Experience what it feels like to go husky sledding in Finland in my latest short travel video below. There are more photos below the video too!
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Husky sledding holds a special place in my heart.
Beyond the adorable pups I got to spend time and bond with, it was also this photo of a Siberian husky that truly propelled me along my path towards contributing more to the National Geographic brand. So needless to say, my heart warms whenever dog sledding shows up on my agenda for the day.
One of the pleasures (and privileges) of living this far up along northern latitudes are the unique outdoor activities we get to try. My trip to Finland last month was no different. In addition to relaxing in traditional Finnish saunas, ice dipping for the first time, as well as snowkiting, snowshoeing, ice-fishing, and snowmobiling (coming soon!), I visited the husky farm Koira Kikka/Kirsi Översti which owns roughly 35 hectares of land where they raise dozens of Siberian Huskies alongside Alaskan Malamutes, German Shepherds, Wolf dogs, Reindeer, a Pyrenean mastiff, and the two cutest foxes I’ve ever met. Beyond running exhilariting husky safaris (see video above), their animals are also actors and often appear in various films around the Nordics.
I also got to meet a wolf named Tahoe and a white fox called Stinky.
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Fun Facts
Did you know that the average speed of a sled team of 8-10 Siberian huskies can run between 10-12 mph? A single husky can reach an individual speed of 28 mph.
Did you know that many huskies are bi-eyed which means that they have two different coloured eyes; a condition known as heterochromia which is hereditary?
Did you know that trainers can already tell from an early age which puppies grow up to be the leaders of their husky teams based on their confidence around other puppies?
Did you know that foxes grow their fur out during winter which they then shed in spring?
These are a few facts I learned while husky sledding in the backcountry lowlands of Lahti, Finland with Koira Kikka/Kirsi Översti.
Here are some photos from my experience. View more photos of husky sledding in Finland in my image bank.
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I explored the Lahti region of Finland as part of the exceptional Nordic Bloggers Experience (NBE) #NBEFinland where I was also running a blog workshop as a presenter. All opinions, observations, and oddities are all mine and mine alone.