Cold on the mountain plateau

It is minus twenty degrees and cold winds on the mountain plateau. Already when the teams were getting close to Jotka one of the mushers considered giving up. Feeling the cold gave him an idea of what awaits him across the mountains.

To Jotka in clear weather

The mushers felt the cold weather when the sun set on the first day of the race. One of the foreign mushers thought about giving up at Jotka only three and a half hours into the race. When the wind hit him after reaching the mountains he became thoughtful and it was hard to find motivation for many days in this frosty weather.

The weather is expected to be cold and clear in the coming days so he and the other mushers must expect frostbitten hands and feet. According to the weather forecast the temperature may sink to minus forty some places on the mountain plateau. This reminds us how extreme dog sledging and long competitions such as Finnmarksløpet is. This is Europe's longest and the world's northernmost dog sled race. The mushers and the dogs must be prepared for hard physical and psychological strain. To finish and win the race the team must be strong physically, but it is even more important to be strong in the head!

Right now all teams have passed Jotka and are on their way to Skoganvarre. The first teams are expected in around eight thirty tonight.