Mushers Joy

Musher’s Joy is approximately five hours from the time we meet until we are back at the kennel again.

We meet at our home at 9.30 a.m. and start by making sure everyone is properly dressed for the day. Arctic weather changes, and so do people, so we look at what you are wearing, what the temperature is doing and add whatever you need from our winter equipment.

Once everyone is ready, we head out to the kennel.

Before you are given responsibility for a team of dogs, we need to teach you how to take care of them on the trail.

We start with our Dog Sledding Safety Briefing & Instruction. We go through how the sled works, how to use the brake, where to stand, how to use your body and balance, how much distance to keep between teams and what to do in different situations along the trail.

We also talk about the dogs.

How they work as a team, what they need from you as their musher and what you should be watching for while you are driving.

There is quite a lot of information at first.

Don’t worry.

Our dogs are professionals. Our guests usually aren’t.

You are not expected to understand everything before we leave. We take the beginning slowly, your guide is there throughout the journey, and much of what we explain will start making sense once you are actually standing on the runners.

Just remember — use the brake.

Then it is time for the best part.

The dogs.

We want you to be involved, so we don’t simply hand you a finished dog team and send you onto the trail. Together we get the dogs ready, put on their harnesses and prepare the teams.

This gives you time to meet the individuals who are going to be working in front of you and begin to understand how everything fits together.

It also gives the dogs a chance to meet you.

Once the harnesses come out, however, things tend to get rather energetic.

They know exactly what is about to happen.

On Musher’s Joy, you can drive your own team or share a sled with someone else.

If you share, one person drives while the other rides on the sled, and you have opportunities to change driver along the way.

Sharing can be a good choice if you would like to experience driving but are unsure whether you want to stand on the runners for the entire journey.

You need to be at least 15 years old to drive your own dogsled. From the age of 15, you are considered an adult in this context.

A team normally consists of between three and six dogs, depending on the trail conditions, the guests and whether you are driving your own sled or sharing with someone else.

No previous dogsledding experience is required.

That is what Musher’s Joy is for.

We can normally accommodate up to eight guests when everyone drives their own sled, or up to twelve guests when sleds are shared.

Children are very welcome on Musher’s Joy, but there are a few things that are important to understand when travelling with younger children.

Children under six normally sit in the sled in the lap of one parent while the other parent drives.

For families with older children, a child between approximately 6 and 14 years old may also be able to sit in the sled together with a younger child while a parent drives.

The important thing to remember is that the person driving the dogsled is responsible for driving the team.

Once you are standing on the runners, your attention needs to be on the dogs, the sled and the trail ahead. You cannot always stop what you are doing to help a child sitting in the sled.

As parents, you therefore need to consider beforehand how your children will manage the journey and how you divide the responsibilities between you.

We are of course happy to help you find a setup that works well for your family.

We normally divide the run into four sections.

After the first part, we make a short stop. It gives the dogs a moment, gives us a chance to see how everyone is doing and allows people sharing a sled to change drivers.

Then we continue.

By now, the first rush of trying to remember everything usually begins to settle.

You start to understand how much brake you need. You begin to find your balance. You notice how the sled reacts to what you do and how the dogs respond to you.

This is where the safety briefing you heard back at the kennel starts turning into actual experience.

Our route, pace and exactly how the day develops depend on the conditions. On a normal day, we aim to travel roughly the distance of a half marathon — around 21 kilometres.

Snow can be soft or hard. Trails can be fast one day and heavy the next. Temperature affects the dogs, and every group of guests is different.

We never chase kilometres simply because a certain number was written on a website.

The wellbeing of the dogs, the safety of our guests and having a genuinely good day together come first.

Around halfway through the journey, we stop at our tipi for lunch.

We make a fire, get warm and enjoy a hot soup together with coffee or another warm drink.

This is our longer stop of the day.

The dogs get time to rest while we eat, talk about the first half of the journey and enjoy being out in the winter landscape without needing to be anywhere else for a while.

Then it is time to put the mittens back on and head home.

The trail may be familiar now.

But driving it often feels completely different.

You know the sled better. You know the dogs better. Your body has begun to understand the balance, the brake and the movements that felt unfamiliar only a few hours earlier.

Your guide is still there, but hopefully you need to think a little less about every instruction.

You are beginning to feel it for yourself.

When we arrive home, we take care of the dogs before we take care of ourselves.

They have done their part.

Now we do ours.

The dogs get their well-earned snacks, the harnesses come off and we help them settle back into the kennel.

Spending these last moments with your team is part of the experience.

Only when the dogs are taken care of do we head back inside, change out of the borrowed winter clothing and get ready for whatever adventure comes next.

You do not need previous dogsledding experience and you certainly do not need to be an athlete.

But driving a dogsled is an active experience.

You stand on the runners, use your body to balance the sled and need to react to what is happening in front of you. There may also be occasions when your dogs need some assistance from you.

A normal level of fitness, reasonable balance and the ability to be active outdoors for several hours are normally enough.

We choose and maintain our trails with the intention of making the journey calm and safe for everyone — and first and foremost for the dogs.

If you are looking for a rollercoaster ride, this is probably not it.

Our focus is what we like to call mindfulness in motion. We want you to find your balance, relax into the rhythm of the team and have enough space to actually notice the winter landscape you are travelling through.

We are not chasing adrenaline.

We are chasing endorphins.

If you are uncertain about whether you can manage the physical part of driving, sharing a sled may be a very good option.

