A FREE MAGAZINE FROM FINNMARKSLØPET 2014

Transcription

A FREE MAGAZINE FROM FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
A FREE MAGAZINE FROM FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
FL- 2014 Ole Sigleif Johansen
Birgitte N. Wærner Helle Bjerke
Dog portraits : Kos and Oliva
REPORTAGE The Finnmarksløpet Junior Race
Sleddog racing and tourism Øytun boarding
school Chasing the perfect sled dog
MISC program race map
mandatory equipment Mushers’ Pub
10-year anniversary Start list
3
Welcome to the
Finnmarksløpet Race 2014!
There we are again. Just a few days to go,
and adrenalin is pumping in many people’s bodies. We’re almost there, and it feels good. We look forward to welcoming
all participants to the starting line again.
We seem to be setting a new participants’
record this year too – it is amazing. More
than 70 rookies have signed up, which
tells us that this sport does not have any
problems recruiting new athletes. We
are particularly happy to welcome the
junior mushers to their own race. Four
courageous youngsters aged 15-18 have
signed up for the trial Junior Race, and
I hope they will have the experience of
a lifetime when they hit the trail betwe-
en the entrants of FL-500 and FL-1000.
An extensive organization is at work
to take the best care possibly of them.
Hundreds of volunteers have signed up
again, and many of these have already
spent countless hours and energy on
preparing “the most beautiful adventure
of the winter”. The staffing at the office
is twice its normal size, and new forces
join us every day. One cannot but bow in
awe of the mobilization that is happening
these days. A great bunch of enthusiasts
take care of mall and major tasks that
all matter for the larger context of the
experience of the Finnmarksløpet Race.
Many guests arrive for the Finnmarksløpet Race this year to experience the
participants and the event up-close. The
cooperating partners of the race are unique. They are so motivated, engaged and
capable! The fact that we fill the Finnmark Hall with 1,400 guests the day prior to the start of the race says something
about the position that the race has achieved. The hotels in Alta are fully booked,
and a fully booked Hurtigruten ship will
dock at the harbour. The whole county
is involved, and we are up for the best
festival atmosphere ever along the trail.
We also know that the whole country
will direct its eyes towards Finnmark on
8 March. We have put a lot of effort into
making the race more available for the
larger audience that we have out there.
This year, followers can follow the race
even better than before. The start and
finish of all classes can be watched online. Numerous feature stories from ontrail will be published online as they are
ready. NRK1 (TV) will have daily shows
from the race, and they are also following
it closely both online and on radio. This
is of immeasurable value. We hope for
even greater pride and desire to settle
here, in the best county of the country!
I look forward to all of this, and I
am proud to be a part of the team. A
warm-hearted welcome to all participants, partners, volunteers and all guests!
Svanhild Pedersen
manager
Finnmarksløpet AS
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
4
INNHOLD
THE NAME CIIKO
FOTO: GEIR STIAN A. LARSEN
This is a free magazine from Finnmarksløpet about the race, mushers, volunteers and our partners. The name Ciiko has
been picked from one of Sven Engholm’s
legendary lead dogs. Ciiko was the first
dog to cross the finish line in the very
first Finnmarksløp in 1981. Sven named
her using the word for bitch in Sami, Ciiku.
Engholm chose to spell it with a ”o” at the
end, and so did we. Not only was Ciiko the
first finishing, she was a fantastic dog and
was obviously used for breeding. In most
of the famous kennels in Norway offspring
are found with pedigree from Ciiko, a
worthy dog to give name to our magazine.
FL-2014
Reportage
Misc
A FREE MAGAZINE FROM FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
LAYOUT
Finnmarksløpet as
PB 1248, 9504 Alta
Trond A. Andersen
Sanna Charlotte Kivijervi
FOTO RONT PAGE
PRINT
CONTACT
Geir Stian A. Larsen
Bjørkmanns as, Alta
+ 47 78 44 54 50
mail@finnmarkslopet.no
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
www.finnmarkslopet.no
Portrait FL-1000 Birgitte N. Wærner . 12
Portrait FL-500 Ole Sigleif Johansen .19
Portrait FL-junior Helle S. Bjerke . . . . 25
Dog portrait: Kos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Dog portrait: Oliva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The Finnmarksløpet junior Race . . . . . 8
Sleddog racing and tourism . . . . . . . . . 10
Øytun boardingschool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Fenix Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Finnmarksløpet race and tourism . . . . 26
Chasing the perfect sled dog . . . . . . . . 28
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Race map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Race manager/TD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
mandatory equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Anniversary for the festival in Tana 31
Start list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
7
Fotokonkurranse
De beste bildene fra
Finnmarksløpet 2014 premieres!
Finn ut mer på
ishavskraft.no/konkurranse
Foto: Tommy Hansen
#FLIK14
Som stolt og engasjert sponsor av Finnmarksløpet tar vi pulsen på
vinterens vakreste eventyr. Vi ønsker lykke til med årets arrangement!
Sorrisniva is a most well-established tourist business,
to say the least. Ulrik Wisløff started Alta River Boat
Service as far back as in 1970. That was the beginning
of the business that today is known as Sorrisniva.
Hard work pays off
A whole generation and countless creative ideas later
the tourist centre has grown to become one the country’s largest in its field. But the success has not come
all by itself. Hard work and innovative solutions have
been used as tools for growing and expanding the
business. Sorrisniva was the first actor in Norway to
build a hotel made of ice and snow in year 2000, and
Foto: Sorrisniva
The Sorrisniva Spearheadt
the magnificent construction has been repeated every
winter since. Sorrisniva was also the first business on
mainland Norway to set up snowmobile tourism, and
today they have more than 60 snowmobiles operating.
Courage has paid off, no doubt.
The reward comes in the form of tourists from all over
the world. Today the company enjoys a respected reputation, and Ulrik’s two sons Tor Kjetil and Hans Ulrik
have received many rewards both for the experiences
they offer, but also for their excellent kitchen, which
offers an exciting menu based on the best of raw materials from the county.
For more information, please refer to: www.sorrisniva.no
Stolt samarbeidspartner.
Vi er vokst opp i nord, vi skal leve i nord
og vi skal utvikle verdiene i nord.
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
Tlf: 483 01 700
8
The Finnmarksløpet Junior Race
2014 is a historic year for the Finnmarksløpet Race – it is the first time ever that a
junior race is held, too. The junior class will have a lower age limit of 15 years, and
an upper limit of 18 years.
Geir Stian A. Larsen
Privat
TEKST:
FOTO:
people who will act as mentors for the
FJR racers. It will also be possible to drop
dogs there. This tight focus on security is
important because parts of the race take
place in areas exposed to extreme weather conditions, and also because this is the
first Finnmarksløpet Junior Race ever.
15 men at work
There are four participants who have signed up for the FJR – a good number, considering that 2014 is something of a testyear for this class. In fact, this year’s race
holds the status of Trial World Championship, as the Finnmarksløpet Race appears to be selected to facilitate the 2015
World Championship in long distance
sleddog racing for all classes.
The Junior Trail
The Finnmarksløpet Junior Race will
commence downtown in Alta city centre
on Saturday 8 March, the same day as
FL500 and FL1000. The juniors will thus
experience the same atmosphere and
cheering as the other sleddog racers.
There are a total of about 15 people who
are involved in making this race a best
possible experience for the FJR racers.
The team is headed up by Jan Navjord and
Rita Hallvig, who both have vast experience from both sleddog racing and from
working with youth. The FJR class will
also be followed on-trail by a journalist,
who will supply film, pictures and stories
from the race.
