La Ronge Neckbone Sled Dog Race

2010 Race News

A date has now been set for the 2010 Neckbone.  The race will go ahead on the weekend of Saturday, January 16 & Sunday, January 17, 2010.  This is a week earlier than last year.  Since the Canadian Challenge will leave Prince Albert on Wednesday, February 10, a week earlier than last year, it was thought that the Neckbone should also go a week earlier to allow some separation between the two races.

This year, there will be some minor changes to the Day #1 route which, the organizers believe, will improve the race.  The race will once again start at Stanley Mission on Day #1.  However, instead of heading south and then south-west across Lac la Ronge to the town of La Ronge, the route will first go west to the community of Grandmother's Bay and then south to the community of Sucker River where the first day will end.  This change will have mushers travelling counterclockwise on the Canadian Challenge trail while the Challenge itself will travel the route in a clockwise direction.  The change in route has a couple of advantages.  It gives the communities of Grandmother's Bay and Sucker River more exposure to the Neckbone.  It also allows for a more sheltered trail since the route will involve more travel through wooded areas and small lakes.  The Day #1 distance will be marginally longer than last year with the distance from Stanley Mission to Sucker River via Grandmother's Bay being about 85 kilometres (53 miles).

Day #2 will remain the same as last year.  There will be a re-start at the Creighton Road junction about 30 km south of La Ronge.  Teams will then travel the Candian Challenge trail south along Highway #2 for 18 km and then travel through the bush via Molanosa Lake and Montreal Lake to reach the finish at Weyakwin.

Another new feature of the Neckbone being discussed is the addition of a 6-dog Junior race.  If there is  interest from young mushers, we would add a Junior race between Stanley Mission and Grandmother's Bay---a distance of 31 kilometres (19 miles).  A modest purse would be offered.

The purse details for this year's race have not been worked out, but we can guarantee a minimum purse with the same breakdown as last year.

For more information, mushers can call Sid Robinson at (306) 425-2502 or Race Marshal Tom Charles at (306) 425-2886.  E-mails can be sent to sid.hil@sasktel.net.

We will keep some of the information from the 2009 race posted below for now since it may be of some value to mushers.

Neckbone Organizing Committee

2009 Race Information

[January 21, 2009]

We can now confirm that the Neckbone's Day #1 breakfast, registration and mushers meeting will be held at the "old High School" in Stanley Mission.  This is the same location as last year.  The old High School is pretty easy to find as it is centrally located in Stanley.  After mushers have eaten and registered, they will move their dog trucks and trailers a short distance to the start line at the local Band Hall.  Teams will start from the Band Hall at intervals in an order determined by a draw at the mushers meeting.

Mushers will be able to stay at the old High School in Stanley if they arrive Friday night.  However, anyone wishing to do so are asked to call Tom Charles at (306) 425-2886 to make arrangements.

When mushers arrive in La Ronge on Saturday, they will finish on the lake ice a short distance from the Lac la Ronge Indian Band's main administration buildings.  There will be a chili supper at the old Kitsaki Hall right next door to the Band's administration buildings.  We are expecting all teams to be in before dark, so supper should be ready by about 6:00 p.m.

The La Ronge area has had some recent warm weather which has resulted in some settling of the snow and some icing.  However, the Environment Canada forecast for La Ronge indicates that the area should receive 5 to 10 cm of snow on Wednesday evening and another 2 to 4 cm of snow on Thursday.  Saturday and Sunday are expected to be sunny with a predicted high of minus 20 C. on Saturday and a predicted high of minus 14 C. on Sunday.  Way warmer than last year!

So far, we are expecting 11 teams at the Neckbone---Ron Shaw, Gerry Walker, Dee Walker, Colin Emerson, Bart de Marie, Stefaan de Marie, Dave Neubuhr, Stacey Neubuhr, Quincy Miller, Miriam Korner and Sid Robinson.  Lac la Ronge is a big lake, so we can still fit in a couple more teams!

2009 RACE INFORMATION

[December 31, 2008, 12:00 noon]

We still need to confirm the race start location in Stanley Mission.  It may be at the "old High School" or at the arena.  The exact location will be posted here in due course.  In any event, mushers should be at the start headquarters by 7:30 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, January 24.  Race registration and a breakfast will start at 7:30 a.m.  A mandatory mushers meeting will be held at 8:00 a.m.

There are no hotels in Stanley Mission, but there  is a chance we may be able to arrange sleeping space in Stanley for the evening of Friday, January 23.  If this is not possible, mushers will want to drive up from La Ronge early on the morning of Saturday, January 24.  It takes about 1 hour to drive the 80 km from La Ronge to Stanley.  The first 30 km is pavement, and then it is gravel.  The road is generally good, but it does have many twists and turns.  You have to take it easy.

Teams will start at 10:00 a.m. sharp on Saturday morning with teams going out at 2-minute intervals.  Start order will be decided at the mushers meeting.  We will likely be starting on the main street in front of the Band Hall.  Teams will run about a kilometre before leaving the street to head for the bush.  The street has a hard surface of snow and ice.  It should be good for sled runners.  But hooking down in the first kilometre might be hard.  We will try to have help available to stand on a brake in an emergency.