And if you have an injury, medical condition or anything else that could affect your ability to participate, please tell us before your tour.

It does not automatically mean that you cannot come.

It simply means that we can make a better plan.

We spend several hours outside in an Arctic winter, so good clothing matters.

You should arrive wearing warm clothes suitable for the weather to use underneath the outer clothing we provide.

We strongly recommend layers rather than one very thick garment, preferably with wool or synthetic material closest to your body. Avoid cotton as your inner layer in cold weather.

Warm wool socks are important, but remember that more is not always better. Your boots need enough room for you to move your toes and for warm air to remain around your feet.

Please bring your own warm hat. We consider hats rather personal and think everyone should have one that fits properly.

Sunglasses can be very useful on bright winter days when sunlight reflects from the snow.

And don’t worry if you are unsure whether what you have brought is enough.

That is why we check before we leave.

We provide the essential outer equipment you need for the tour, including:

– Warm winter outer clothing

– Arctic winter boots

– Warm wool socks

– Large warm mittens

– Ski goggles when needed

– Dog Sledding Safety Briefing & Instruction

– Dogsled and husky team

– Professional guide throughout the tour

– Hot soup lunch

– Coffee and/or warm drinks

Our outer clothing is intended to be worn over your own layers and gives you additional protection against cold, wind, snow and enthusiastic husky paws.

Lunch is included in Musher’s Joy and is served during our longer stop around the fire.

The base of the meal is a warm vegetarian soup, and we cook meatballs over the fire to serve alongside it.

We can also provide a vegan meal, but this needs to be booked in advance.

Please let us know beforehand about any food allergies or other dietary requirements so that we can prepare appropriately.

We also ask you to tell us beforehand about allergies, medical conditions, injuries or medication that could become relevant during the tour.

This is not us being nosy.

We are taking you into a winter environment with a team of dogs, and if something unexpected happens, knowing these things can be important.

Your safety and the wellbeing of our dogs always come first.

Every guest who drives receives our Dog Sledding Safety Briefing & Instruction before departure, and your guide leads the group and supports you throughout the journey.

We carry first-aid equipment and have procedures in place for dealing with unexpected situations involving both guests and dogs.

But safety on a dogsled tour is also teamwork.

Your guide can teach you what to do and watch over the group.

Once you stand behind your team, you have a part to play too.

That responsibility is part of being the musher.

Weather, snow and the dogs always have the final say.

Dogsledding is not an indoor activity with a fixed script.

Temperatures change. Snow changes. Trails change.

And dogs are living athletes, not machines.

We therefore adapt the route, pace, number of dogs in the teams and sometimes other parts of the day according to trail conditions, weather, the guests travelling with us and, most importantly, the wellbeing of our dogs.

That flexibility isn’t something that gets in the way of the experience.

It is part of real dogsledding.

Booking confirmation

Your booking is not formally confirmed until full payment, or another agreed payment, has been received by Wild Lapland.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel your booking, the following cancellation fees apply:

– More than 30 days before the tour: no cancellation fee.

– 15–30 days before the tour: 20% of the total booking price.

– 14 days or less before the tour: 100% of the total booking price.

We strongly recommend that you have valid travel insurance when booking a tour with us. Your insurance may cover cancellation costs in situations such as illness, injury or other unforeseen circumstances.

Changes or cancellation by Wild Lapland

We believe in adapting rather than cancelling.

Winter conditions in Swedish Lapland are constantly changing, and sometimes the original plan needs to change with them. Depending on the weather, temperature, snow conditions, the dogs and the guests, we may adjust the route, distance, pace, timing or other parts of the tour in order to create the best and safest experience possible.

Our priority is always the wellbeing of our dogs and guests.

If conditions make it impossible for us to provide a safe and meaningful experience, Wild Lapland may cancel the tour.

If we cancel your tour, you will receive a full refund of the amount paid.

Guest responsibility and participation requirements

• We believe strongly in having the right guest on the right tour.
• Musher’s Joy is an active dogsledding experience where you are given responsibility for a team of dogs. Before booking, it is therefore your responsibility to read the information provided about the tour and make sure that you understand what the experience involves and that you are reasonably able to participate.
• If you are uncertain about your fitness, balance, mobility, language skills or anything else that may affect your ability to safely drive a dogsled, please contact us before booking. We are always happy to help you decide whether this is the right tour for you.
• By booking the tour, you confirm that you have read the information provided, that you have given us relevant information that may affect your participation, and that you are prepared to follow the instructions given by your guide.
• Once the tour begins, all guests are required to follow the safety instructions and decisions of the guide. You must be able to understand the instructions given to you and be physically capable of controlling the sled sufficiently for the conditions of the day.
• If, in the judgement of the guide, a guest is unable to safely control the sled, understand or follow instructions, or otherwise creates a risk to themselves, the dogs or other guests, we may need to change that guest’s participation. Where possible, we will try to find another solution, such as travelling as a passenger or sharing a sled.
  However, an alternative arrangement cannot always be guaranteed.
• In situations where a guest cannot safely continue, or repeatedly does not follow the instructions of the guide, Wild Lapland reserves the right to stop that guest from driving or participating in the tour.
• No refund will normally be given if a guest’s participation has to be restricted or ended because they do not meet the stated participation requirements, have not provided relevant information before the tour, or do not follow the guide’s safety instructions.

These decisions are never made lightly. They are made to protect the dogs, the individual guest and the rest of the group.