The FJR will follow the same trail as the
other two classes to Jotka. There they
will have their first checkpoint and three
hours mandatory rest. After taking out
the mandatory rest they will follow the
FL500 trail to Suossjavri, which by the
way is their only checkpoint with depot
available. At Suossjavri they will have six
hours mandatory rest. The return journey to Jotka Mountain Cabin will follow
a trail somewhat further west until reaching Lake Iesijavri. From there they
follow the regular trail back to Alta city
centre. Their final checkpoint will be at
Jotka 2, with four hours mandatory rest.
Participants
The four young people who have signed up for the very first edition of the
Finnmarksløpet Junior Race are Anna
Dorthea Yri, Helle Seiertun Bjerke, Erik
Loftsgård and Anette Børve Hernes. They
are all experienced with sleddog racing as
well as with outdoor activities, and most
of them have participated in sleddog races before, too. We wish them the very
best of luck!
Security first and foremost
The security for the FJR will also be preserved with five control points in addition to the checkpoints. At the control- and
checkpoints there will be experienced
Ekstrem
kvalitet!
Labb er stolt
elitesamarbeidspartner
siden 2006
Labb Ekstrem og Finnmarksløpet
- enere på hvert sitt område!
Erik Loftsgård, is 17 years old. He lives in
Øygardsgrend in Buskerud County. His goal is
simply to complete the race and finish with high
spirits.
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
Helle Seiertun Bjerkehas from Eidfjord is 16 years
of age. She has managed to get quite a bit of race
experience already, with nothing less than a gold
medal and Norwegian Champion title from this
year’s Femundløpet Race.
Anette Børve Hernes fra Eidfjord er 16 år. Hun
har allerede rukket å få en hel del erfaring fra løp,
med intet mindre enn førsteplass og NM tittel i
årets Femundløp.
Anna Dorthea Yri is 17 years old and lives in Alta.
She was the first one to sign up. She is a student
at Alta Junior College, and this is her first sleddog race.
Det hjelper ikke med god trening hvis ikke
fôringa er optimal. Med Labb Ekstrem som
basisfôr sikres høyt energiopptak og hundene
presterer optimalt!
Besøk vår stand ved:
Alta: 7. - 8. mars
Tana: 9. mars
Kirkenes: 10. mars
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
www.labb.no
10
11
Sleddog racing and
tourism
Ketil says that it is the exotic and genuine about Finnmark that is its best sales
argument. He mentions the Finnmark
plain, the Sami culture and sleddog racing. However, on the top of the tourists’
list one finds the Northern Lights. Iki
says estimates show that cruise tourism
leaves 14-15 million NOK in Alta alone.
Tourism is a favoured investment area of business in
Northern Norway, and in the last few years many new
actors have entered the arena. Sleddog racing is one of
the activities that have seen a significant increase.
Exotic Finnmark
Henriette Bismo Eilertsen is a name one
hears quite often in the tourist business
in Finnmark. Through North Adventure
she travels the world in order to entice
adventurous people to Finnmark. Eilertsen says that what excites these people
is experiencing the nature, the northern
lights and sleddog racing. Most people
who travel on a cruise to Finnmark are
people who have hardly ever seen anything but city landscapes, and thus the
symbiosis between man and animal is
perceived as extremely exotic. Snow,
cold, sleddog racing and northern lights
are things more and more people around the world put on their to-do list.
Geir Stian A. Larsen
Geir Stian A.Larsem
TEKST:
FOTO:
Cruise tourism is a pillar
Holmen Hundesenter (‘Dog Centre’)
is owned and run by Eirik Nilsen. He
started his career with taking tourists
on sleddog trips in Kiruna, Sweden, and
he also worked for the merited sleddog
racer Roger Dahl. In 1996 he founded
what has now become the well-established business of Holmen Hundesenter.
The early years of the business saw a
quite different foundation for its operations than it does today. Back then the
foundation was largely based on Finnmark Reiseliv AS and aimed at smal-
ler groups, whereas today cruise tourism is a solid pillar for winter tourism.
- Cruise passengers constitute more than
90 % of the current operations, and we
have Henriette Bismo Eilertsen to thank
for this increase in business, says Eirik.
Eilertsen and North Adventure have done
an excellent job in promoting Alta as a
destination for cruise ships. At the same
time, Eirik has some concerns that this
might decline someday. He argues that
the local tourist business will have a lot
to gain from standing united in promoting Alta and Finnmark as a destination.
He also calls for a higher level of engagement from the local authorities. – Look to
Troms, look to Finland, Eirik Nilsen says.
Good figures
Ketil Iki, consultant at Alta Port Authority, confirms the growth in cruise
tourism. – We have had an enormous
increase in the number of cruise tourists since 2009. Larger ships and more
calls at the port provided an increase
of more than 17,000 tourists from 2013
to 2014. This, of course, provides for
more bookings to Alta tour operators.
Founder Eilertsen says that the Finnmarksløpet Race is important for tourism in Finnmark also because of the
extensive internet publicity. – It is simply invaluable, Eilertsen says in closing.
State initiatives
In 2009 the Ministry of Local and Regional Government established the
company NordNorsk Reiseliv AS
(‘North Norwegian Tourism, Ltd.’). The
company is to promote Northern Norway and Svalbard (Spitsbergen) as a
destination. The main attractions are
to be natural phenomena, the coast,
Sami culture and the Arctic experience.
In addition to this the Ministry of Business and Trade joined with 15 million
NOK earmarked for promoting Northern
Norway. The funds are allocated through
Innovasjon Norge (‘Innovation Norway’)
to strengthen North Norwegian tourist
businesses on the international market.
Source: regjeringen.no (i.e. the Government’s web site.)
We asked Tourism Manager Hilde Bjørkli
at the Alta Office of NordNorsk Reiseliv
AS about what the Finnmarksløpet Race
means for tourism in Finnmark Country. She replied: - A sport competition
across 1,000 kilometres with breathtaking winter landscapes, strong personalities, an incredible exitement around the
lead pack and a huge festival everywhere along the trail that keeps the nation
holding its breath for a week on end.
The Finnmarksløpet Race is both unbearably exciting and at the same time
overwhelmingly TV friendly. And best
of it all: It could only happen in Finmmark. NordNorsk Reiseliv AS could not
want for a better ambassador for promoting winter tourism in Finnmark. Good
luck with the event, she says in closing.
We of the Finnmarksløpet Race will continue to do our best, both to organise an
exciting sports event and to increase travellers’ desire to visit Finnmark through
promoting the county the best way possible.
Jobzonesuksessen fortsetter!
Vi etablerer oss i Alta,
og blir din bemanningspartner
i Alta og Hammerfest regionen.
Vi er stolt sponsor av
Finnmarksløpet og ønsker
alle deltagere lykke til.
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
Jobzone har en visjon om å være den beste arbeidsgiver. Vi jobber tett mot kunder
og vikarer innenfor de fleste yrkesområder, både i privat og offentlig sektor. Jobzone
er det største norskeide bemanningsselskapet med over 40 lokale kontorer. I 2013
Trond A. Andersen
formidlet
vi 8100 medarbeidere til vikariater og faste stillinger.
PRIVAT
TEKST:
FOTO:
Les mer om oss på. www.jobzone.no/tromso
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
12
13
PORTRAIT FL-1000: Birgitte Næss Wærner
Rookie and
Winner Candidate
She was not more than 12 years old when
signing up for her first sleddog race.
