Dogs will become the focus of attention at Dinner Plain this weekend, with the annual staging of the Dinner Plain Sled Dog Sprint.
Event organiser Vaughan Winther said on the back of a great snow season so far, interest has only grown and mushers from every state and territory (except the NT) in the country will be bringing their sled dog teams to race on the cross country ski trails around the Dinner Plain Village.
"We're expecting more than 90 dog teams to compete making for an action-packed weekend," he said.
"The dog teams number from one to six and they are separated into 'classes' and run two heats over two days.
"The open class 'competitive' races have two-dog, three-dog, four-dog, six-dog and eight-dog teams and there is usually between 10-20 teams in each class.
Latest Stories
"The teams line up and run out in one minute intervals.
"The faster teams will pass the slower teams, with the faster teams 'seeded' to run out first in the second heat.
"The winners receive prizes, trophies and some awesome premium Black Hawk Dog Food for their teams."
Racing runs from 9am to 2pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Mr Winther said there is also a touring/social class which is good for beginners or mushers who want to take their older dogs out for a run.
"In 2022, we introduced the Mini Musher Sprint for kids and families which was a great success," he said.
"An adult can take a child under 12 out on a sled with up to two dogs.
"We are also supporting junior mushers to participate and build their mushing skills and confidence with our two-dog Junior Class."
Mr Winther said previous events have attracted hundreds of spectators to enjoy the free unique racing experience, and he hopes this year will be the same.
"We have created a family friendly atmosphere for mushers and also improved the spectator experience," he said, thankful of the support for local stakeholders and sponsors, specifically the Alpine Shire Council, Dinner Plain Services and Black Hawk Petcare.
For more details go to www.dinnerplainsleddog.com
