The Yukon Quest is more than just a sled dog race. It was the dream of
two Fairbanksans--a recreational musher and an amateur historian--who
conceived of a race closer to the roots of Alaskan dog sledding. The
Yukon Quest is a 1,000-mile slog through trails used only for this race
that cross mountains, rivers, and lakes in some of the harshest weather
on the planet. It celebrates the history of the dogs that carried
freight and delivered mail, dogs that many times over saved lives before
the advent of aviation and snowmachines made them obsolete. The
inaugural Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race of 1984 was a great success with the
wholehearted support of the Fairbanks community, and it has become a
much-anticipated annual event ever since.