Back then she raced Nordic style. Today,
with her recent 2nd place in the Femund
Race (F600) she is one of the best long
distance sleddog racers in Norway.
tance racing sleddogs. One can safely say
that they’ve reached their goal. Thomas
won the Finnmarksløpet Race in 2013,
and Birgitte got her 2nd place in this
year’s Femund Race. Some of their dogs
will be racing the Iditarod this year, in
Robert Sørlies team. That might, in fact,
present quite a challenge for Wærner.
Fierce competitors
Many words can be used to describe the
merited 39-year old sleddog racer, but
‘modest’ is not one of them. She makes
no attempt to hide her ambitions for
this year’s Finnmarksløpet Race: A top
3 placement. Her most feared competitors are Arnt Ola Skjerve, Sigrid Ekran,
Arne Karlstrøm and Harald Tunheim.
– Thomas and I compete all the
time, more or less. I guess that’s
how we make it work.
- Birgitte Næss Wærner
dropped at checkpoint Jotka 2, just 50 km
from the finish. Perhaps that was what
made Robert Sørlie chose to take Gamla
to Alaska this year. However, Gamla may
also present a challenge to Sørlie. She
increases the speed when you whistle at
her, and our sources tell us that Mr Sørlie
has not yet quite learned how to whistle.
Nevertheless, Gamla is a dog that will no
doubt be missed by Birgitte in Finnmark.
Double challenge
Gamla is a seven year old lead dog. She
pulled Thomas past Inger Marie Haaland
on the Tana river last year, and made it almost all the way to the finish line. She was
Experienced handlers
The ambitious sleddog racer will have
a most experienced band of handlers
along with her during the race. Former
Race Marshall for the Finnmmarksløpet Race, Marit Hoveid, FL1000 racer Christoffer Klemetsen and FL1000
racer Jon Flaa are the three selected
handlers this year. A more experienced
group of handlers are hard to come by.
Birgitte Næss Wærner is a characteristically vivid lady with a life attitude
many can envy her. – It’s all about the
will, says the 39-year old whose smile
we’ll see on Alta’s main street on 8 March – the international Women’s Day.
Geir Stian A. Larsen
Kine Bakke Jøraholmen
TEKST:
FOTO:
Finnmarksløpets kolleksjon finner du hos oss!
Head below water
Birgitte Næss Wærner is a very busy lady,
beyond every shadow of doubt. Two children; William, 4 years old, and Herman, 9
years old. Three horses, a handful of dogs
in the house, a cat, and of course: Her
husband Thomas. In addition to this she
works as Head Nurse in the Home Nursing
Services of her community Nord Torpa.
When asked how she manages it all,
Wærner responds: - Oh, it all goes well!
I enjoy having my head below water
– you can see so much more of the iceberg then! I don’t understand why it’s
so important to people to keep their
head above water when there is so
much more to see below the surface.
With good helpers
Well, then, it’s just not enough to keep
one’s head below water. Birgitte and Thomas receive great help from a few others
too. Rune Nilsen is indeed a good neighFINNMARKSLØPET 2014
bour, plowing snow, feeding animals and
more along the way. Kristoffer Klemetsen
and Silje Næss have volunteered as handlers – and you sure need those two when
trying to keep 70 huskies in training!
and in Alaska she and Thomas are still
remembered in awe after their season
there in 2001-2002. Birgitten then set
a new trail record in the Limited North
American Championship, which is the
largest sprint competition in the USA.
Even Birgitte’s job contributes. They have
allowed her to days off every week, so that
she gets to train the dogs towards the Finnmarksløpet Race. – I simply have brilliant
colleagues, Birgitte says emphatically.
She will not fall short when it comes to
being competitive, that’s for sure. – Thomas and I compete all the time, more or
less. I guess that’s how we make it work.
Trail record and medal gathering
World Class
Birgitte has gathered quite a collection
of medals since starting her sleddog racing career. She holds titles both in the
European as well as the World Championships in sprint sleddog racing. She
holds a 2nd place in the Femund Race,
After the season in Alaska the sleddog racing couple decided it was time for new
challenges. The issue of long distance
sleddog racing came up. They started breeding from their sprint dogs, being fully
dedicated to producing capable long dis2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
FINNMARKSLØPETS
2014/02
SCENE FINNMARK og FINNMARKSLØPET presenterer
LIVESCENE
PUBLIKUMSPROGRAM FL-2014
SØNDAG 9.MARS
MANDAG 10.MARS
TIRSDAG 11.MARS
ONSDAG 12.MARS
TORSDAG 13.MARS
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
TANA BRU
VED ANKOMST KIRKENES
KL 19:00 VARANGERBOTN
KL 19:00 KARASJOK
VED MÅLGANG ALTA
VED ANKOMST
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
16
17
Mehamn
Nordkapp
TANAFJORDEN
Honningsvåg
Havøysund
NORSKEH AV E T
888
891
98
Tana bru
PORS
Hammerfest
Vardø
E 75
N
OT N
Båtsfjord
890
ANGE
REVSB
E 69
LAKSEFJORDEN
Kjøllefjord
889
BA RENT SHAVET
Berlevåg
FINN M A RK
VA R ANGERFJORDEN
Vadsø
Varangerbotn
E6
94
98
886
Sirma
E6
E6
ALTAFJORDEN
Start og mål
Alta
E6
FINLAND
Levajok
Lakselv
Neiden
Nikel
Skoganvarre
Varmest:
2004 i Alta
+ 6,4 °C
E 75
UTSNITT
Løypas nest lengste etappe:
Neiden - Kirkenes 120 km
= 1000 km
1.000 km tilsvarer
avstanden fra Oslo
til Mo i Rana
E6
Jotka
Kirkenes
= 500 km
Løypas lengste etappe:
Karasjok - Alta 141 km
885
RUSSLAND
30 km
©
TROMS
Karasjok
93
Jergul
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
Kaldest:
2006 i Karasjok
– 43,6 °C
Visit our website:
http://www.nyhetsgrafikk.no/
Juniorløypa er dessverre ikke med
på dette kartet
Kilde: www.finnmarkslopet.no
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
92
18
19
The Race Manager / TD
The Race Manager has been appointed by
the Finnmark Race, and he is in charge
of the execution of the sport of the race.
The Race Manager is to be in charge of
everything that happens along the trail.
Everything is reported to him, and he
has to solve challenges and handle problems that might arise during the race.
The Race Manager is in charge of making
sure the mushers get as much necessary information as possible prior to the
race, as well as along the trail. To ensure
that all areas of business are well taken
care of during the race, it is important
for the Race Manager, the TD (technical
delegate), trail crew and veterinarians to
cooperate closely while the race is on.
The Race Manager, TD and the veterinarians hold all authority to make decisions based on the rules and regulations
PORTRAIT FL-500: Ole Sigleif Johansen
One of the hottest contestants in the FL-500 class is
Ole Sigleif Johansen. He does not hesitate when asked
about preparations and the shape of his team: - Ever
increasing shape, tip top! Everything is optimised and
the battle against the grams has been won so far, he
replies.
that are in the best interest of the race,
its participants and animal welfare.
The TD – Technical Delegate – has been
delegated from the Norwegian Sleddog Sports Association (known by its
Norwegian acronym NHF). Their main
task during the race is to make sure that
the organisers and participants follow
the rules prior to and during the race.
The Finnmarksløpet Race is subject to
three different sets of rules. In addition to the NHF Long Distance Sleddog
Racing rules, we are also subject to the
rules of the Norwegian Sports Association (NIF) and have to comply with their
rules. The Finnmarksløpet Race also
has its own set of special rules which
are tailor-made for this particular race.
