, I-5 and US-97.

Just make sure you place your order early enough for us to have it finished in time for the trip.

Any questions? Contact us for details.