Go skijoring with your dog
Friends I discovered a duo Trop W'ouf which comes straight from Savoie in the Alps! They are Anis and Eloise. These two best friends do not let go of a sole and practice a snow sport really too great to share with your dog, It's about skijoring !
What is that? It is above all a magnificent walk in the mountains with your dog reconciled with cross-country skiing! Speed, lots of fun and an unforgettable moment in the company of your best 4-legged friend! I interviewed them to find out everything about this dog sport Too W'ouf. Find out what the skijoring in the company of our shock duo.
But before leaving, you will need to book your accommodation for the holidays? Dog-friendly hotel, gite accepting dogs or even rental dogs accepted : you will find a wide choice of dog-friendly accommodation in the “accommodation" of the site. Remember to book with our partners.
Table of contents
Eloise and her husky
Before talking to you about skijoring with a dog, a presentation is indeed necessary. Anis is a 9 year old female Siberian husky. He's a husky so it's hard to be more stubborn. Haha :)) Beyond that, she's always willing to follow us on all our adventures and in that regard, she's great. She adapts to all situations (always on a leash, however, to my great dismay, but the hunting instinct is far too strong).
With dogs, she's a strong head whereas with humans, she tends to be timid (forget huskies as guard dogs!) On the other hand, with us, she's a real sticky point but once her energy spent she is super calm.
I picked up Anis when she was two months old from a private person. At the time, I was still living with my mother in Alsace where she was in contact with our old Bernese mountain dog until she was 1 years old. When she was 5 years old, we moved to Corrèze and two years ago to Savoie, which allows us to discover many beautiful places.
I had in mind to have a husky with a chocolate coat… Well that's almost it lol
I wanted a husky mainly for their look, I admit it… Before welcoming him home, I had all the same studied the books on the breed quite a bit. Since she came into my life, I have discovered a lot of sports like skijoring with a dog. And yes huskies really need to move!
I like this robust side that can follow us everywhere but I really regret having it always on a leash… If I had to do it over again, I would work on abseiling a lot more!
In 9 years, I tested many activities with her. I began by canicross from the age of 1 then the cani-vtt, agility, the cani-rando (obviously), the cani-racket, the cani trail and skijoring with a dog.
Go on vacation with your dog
As long as we don't fly, I'm leaving with my dog on vacation. She is not afraid of almost anything so she accompanies us everywhere on hikes, bivouacs, canoes, boats, pedal boats...
Vacation anecdotes, I don't have one in particular to tell you except all the memories shared on the different vacation spots where we took him (cantal, arcachon, pyrénées, gorges du verdon, marseille , Toulouse, Lyon, Alsace, Bayonne, Ardèche, Corrèze)
When we traveling with a dog, we realize that there are many constraints and that it is necessary to do some research to find dog friendly places. Fortunately, for the moment we have always found compromises and we have always been able to take her with us.
There are many great memories, but my favorites remain our itinerant hikes with overnight stays in bivouacs. She loves it and so do I!
I couldn't cite a "worse" memory, but there's something I'm very afraid of when hiking: it's coming across patous (dogs that guard the herds of sheep in the mountain pastures) because they're not really always chests of drawers…
Discover skijoring with your dog
I discovered skijoring with my dog when I lived in Alsace thanks to a friend who had already done it. It seemed to me to be a good feeling of sliding in a single dog.
I was lucky to have a groomed trail near my home, free and accessible to dogs (I had no idea how lucky I was because finding trails accessible to dogs is complicated! )
At the time, I had never set foot on cross-country skis and for my first attempt I had rented classic, so-called alternative skis (with the scales underneath), ERROR! This first attempt was therefore quite chaotic but I wanted to start again. So I redid a few tests before renting a pair of ski-skates (without scales) much more suited to the practice of this sport.
Skijoring with a dog: what preparation before starting?
I did not follow any specific preparation at the beginning because I practiced canicross and canivtt at the time. So I was in good physical condition (don't forget that skating puts a lot of work on the cardio, especially when your dog is lazy… hihi!) and Anis too. If I had to do it again, I would start by practicing skating without a dog to have the right basic gestures and the right technique. Currently, I train a lot without a dog too. I have improved a lot in technique. It is therefore all the more pleasant when I practice it with Anis afterwards.
Equipment for skijoring with your dog
You need skating equipment (skating skis, poles, shoes), a canicross type harness, a lanyard, and a traction harness for the dog. Depending on the breed of dog with which you wish to practice ski joëring, remember to provide little snow boots or Solipat for its pads, as well as sunglasses and harness.
Where to practice skijoring with your dog?
The hardest part is finding a groomed trail accessible to dogs. The Jura is quite famous for that, it also seems to me that Bessans (in Maurienne) also has a dedicated track. You must be patient and not hesitate to ask for authorizations (it costs nothing!). For my part, I practice on the Nordic area of Arêches-Beaufort (place called Marcot) in Savoie and I also practiced on the Nordic area of Courchevel (free). In Alsace, I practiced at the Platzerwasen pass (next to the Shnepfenried ski resort).
Musher and Sophie : One of the community members also told us about Capcir in the 66, the 3 areas are open to the practice of skijoring.
Eloise's story
As I said earlier for my first try, I had rented classic skis and I had never done cross-country skiing so I spent a good part of the trip on my butt.. Haha
But I think it's one of the sports where my dog gives her all, running in the snow makes her really happy and it makes me the same, it's really great!
Skijoring: an activity for all dogs?
Nordic dogs in particular have a definite ability to run on snow, but ski joëring can be practiced with any breed of dog in good physical condition. The fastest dogs are also the same as in canicross, mainly hunting dogs.
Some ski-joering competitions exist in France: do not hesitate to go and see the sites of the fslc and the ffst.
The final word
I really recommend testing this sport for all lovers of board sports and canine sports. I think it is important to remember to respect the cleanliness of the place whether it is by picking up your waste but also dog excrement and to respect the regulations in force so that this sport can last and hope to see new tracks accepting dogs.
Have fun sharing activities with your dogs and know how to listen to them so that it always remains a pleasure!
I hope this article has inspired you to make skijoring with your dog. I invite you to watch the Too W'ouf video of Anis and Eloïse during this activity, they really seem to have fun like two little crazy people!! If you want to follow their experience, go to their instagram @eloisegerig
For my part, after an inconclusive attempt at cross-country skiing on my own (my buttocks still remembers my royal falls 5 years later!), I admit to being hesitant to try the experience again with Musher… Interview with Anis and Eloïse made me want to get started because it must be a great sport that provides sensations Too W'ouf! To be continued…