These rules are approved by the NIF:
FOTO:
To av rennlederne for Finnmarksløpet 2014: Rita Halvig
og Don Lyrek. Foto: Geir Stian A. Larsen
TD FL-500: Roar Wolden og Reidun Karlsen
TD FL-1000; Eilert Hesthagen og Vidar Kjelsberg
The Race Manager Rita Hallvig, Don Lyrek And
Jan Gunnar Vian
Vi ønsker arrangør
og deltakere
lykke til i årets løp!
Betongelementer
Ferdigbetong
Avløpssystemer i betong
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
Tlf. 78 44 92 00 - post@jaro.no - www.jaro.no
Trond A. Andersen
Geir Stian A.Larsen
TEKST:
Johansen thinks it will be a very even
race, with many near-identical running
times in the beginning. – We will only see
the difference towards the end, says the
fit musher from Rødberg, who looks forward to a new trail and tactical choices.
STARTEN PÅ ET EVENTYR
Med 20 gjestfrie hoteller, Nordkapphallen, og
Sápmi opplevelsessenter pulserer vårt hjerte for de
nordligste fylkene i kongeriket Norge. Vi vil være med å
oppfylle drømmer, skape verdifulle minner og
eventyrlige opplevelser for mang en gjest.
Velkommen til Rica Hotels!
rica.no
=
rica.se
=
rica-hotels.com
- My wife Eline and I are in full agreement
on how to do this. Eline became Norwegian Champion and finished second of the
FL-500 in 2013. This year we have eight
experienced dogs, which is a comfort.
Nava and Ylva are race ready, and of
course we aim for a shorter running time
than last year, he says with confidence.
- During the Hakasleppet race (250 km)
we raced somewhat tough, with lots of
running time for the dogs. And that took
us to victory, Johansen says with a smile.
The 32-year old is in his 10th year of mushing, and he’s well known for going full
speed ahead all from the start. It has not
always done him any favours. – You cannot rest your way to victory in this class,
you have to be on the go all from the beginning. I have a late bib, so there will be
some passing of other teams at first in
order to make it to the lead group, says
Ole Sigleif. He is chasing peace at home:
- My best result is a fourth place, and as
my wife excelled and finished second last
year, it goes without saying that I have to
match her result if I want peace at home!
We ask him to say something about who
he thinks will be his toughest competitors on trail. – There are many mushers
who are capable of winning, but if I am
to mention three I’d have to say Elisabeth
Edland, Jan Slosar and Jimmy Petterson.
Elisabeth is tough and performs excellently under good conditions, he says.
– Jan Slosar mushes with Milos Gonda’s
dog team, who won last year, so he can be
hard to beat as well. And then there’s the
outsider Jimmy Pettersson. Jimmy has
two consecutive victories at the Amundsen Race, and he has done well at La
Grande Odyssee. Even if he’s a rookie, he
has a lot going for him, Johansen thinks.
As for himself, he wishes for rough conditions. – The rougher it gets, the better it is for me and my dogs. My goal is
to cross the finish line as #1 and with all
eight dogs, preferably galloping, says Ole
Sigleif, who will rush out on the trail in
downtown Alta on Saturday 8 March.
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
20
Øytun Boarding School and
the Finnmarksløpet Race
Life is
Øytun .
class at
g
n
ci
ra
70 dogs
sleddog
re than
lf in the
With mo
se
.
r
7
u
/
o
4
rning
y
2
test
r our lea
r living
y get to
mized fo
s outdoo
ti
u
p
o
ro
You reall
cular.
is
tu
ti
dven
ything
in par
gs a n d a
hool ever
g racing
o
sc
d
e
ed
th
e are
abo ut d o
sl
w
y
d
ly b
eral an
ddition
mediate
gs in gen
and in a
o
,
d
t
ch
placed im
u
ment
o
ea
p
b
o
s
le a
e devel
ree dog
as possib
follo w th
ocated th
to
ll
a
as much
et
n
g
e
ee
eb
way w
ents hav
In that
All stud
er each .
tt
li
e
n
o
e of
.
in charg
that ’s
oungster
a lot –
ppy to y
u
p
the fi eld
in
from
t
, fishu
o
in
n the pla
ave been
o
h
s
g
e
o
w
d
r
es with
alf yea
g on the
Great hik
e past h
ack ridin
s.
b
th
y
se
g
a
r
d
o
in
h
r
r
u
Du
going
o with o
a River,
h at we d
hts.
g the Alt
n
mostly w
li
d
thern lig
d
r
a
outs, p
s an d n o
tr
ip
e
tr
rg
g
,
la
o
ing
g, sledd
dog yard
e in the
, skijorin
ic
in
ct
ta
ra
n
p
u
in
f
mo
to be
e a lot o
at needs
, we h av
much th
the fi eld
so
e some
is
in
it
e
t
u
u
er
q
o
t
o w for
nel. Th
sn
en
e are no
k
w
d
e
a
h
en
rg
nt
h
e
W
run a la
o w we’v
a s w e wa
wo r k ! N
s much
e learn to
a
to
w
r
g
e
fo
er
in
it
se
h
w
b e ba d
can do
r everyth
t – an d
ill mostly
order fo
lo
w
a
in
n
,
o
g
ce
w
in
la
p
in April
om no
n skijor
d trips fr
fi eld trip
we’ve bee
el
er
fi
so
g
e
n
e,
h
lo
m
T
ti
with a
l hours.
nish off
of schoo
.
we will fi
outside
d
n
a
dog team
g
n
og racin
e o ur o w
d
g
a
ed
n
sl
a
nd
n
m
o
gets to
up two a
teamed
ch of us
re
a
e
ed
W
li
where ea
, socia z
puppies.
to be fed
training
re
t
a
e
en
t
th
a
sp
f
off is
front o
uppies th
our time
to try in
tter of p
h
li
g
w
r
u
u
o
ro
o
g
Much of
each
g. You
o w big en
ring for
r walkin
ies are n
ing
two in ca
ijoring o
est pupp
sk
ld
o
r
e
bout tak
fo
h
a
ed . T
n a lot
are used
r
a
es
le
n
o
u
and train
o
ounger
an d y
ile the y
ear here,
sled, wh
ring a y
u
d
n
s.
so
a per
h other
a lot as
king wit
an d wo r
y
it
il
b
si
respon
21
The Finnmarks
løpet R ace is ve
ry important fo
sleddog racing
r the
class at Øytun
. Harald Tunhe
FL1000 race as
im has the
his main goal ev
ery year. Havin
high goal to trai
g such a
n for and know
ing his past mer
ample and uniq
its provide
ue inspiration
and drive for hi
and the rest of
s students
us. Also, the stud
ents get to be vo
at the race and
lunteers
in that way th
e see with their
what we are wo
own eyes
rking towards,
and they get th
that we are not
e experience
alone in this. T
he atmosphere,
dogs they meet
people and
at the star t of th
e race and at ch
is very inspirin
eckpoints
g to the studen
ts – and perhap
the future racing
s it feeds into
ambitions for sle
ddog racers in
spe.
The students he
lp out at the st
ar t of the race,
up to the star ti
help teams
ng line, particip
ate in checkpoint
as handling do
work such
g teams, manag
ing time record
tion, prepare th
ing, registrae checkpoints be
fore teams arri
forth straw and
ve, bring
water, help mar
king the checkp
watch at road cr
oint, stand
ossings and gene
rally participat
running of the
e in the
checkpoints wh
ere they are. Our
are checkpoint
associates
managers at ea
ch their checkp
think that is a
oint, and I
great experience
for them.
