We Went Dogsledding in the Arctic, and It Was Fantastic!

Colleen and I had an amazing time running with the huskies at Tromso Wilderness Centre (Tromso Villmarkssenter) during our shore excursion in Norway.

We could hear the dogs howling as soon as we stepped off our bus at Tromso Wilderness Centre.

I was worried about the rains falling in town as we looked out on Tromso from our luxurious cruise ship Viking Sky. This was our second day in the port on the Viking Ocean Cruises ship, and our group was especially excited for our adventures. Our voyage to chase the Northern Lights with Viking was about two years in the making, and when Colleen, Ryan, Kelly and I had discussed what we might like to do for shore excursions in Norway, we unanimously declared that dogsledding would be on the list.

These beautiful dogs are born and raised to run, and they really love it.

The day had arrived for our time with the howling and energetic doggos, but the soggy conditions put a damper on my mood.

However, as we rode our transfer into hillside away from port, we noticed that the temps were dropping and the morning rains in the city center in Tromso were not reaching the higher elevations at the dogsledding camp.

The weather turned out to be ideal to meet with the happy huskies and learn about this sport as a way of life for the dogs and their trainers.

After checking in and grabbing our cold-weather gear (the facility offers boots and a large jumpsuit for visitors to use), we got a briefing on how to operate a sled (or sledge). A rider and a driver controls the rig and is pulled by a team of six dogs.

Drivers needed to know two important main rules before heading out onto the course: Don’t let go of the sled and don't run over the dogs by going downhill too fast.

Other than that, it's important to stay aware of your surroundings, be relaxed and help push the sled uphill when the dogs need a little boost.

The course runs through the scenic hillside wilderness.

I started as the driver, and Colleen slid into the bucket of the main sled that rests on the rails. I assessed the brake and handles — and the two treads that jut off the back of the sled. These roughly 2-foot-long pegs would be where I would stand and control the pace of my team. I bounced around a bit to get the feel, and we noticed the howling of the dogs all around us as several other teams got ready to pull other visitors along the track, too.

We would follow each other, like a long train around the 3-mile route, and our team was about sixth in line to go. Our dogs strained at their harnesses, pulled as taut as they could get it in anticipation. They really do love to run. Our guide, Justus, says that some of the dogs run the course up to 10 times a day, and teams of dogs are put together to help make a perfect mesh of personalities that can work together, with smaller lead dogs at the front and larger and stronger pullers at the back in the two-by-two-by-two formation.

Colleen expertly drives our team across the snowscape.

When a trainer pulled the spike up from the ground (it holds the sled fast to one spot), our team bolted down the path and into the wilderness. Gradually, the camp entrance trailed into the distance and we found ourselves swooshing along the snow over gentle hills, past small trees and across slushy streams.

The fjord appeared in the distance as the sun break through the clouds. It was a magical scene to behold. And I thought "Yes, this is Norway, all right!"

Each sled is pulled by six energetic dogs.

The stars of the show are so friendly and just love to get hugs, scratches and belly rubs.

Colleen and I switched positions halfway through the run. My turn had me helping to push the team up the hill through the occasional steep places. Colleen now was in charge of keeping the right speed and distance from the dogs and the sled ahead of ours by braking just enough so as not to gain too much speed over the downhill portion.

I was happy to be in the bucket as we raced our way back to camp.

I think our cries of joy are still echoing in those hills — mixed in with the barks and howls of our new canine friends.

Thanks for reading,
JR