We will have a dog drop at Sucker River.  Right now, the plan would be to have dog handlers ready to pick up dropped dogs at Sucker River.  The Neckbone will not have much in the way of resources for looking after dogs left behind.  There are 2 entrances into Sucker River that lead east off Highway #2.  Be sure to take the entrance south of the bridge if you are going into the community.

The trail into La Ronge will go across Nut Bay and then over Nut Portage to the Campbell Channel.  This is a slight change from last year to avoid all road crossings coming into La Ronge town.  From Nut Portage on, there will be a main snow machine trail---as wide as Toronto's 401---leading to town.  The trail runs along the front of town.  Keep going in a westerly direction past the main downtown area to get to the finish line on the lake ice adjacent to old Kitsaki Hall near the Band's administration offices.  We plan to have some orange snow fence up on the lake to make the finish line visible from a distance.

Mushers will be on their own for supper and accommodation in La Ronge on Saturday evening.  That being said, we expect the old Kitsaki Hall will be open to serve finishing mushers something hot to eat and drink.  It is also likely that the Race Marshal will give a short evening race briefing for Day #2.

On Day #2, Sunday, January 25, we anticipate that teams will re-start about 30 km south of La Ronge at the junction of Highway 165 and Highway 2 (there will be lots of parking on Highway 165) and then take the Canadian Challenge trail south to Weyakwin.  The Day  #2 distance will be about 80 km.  We hope to have teams off Montreal Lake before dark and into Weyakwin in time for a neckbone supper.

Mushers can expect at least one dog drop on Day #2.  We will likely have a dog drop off point on old Highway 969 at a distance of 34 km into Day #2 (after 18 km down the east ditch of Highway 2 and another 14.5 km eastward on a bush trail).

Mushers will be given floor space for sleeping at the local hall in Weyakwin on the evening of Sunday, January 25 if they wish to get a fresh start for home on Monday morning.

Basic rules and race schedule for the Neckbone are as follows:

• Mushers must be 16 years old to register.  Mushers under the age of 16 may be allowed to race if the Race Marshal, upon reviewing the musher's experience, decides the mushers has sufficient skills to finish the race safely.
• Mushers must pay a race entry fee of $60, make a refundable $20 bib deposit, and sign a liability waiver to be officially entered in the race.  Waivers for mushers under the age of 18 must be signed by a parent or guardian.
• Race registration will be in Stanley Mission (at a place still to be decided) on Saturday, January 24, starting at 7:30 a.m.  Coffee and muffins will be available during registration.
• All mushers must be present for a mushers meeting to be held at 8:00 a.m. at Stanley Mission.
• The race will start from Stanley Mission on Saturday, January 24, at 10:00 a.m. with mushers leaving at 2-minute intervals in an order determined by random draw.  The interval starts may be 2 teams at a time.
• Mushers will be allowed to run from 6 to 10 dogs on their team.
• No dogs can be added to a team after the official start.  Mushers will be allowed to drop dogs at Sucker River and La Ronge on Day #1 and at a point yet to be determined on Day #2.  Mushers must finish the race with at least 4 dogs still in harness.
• Sleds or toboggans may be of any type, but they must be equipped with a working brake, sturdy drag mat,  at least one snow hook, and a sled bag capable of holding an injured dog.
• Ganglines must have a cable core.
• Mandatory equipment (to be with the musher at all times) will include a head lamp, knife, axe, matches or lighter, and cable cutters.  Mushers are encouraged to bring anything else that might help them survive a cold night out.  Travelling on lakes is a little different.  You can get lost.  We will find you eventually but when is an open question.
• GPS devices will be allowed.  Mushers are also encouraged to bring cell phones or satellite phones for use in emergencies.  Mushers are warned that cell phone coverage is not always available on the route.
• Leaving both Stanley Mission and the Day #2 re-start, mushers must have 500 grams of dog food and a set of booties for each dog on the team as well as 500 grams of human food.
• When mushers reach La Ronge at the end of Day #1, their times will be recorded.
• Mushers will overnight in La Ronge on Saturday, January 24 (mushers are responsible for their own accommodation).
• Mushers will leave on Sunday, January 25, at 8:30 a.m. from Highway 165 south of La Ronge at intervals in reverse order of their Day #1 finish order and then race south to Weyakwin.
• Finish times will be calculated by adding a musher's actual times from Day #1 and Day #2, i.e., the winner will be the musher with the fastest total time (after any time penalties have been taken into account).
• A wind-up supper will be held in Weyakwin on Sunday, January 25 at 6:00 p.m.  Mushers must attend to collect any prize money offered.

In the past, the Neckbone has had the benefit of generous local support and sponsorship (please see sponsor page) which has allowed a modest purse to be offered to the top finishers.  We can  confirm a race purse of $3,600.  Purse details are set out on the "Race Purse" page.  In addition to the purse, plaques  will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers.  The winner will also have his or her name engraved on the Neckbone race trophy, a trophy generously donated by Jim and Elaine Tomkins.