Anved Kvamm
en
teacher, Øytun
Boarding Scho
ol
ol
Holm
Ludvig
ing Scho
n Board
tu
y
Ø
t,
studen
The infamous Harald Tunheim has for many years been in charge of the this course
at the school, though for the past few years he’s had Anved Kvammen from Lofthus,
Hardanger, there to help him. Kvammen was a student at Øytun in 2003-04, and
he has had a 50% position there lately. This year, however, he is in full control as
Tunheim is on study leave.
Geir Stian A. Larsen
Privat
TEKST:
FOTO:
Northern Norway Tourist Board
13 to 3
Factors of interest
- In general, girls seem to have more interest in animals than boys, and I guess
that’s why we have this gender balance,
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
Kvammen. In addition to the students
the class also has two associates who help
out, Harald Magnussen and Silje Vibe.
Magnussen is on the training team for
Harald Tunheim’s race dogs. The dogs
that Tunheim uses during the Finnmarksløpet Race have their own training team,
in other words.
Responsibility and dogs
Each student is in charge of three dogs
A PROUD PARTNER
each. These dogs are ‘their own’ for as
long as they are in this class. When they
are out on trips, the dogs are combined
into six-dog teams with two students per
sled. The students take turns standing on
the back of the sled or sitting on it.
We have asked one teacher and one student at Øytun to describe the school and
the Finnmarksløpet Race. This is what
they said.
of Finnmarksløpet
Photo: Gaute Bruvik / Tromsø
The sleddog racing class at Øytun Boarding School consists of 16 students, and
the gender balance is enough to make
the jaw drop for any Minister of Gender
Equality – 13 girls vs 3 boys. What they all
share is a passion for outdoor living
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
www.northernnorway.com
22
23
Mandatory
DOG PORTRAIT: Kos
During the Finnmark Race the participant has to bring some mandatory equipment in the sled through the entire race.
This is a part of the security precautions
for the musher and the dogs. Should they
have to stop along the trail due to poor
weather conditions or for other reasons,
the organiser knows that the musher has
sufficient equipment in the sled for this.
This means that each team – musher and
dogs – shall be able to survive for 24 hours
on-trail without assistance. This gives the
organisers more time if needing to conduct searches. The participants are required
to make sure that they always have all the
mandatory equipment with them when
Foto: Davina Muller
equipment
leaving each checkpoint. The participants
may, after approval from the Race Manager and TD, supply broken or lost mandatory equipment along the trail. Upon
arrival at the finish line the organisers
will control the sled for all mandatory
equipment. Should anything be missing,
the team may be disqualified.
Rita Halvig
Geir Stian A.Larsen
TEKST:
FOTO:
Extreme winter clothing with reflexes to be
clearly visible in the dark, both in the front and
on the back.
Rescue light/flare gun
(to be carried in pocket
available on the body)
Wire or chain for dog that is taken out and handed to Checkpoint Manager. There should be one loop per dog on the
team. Dragline with wire is approved for this purpose. When
the team is parked it shall be possible to fasten the whole
team in a set of chain of wire that runs from the necklace and
throughout.
Winter sleeping bag for extreme conditions
Vet handbook.
To be handed out to mushers at the information
desk/at the mushers’ meeting
Head lamp and batteries
Snow spade
8 paw socks per dog,
including the ones being used
www.finnmarkslopet-shop.no
Kos lives with Birgitte and Thomas Wærner. According to Birgitte, Kos is filled with excellent qualities.
She motivates the other dogs, and she always does her
best. That has lead to her completing no less than three
Femund Races and she has even won the Finnmarksløpet Race. She was meant to og to Alaska with Robert
Sørlie to participate in another sleddog race, however,
on the day of traveling she was dropped because of her
coughing. And to her owner’s great joy, this means she
is eligible for starting the Finnmarksløpet Race instead.
Mushers Pub/Café
10. – 15. march
Mushers’ Pub/Cafè is a place for you who are or wants to
be a part of the Finnmarksløpet race. The public, mushers, handlers, volunteers – everyone’s welcome!
The Event Management students at the University of
Tromsø, Alta Campus, facilitate it all and this year the
Mushers’ Pub/Cafè is found at the City Student House
cafè. There will be a widescreen TV available for following the race, so that all pub visitors can stay updated
at all times.
The opening hours are:
Monday to Thursday: 8p.m./20:00 to 11 a.m./11:00.
Friday (pub night): 7pm/19:00 to 3 a.m./03:00.
Axe or large knife
First aid kit
Fórkoker
Compass
Mountain map with the trail drawn up 1:50.000/M711 UTM system map.
Alternatively: Map in the scale of 1:250,000 with the trail drawn up AND GPS
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
with the trail marked. Coordinates will be made available on the Finnmarksløpet web site.
Extra set of clothing
(underwear, outer wear, socks,
winter shoes)
On Friday night the pub will be filled with Irish-inspirated music, simple food dishes for sale and a good atmosphere. It is the perfect opportunity to meet old and
new acquaintances and relax after a busy week. Come as
you are! The venue will be open 24/7. The student house
cafè will be open when the Mushers’ Pub/Cafè is closed.
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
24
25
PROFIL FL-junior: Helle Seiertun Bjerke
Helle is 17 years old and it is no exaggeration to say
that she’s been born into sleddog racing. Her father
has completed 30 long distance sleddog races, and so
her way onto the sled has probably been shorter than
it has been for many others.
The Fenix Way
Aiko Bode is the man who is responsible for Fenix Outdoor
meeting strict requirements for the production and distribution
of their products. One of their products is the Fjällräven outdoor wear, which for more than 50 years has provided functional
clothing for people who wish to enjoy nature. Fenix does this
through sustainable production and with a deep respect for the
environment.
Jannicke mannsverk
Lars Krempig
After being handler for her father during
the Femund Race F600 in 2012 he offered her the chance to race in the junior
class in 2013. Only then did she begin to
really feel what long distance mushing is
all about. While the other young people
in Gausdal were asleep in their beds, Helle was on a sled behind a pack of dogs,
racing all through the night. It was that
kind of training that was required before
Gausdal Maraton and the Femund Junior Race. Next year she plans to race the
Femund Race F400 as well as the Finnmarksløpet Race FL500.
But Helle does not focus too much on
medals and glory when she is racing.
During this year’s Femund Race she was
surprised by a heavy storm on the last leg
of the race. Between Tolga and Røros the
storm blew up, and after a while Helle
caught up with Aase Johansen, who had
left Tolga before her. Together the two
girls took turns walking in front of their
dog teams in order to lead the dogs down
from the mountains. – Team work is what
mushing is all about, Helle says.
When not busy with sleddogs, Bjerke is
a very active girl. She plays in the school
band and is also board member of the local chapter of the Norwegian Hiking Association’s youth organisation.
Trond A. Andersen
Privat
TEKST:
In other words; this is a musher we can
count on hearing more from in the years
to come. Good luck, Helle!
FOTO:
TEKST:
FOTO:
There are many concerns to take into account if you wish to run an environtmental-friendly business. It is not just about
choice of materials for the final product,
but about the whole process from the initial design phase, through production,
sales, distribution and packaging. – Even
when the product is worn out we wish to
recycle it, and we do it through our partners Naturkompaniet and Partioaitta,
Aiko says. Environmental concerns are
clearly decisive for the Fjällräven strategy.
