More than 9,000 years ago, in the East of Siberia, in the middle of territories ready to welcome the great cold, dogs carried goods behind them to survive. Led by Humans whom they called their mushers, these teams evolved through the snow and the wind.
A century before today, the story is still going on in Canada and Alaska: it’s the gold rush! Dogs brought gold seekers, but also Eskimos, traders, and explorers… Men had only one goal: to have the fastest and most enduring team!
In this spirit of friendly competition, the first big mushers’ races were created at the beginning of the 20th century. Dogs and men became one to cross the finish line first, in a festive and shared environment.
In their quest for ever more extreme adventures, the mushers quickly slide their sleds to the two poles of the planet. The dogs of the cold must brave vast expanses of ice, in the harshest conditions, where the horizon is infinite. North and South are now marked on the maps….
Impressed by the complicity between the animal and its master, thousands of people discovered this practice, which until then had been so quiet. The sled dog made its first appearance… at the Olympic Games in 1932!
As the popularity of the sport increases, new races emerge over the years. They are getting longer over the years and always more demanding! The Yukon Quest crosses Canada’s far north and Alaska over 1,648 km, while the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers 1,757 km between Anchorage and Nome. Some races are also appearing in Europe, particularly in the northern territories, and later in the Alps…
… Finally, in 2005, La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc was born. Every year, the sled dogs come to walk in a fairy-tale setting, accompagnied by their mushers, to live a unique adventure in the world, and to let young and old dream.