EVERY APRIL, the Swedish outdoor company Fjällräven drops 30 people in Signaldalen, Norway, and gives them four days to travel to Väkkäräjärvi, Sweden. It’s 186 miles of icy wilderness, covered entirely by dog power (read: dogsledding). On long days, the lucky prizewinners—participants earn their spots by submitting video applications—spend upwards of 17 hours mushing, tending to their huskies, and setting up camp. It’s hard work. But if the dogs are happy, so is everybody else.
1. Cure for the Cold
Along the way, group leaders teach practical skills needed on a typical dogsledding expedition, such as how to select the right wood in snowy conditions and making a fire with a flint and a knife.
2. Puppy Love
Even before setting up camp, participants dig anchor holes for dog leashes, cook frozen meat for chow, and change the pups out of harnesses and into insulated jackets.
3. Cruise Control
The dogs average 10 mph, which is roughly the speed you’d travel on a fat bike through snow. But unlike you, they go hours without stopping.