The Arctic fox from which the clothing producer has borrowed its
name is on the national Red List of
species nearing extinction. That is
why they have created their own
”Save the Arctic Fox” collection, where
parts of the surplus is reallocated to organizations working to save the Polar Fox.
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
- We think that our respect for nature is best served with our functional, synthetic Arctic fur.
In addition, the company has in 2012 and
2013 donated money to a PhD student
whose research focuses on how to best
preserve the population of Polar Fox. In
2012 they donated all of 300,000 SEK to
this project. – This is a part of our cultural heritage, and it is our responsibility to
take care of the environment, as we want
future generations to also be able to enjoy
nature – preferably with us, says Bode.
Not only does Fenix Outdoors have a production process which adheres to strict
environmental requirements; the company has also taken a stand on the use of fur.
– We see neither the necessity nor the
acceptance for the use of genuine fur. We
have for more than 40 years had the philosophy that it is both unnecessary and
unethical for animals to suffer unacceptable conditions for the sake of our skin.
It is hard to trace the origins of genuine
furs, and the existing routines for this are
not satisfactory, argues Aiko. He goes on
to explain how Fjällräven does not want
genuine fur to be a fashion symbol. – We
think that our respect for nature is best
served with our functional, synthetic
Arctic fur. Environmental concerns and
using fake fur is a part of the project
we refer to as ”The Fenix Way”, says the
engaged and well-reflected Aiko Bode.
Stolt samarbeidspartner
med Finnmarksløpet
Polar Parka
Polar Bib Trousers
Finn flere varme vinterklær på fjallraven.no
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
26
27
The Finnmarksløpet
Race and tourismt
National tourist routes
Knut Hansvold/NordNorsk Reiseliv as
NNR
TEKST:
Tourism in Finnmark began with the cruise ships that docked off the North Cape
so that the gentlemen in dinner jackets
with styled beards and ladies in evening
gowns could climb up to the champagne
pavilion at the summit. It continued with
coach parties that would drive a relentless
five hundred kilometres (three hundred
miles) a day to reach the North Cape, allowing them little time for anything else.
The annual invasion lasted for a few weeks, and there was minimal contact between the local population and tourists,
other than the purely financial aspects.
The Finnmarksløpet Race is a real highlight of the new peak season – winter. The Northern Lights are one of the
main reasons why people come here,
and much of Finnmark enjoys a stable
winter climate with a lot of clear weather—meaning a lot of Northern Lights. Add in the options of snowmobile
trips, dogsledding in a vast, unspoiled
natural wilderness, a drive to the North
Cape in the tracks of the snowplough,
ice fishing for king crab in East Finnmark as well as Sami experiences, and
you have an unbeatable experience!
The culture and people
The new tourism
Modern tourists take holidays more frequently but for shorter amounts of time,
and people prefer to fly directly to their
destination. They have already been to
the most famous places, and are now
ready for an alternative kind of destination—somewhere like Finnmark. It’s
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
When a Hurtigruten ship sails into the
Kjøllefjord on a winter’s evening, its
passengers are treated to a show of lights, colour, music and song, inspired by
the Sea Sami culture. Honningsvåg,
famous for its revue traditions, puts
on theatrical productions for its summer tourists. The subject is life in Hon-
The big competitions
The big, open landscape of Finnmark
lends itself in a perfect way to a specialist type of sport—the endurance competition. The Finnmarksløpet Race is the
prime example, but others are springing
up close behind it. VAKE is the world’s toughest long-distance snowkiting
competition, which takes place during
three to four days in sunny April, across
the undulating white landscape of the
Varanger peninsula. Offroad Finnmark
is a mountain-biking competition where participants cross the Finnmark
plateau during one week in summer.
The Sami
In the old days of coach tourism, a stop
in a ’Sami camp’ typically took 15 minutes, during which the passengers’
main focus was buying souvenirs and
taking photos of reindeer and Sami in
costumes. The modern tourist allows
much more time and is keen to have an
authentic experience. Today traditional
food is served around the campfire, the
Sami sing ’joik’ songs and tell people
about their culture. There is also more
of a focus on learning about modern
Sami life, not just traditions and history.
The Finnmarksløpet Race in a travel
context
Fish tourism
The world’s richest ocean lies off the coast of Finnmark, and fish tourism is one
of the types of holiday that has seen the
biggest increase over the past few years.
Spending several hours at sea every day
in the hope of landing a big one might
not be for everyone, but this is a market
niche with huge potential all across Europe. Hasvik calls itself the ’realm of the
big fish’, but fishing facilities are starting
to spring up all along the Finnmark coast, bringing life and activity back to
Foto: Anne Olsen Ryum
Northern Lights tourism
The old tourism
ningsvåg all year round, allowing visitors
to get an impression of what life is like
when the midnight sun isn’t shining.
The rich variety of festivals in Finnmark
encompasses elements of culture, street life and art, and some of them have
a real potential for attracting visitors.
Foto: Jørn Tomter
NordNorsk Reiseliv AS is one of the
supporters of the Finnmarksløpet Race,
and our job is to make people from Norway and further afield want to travel
to Finnmark and the rest of Northern
Norway. For NordNorsk Reiseliv AS,
the Finnmarksløpet Race is a beacon of
modern tourism—a new type of tourism
which is becoming increasingly popular.
important for them to get to know the
local culture, culinary traditions and the
way of life in the area, and to have some
contact with its people. Character, personality and cultural heritage are becoming more important than a streamlined
experience. It’s important for them to be
active; a few are interested in extreme
sports but most prefer hiking, cycling
and other moderate physical activities.
A sporting event across 1,000 kilometres
(600 miles) involving a fantastic winter
landscape, strong personalities, large
crowds and an electric atmosphere surrounding the leaders has the nation holding
its breath for a week. The Finnmarksløpet
Race is unbearably exciting and makes for
great TV! And best of all – it could only
happen in Finnmark. NordNorsk Reiseliv
AS could not wish for a better reason to
encourage people to travel to Finnmark
in the winter. Good luck with the event!
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
Foto: Anne Olsen Ryum
modern tourism
Foto: Anne Olsen Ryum
The Finnmarksløpet Race – a part of
Foto: Bjørn Moholdt
2 out of Norway’s 18 National Tourist
Routes are in Finnmark, namely the
road to Havøysund and the road from
Varangerbotn to Hamningberg. The National Tourist Route in Varanger passes
through an area in which history has
left many traces, from the 10,000 year
old cultural heritage site at Mortensnes
to the Witches’ Memorial in Vardø. By
contrast, the road to Havøysund is very
much a natural experience, beside the
Arctic Ocean, with boat trips to the hidden island gems of Ingøy, Rolfsøy and
Måsøy. Viewpoints, toilet facilities and
picnic areas have been designed by architects and offer a harmonious contrast
to the landscape. The Tourist Routes
have become landmarks in themselves.
The Finnmarksløpet sled dog race represents many
of the best qualities of a new and developing type of
tourism, making it extremely important for tourism in
Finnmark.
FOTO:
Foto: Bjarne Riesto
traditional places that have been abandoned by the rationalised fishing industry.
28
29
Race had more than one eye set on Alaska and got both inspiration and advice
from there. Soon Engholm and others
started importing pulling dogs from
Alaska. The origins of these dogs were
the traditional inuit village dog, known
to be intelligent, sociable and easy to
teach. In Sven Engholm’s quest for the
perfect pulling dog the import dogs
from Alaska were soon engaged in breeding with the existing mixed breeds of
Greenland dogs and Siberian Huskies.
FOTO:
When the first Finnmarksløpet Race
commenced back in 1981, the mushers
were pulled across the Finnmark plain
by large, muscular polar dogs with thick
fur. They were dogs that walked more
than ran, but who could continue at
the same speed day after day, night after night. Dogs that could sleep on the
river ice, live on raw, frozen meat and
who needed a minimum of caretaking
along the way. But they were also stubborn, tough and strong-minded dogs
who were not always easy to handle.
Today most mushers in international
long distance sleddog racing use Alaskan Huskies. These dogs are usually of
a slighter build, run faster and are physically smaller than the purebred Siberian Huskies, the Greenland dogs and
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
the Alaskan Malamutes that were on
the starting lines for the first years of
the Finnmarksløpet Race. The Alaskan
Husky is not a pure breed with specific
requirements as to looks, but it is rather a dog bred for its working qualities;
running fast and far, pulling sleds for miles and miles on end, while at the same
time being social, friendly and needing
only a minimum of caretaking along the
way. Its origins still lies in the purebred
polar dogs, but it is mixed with bird-hunting dogs and, in some cases, greyhound, in order to achieve more speed.
EXPEDITION DOGS
One of the goals for the mushers who
started the Finnmarksløpet Race in the
early 1980s was to try and find the perfect
pulling dog. The mushers wanted to test
their qualities in particular with regards
to speed and resting time, but also other qualities that matter in long distance
sleddog racing; fur thickness, paw quality
and temper. The teams lined up in the
first race back in 1981 were dominated by
polar breed dogs. According to one of the
founders of the race, the legend Sven Engholm, the origins of many of these dogs
were to be found in Greenland dogs used
in Arctic expeditions in the 1970, having
later been brought to Norway by hunters
and trappers. Other purebred polar dogs,
such as the Alaskan Malamute, Siberian
Huskies and Samojeds were used in the
first years of the race. Soon mix-breed dogs became increasingly popular.
THE PERFECT PULLING DOG
The mushers in the Finnmarksløpet
Foto: Geir Stian A. Larsen
Niels Westphal
Geir Stian A. Larsen / Kjell O. Brun / Guro Storskjær
TEKST:
After its humble start in 1981 the number of participants in the Finnmarksløpet Race increased quickly, and many of
the dog teams entering the competition
were dominated by polar breeds and mixed-breeds thereof. But there were also
some who made other attempts. Roger
Dahl entered the race one year with only
German Sheperd dogs on his team, whereas Jostein Helgestad signed up using
Irish Setters. In 1986 Kent Hugosson
joined the race with a team consisting of
Samojeds, bird hounds, hare hounds and
Malamutes. His team worked excellently
and he finished third in the race that year!
But the mixed breeds of Sven Engholm
and others who participated in the
Finnmark Race were not always well
received. Only in 1984 was the ban on
using mixed breed dogs lifted. From the
onwards the mushers could completely
disregard the dogs’ looks and race and
focus more solely on breeding the optimal sleddog. That job is still ongoing.
- We are still far from having the ultimate
pulling dog, Sven Engholm argues today.
Foto: Guro Storskjær
Chasing the perfect
sled dog
EXPERIMENTS WITH OTHER BREEDS
Foto: Geir Stian A. Larsen
KRAFTPLUGGER: Sven Engholm med robuste Grønnlandshunder.
Disse dro hardt, men særlig raskt gikk det ikke. Foto: Ukjent
Foto: Kjell O. Brun
- The dogs we bred then were not much
different from the Alaskan Huskies that
are used today, Sven Engholm says. He
was very successful and won the first six
consecutive Finnmarksløpet Races. With
such results his dogs became very popular with other mushers. Many referred to
‘Engholm huskies’ about this particular
mixed breeds, and mushers both home
and abroad came to acquire dogs from the
level-headed Swede living in Karasjok.
EN HERLIG BLANDING: Alaska huskyen er ikke en ren rase. De er avlet for å
løpe relativt fort, veldig langt. Utseende på en Alaska hysky kan variere mye.
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
30
31
10-year anniver
sary for the pu
bli
DOG PORTRAIT: Oliva
Safe with her on
the team
For Olivia Van Uytvanck one dog means
something very special. With four-year
old Oliva on her team the 28-year old
musher feels more safe and confident.
- You’re not supposed to have favourites,
but Oliva is still my definite favourite.
Olivia Van Uytvanck comes from Belgium, but she currently lives in Langfjordbotn near Alta. In 2012 she completed
the Finnmarksløpet Race F500 with
dogs from Parken Gård Husky, where she
worked as a handler for two years. That
was also where she got to know Oliva.
- I know it’s a cliche, but it was love
at first sight, Olivia says with a laugh.
Oliva, the result of a mating between
one of Arne Karlstrøm’s males and one
of Trine Lyrek’s females, also fell for her
human friend with whom she shares almost the same name. The communication and contact between the two was
in place from day one. When Oliva was
put up for sale a few years later, Olivia Van Uytvanck did not hesitate buying her, as one of the first dogs on what
was to become her first own dog team.
- Oliva is very playful, happy and never tires. She is also very competitive.
If there is a team ahead of her, she does
everything to catch up with it. Even
though Oliva is not the fastest dog on
the team, she keeps up with high spe-
ed over a long period of time. This can
be a crucial quality when Van Uytvanck commences her second Finnmarksløp – this time with her own dogs.
- I probably would have started without
her, and I have other good lead dogs too, but
I myself need Oliva on the team, she says.
It is obvious that Oliva wants to be the
boss of Van Uytvanck’s dog team and decide over the others, however, she’s not
yet on top of the hierarchy. That said,
she is Oliva’s favourite when training youngsters and puppies. According to Oliva
she is an excellent trainer for the youngers ones, and she knows exactly what
it takes and how to do it; tough, but fair.
KLASSIKEREN WIDETRAK LX NÅ KUN:
Ordinær pris: 86.900,-
OBS! BEGRENSET ANTALL MASKINER.
2014 WIDETRAK LX
Widetrak LX har
bidratt til gode
opplevelser
i mange år.
Denne scooteren er
ekstremt driftssikker
og er like god til arbeid som til glede.
Her får du en maskin som drar deg over fjellet og gjennom skogen.
En gammel kriger du vil få mye glede av.
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
Nå til en kjempe pris! –Vinterens beste scooterkjøp?
For mer info, alle modeller og for å finne din Polarisforhandler besøk www.polarisindustries.no • facebook.com/PolarisNorway
c festival in Tan
a
The then-Counc
illor Eilif Basso
observed the Fin
and he was genu
nmarksløpet R
inely fascinated
ace at checkpoi
. The very next
mit tee (i.e. the
nt Polmak in 20
da
y he told the le
undersigned) th
04,
ader of the Dev
at this was som
long af ter Krist
elopment Comet
hi
ng the local mun
er Höök, trail m
icipality had to
anager in Tan
challenge. He as
engage with. N
a for the Finnm
ked for a point
ot
arksløpet R ace,
person from th
make the race m
br
ou
e
ght the same
lo
ca
l administratio
ore visible and
n with whom he
to create activiti
Culture, Dag B
could work to
es around the ev
roch, was appoin
ent. The Princ
ted. From the on
festival it has no
ip
al
of
the School of
wa
rds the cooperat
w become.
ion has develope
d into the publ
ic
Today local bu
sinesses, teams
and associations
gather and ente
are invited to pr
rtain people wh
esent at tractive
ile waiting for
gathering place
initiatives that
th
e first dog team
is Elva (‘the R
can
s to arrive at T
iver’) Hotel. Eac
in the hotel’s co
an
a Bridge. The
h
ye
ar the local auth
ur tyard, where
representatives
orities build a
Challenge and
snow-made scen
from Tana Scho
the culture divi
e
ol of Culture, th
sion of the Fin
peak of the fest
e
Yo
nm
ut
h Cultural
ar
ks
ival – the arriva
løpet R ace itself
l of the three fir
entertain the cr
at the checkpoi
st dog teams pa
owd until the
nt.
ss across the stag
e in order to ar
rive
The passing of
the Finnmarks
løpet R ace thro
an event many
ugh Tana has
people look forw
become THE bi
ard to. The publ
has become the
g event of the w
ic festival outsid
most importan
inter,
e the checkpoint
t meeting place
friends, family
at Elva Hotel
for the local po
, acquaintances
pu
la
tion during the
and strangers in
businesses, asso
winter. You mee
a mix of spor t,
ciation, craf tspe
t
trade and entert
ople and ar tist
The local auth
ainment. Local
s get to market
orities receive po
an
d
sell their servic
sitive at tention
with the Finnm
es and products
and excellent m
arksløpet R ace.
.
arketing throug
It provides good
h their cooperat
, old-fashioned
io
n
br
and building fo
Employees of th
r the municipal
e municipality’
ity.
s Development
marksløpet R ac
Co
m
m
it tee manage th
e, organise the
public festival an
e cooperation w
locates funds fo
ith the Finnd produce cultu
r this purpose ev
ral events. The
ery year, and th
craf tsmen to ri
local Council al
ey al so buy serv
g the snow scen
ices from local
e and compress
are built by Hill
entrepreneurs an
snow for snow sc
y Sarre in coop
d
ul
pt
ures. Every year
eration with ad
work, before Hill
, snow sculptur
ult and child vo
y provides the fin
es
lu
nt
eers who do a lo
al touch. For m
rive there are bu
t of preparator
ore than a week
sy activities, wit
y
be
fore the first sle
h school childre
that will later be
ddog teams arn contributing
turned into beau
to compressing
tiful figures an
and shaping sn
d sculptures.
ow
Our Councillor,
Jørn Aslaksen,
refers to the coop
the municipalit
eration with th
y’s producion of
e Finnmarkslø
happiness. It is
pleased inhabita
pet R ace as a pa
a goal for the lo
nts, and having
rt of
ca
l authorities to
the Finnmarks
in the effor ts to
have happy an
løpet R ace pass
achieve just that
d
th
ro
ugh Tana is an
.
important tool
Svein Ottar Hel
lander,
Leader of the D
evelopment Com
mit tee, Tana M
unicipality
Foto Fran
k Ingilæ
Foto Frank Ingilæ
k Ingilæ
Foto Fran
2014 FINNMARKSLØPET
32
Start list FL-2014
(will be updated 7th March)
01 Tommy Larsen
02 Tore J. Helistø
03 Vidar Løkeng
04 Tom Hardy
05 Sigurd Domaas
06 Sissel Vollan
07 Andreas Tømmervik
08 Egil Eliassen
09 Ivar Johan Sørli
10 Alister Dunlop
11 Torkil Hansen
12 Sølvi Monsen
13 Ronny Wingren
14 Britt-Johanne Rundhaug
15 Kjell Løken
16 Jon Sigmundstad
17 Jan Slosar
18 Tor Birger Seppola
19 Eirill Therese Zahl Larsen
20 Jill Jacobsen
21 Knut Olav Grimdalen
22 Merete Neset
23 Bente Levorsen
24 Sean Rebbeng Næss
25 Elisabeth Edland
26 John Øivind Selmer
27 Stein Tage Domaas
28 Vidar Uglebakken
29 Dag-Ove Røste
30 Leif Wilhelmsen
31 Nicole Burger
32 David Wessel Johansen
33 Philip Ross
34 Børge Johansen
35 Anders Stridh
36 Tommy Theodorsen
37 Jimmy Pettersson
38 Lars Erik Gausen
39 Olivia Van Uytvanck
40 Hege Knutsen
41 Hanne Bakken Johansen
42 Jorge Andrés García
43 Yngve Opgård
44 Andreas Heje
45 Ole Christian Uglebakken
46 Tore Figenschau
47 Wolfgang Simon-Nilsen
48 Sanja Heikkilä
49 Taisto Torneus
50 Marcos Porcires
51 Mikal Lanes
52 Frode Wang
FINNMARKSLØPET 2014
53 Ørnulf Jacobsen
54 Geir Wiik
55 Alexander Schwarz
56 Siw Enoksen Hansen
57 Ole Sigleif Johansen
58 Ove Grytbak
59 Wyss Marco
60 Ole Wingren
61 Eileen Strøm
62 Joakim Wisløff
63 Kristin Esseth
64 Anders Renberg
65 Robin Johansen
66 Ingvild Lakseide
67 Hilde Askildt
68 Henning Dokken
69 Michael Kalcher
70 Ingebjørg Tollefsen
71 Ronny Tennfjord
72 Aleksander Kirkfjell
73 Ulf Palm
74 Nieske Wierda
75 Siri Goberg
76 Stian Hasfjord
77 Mathilde Skiftesvik Nilsen
78 Victor Halvorsen
79 Øyvind Jakobsen
80 Charlotte Nyheim Lambela
81 Krzysztof Nowakowski
82 Bram Bril
83 Rolf W. Johansen
84 Thomas Rosencrantz
85 Simen Bækken
86 Roger Pedersen
87 Erika Zopf
FL-1000
01 Ronny Frydenlund
02 Birgitte Næss Wærner
03 Tove Sørensen
04 Stine Berget Nordvik
05 Jo Jøldal
06 Miquel-Angel Martinez
07 Hugo Hansen
08 Jean Philippe Pontier
09 Mikael Jutila
10 Petter Karlsson
11 Alexander Johansson
12 Leif Herleiksplass
13 Emil Inauen
14 Arnt Ola Skjerve
15 Bernd Helmich
16 Yngve Fagerli
17 Per Weddegjerde
18 Kari Thomassen
19 Marius Moholdt
20 Svein Åge Jakobsen
21 Ingebrigt Storli
22 Ben Voigt
23 Dan Ditlefsen
24 Francois Pagnoux
25 Nina Skramstad
26 Kjell Brennodden
27 Arne Karlstrøm
28 Jan Øystein Dervo
29 Sébastien Vergnaud
30 Jan Vidar Dahle
31 Bernhard Klammer
32 Dag Torulf Olsen
33 Espen Sønvisen Bech
34 Petter Jahnsen
35 Catherine FONTAINE
36 Lars Monsen
37 Kent-Gjoran Svendsen
38 Stein Håvard Fjestad
39 Dag Broch
40 Steinar Kristensen
41 Harald Tunheim
42 Maria Sparboe
43 Marçal Rocias Palau
44 Ketil Reitan
45 Sigrid Ekran
46 Tom Frode Johansen
47 Aila Emilie Sarre
48 Mel Andrews
49 Hendrik Stachnau
50 Alf-Einar Hernes
51 Dave King
52 Ola Martinsen
53 Isabelle Travadon
54 Kristian Walseth
55 Hans-Peter Heis
56 Jon Børge Stina
57 Ben Junghaenel
58 Gerard Gaspard
59 Juha Hokka
60 Frode Holten
61 Rebord Pascal
62 Erlend Johannessen
63 Roger Dahl
FL-junior
01
02
03
04
Anna Dorthea Yri
Helle Seiertun Bjerke
Erik Loftsgård
Anette Børve Hernes
Foto: Guro Storskjær
FL-500