Hi my last post until we reach Montana !
Today was our last 4 wheeler training next time it will be on sled in Montana.

36 dogs had been selected... I decided to leave here Hector, nothing wrong with him but he is not a great eater this season so I decide to give him a break and next season will be a big one for him....

The dogs we are taking are:

ZIRCON, YANKEE, WIND , ULYSS , SPHINX, SIMBEL, SHREK, SHAMIR, SCULLY, SCOOBY, SAFRAN, RINJDAEL, PYRAMID, ORACLE, ONYX, MULDER, MEMPHIS, LOLY, KONGA, JEWEL, JENNY, JASPER, JANET, JAGO, HERCULES, GOOGLE, FUEGO, EVEREST, ETNA, EGYPT, DIAMOND, CUMIN, CHROME, CHO-OYU, ARGOS, ALF.

And of course our poodle KEOPS !!!!

I'll write about the trip and try to take some scenery photos in 3 days !!!! If you don't read anything in a week start to get worried !!!

We had been looking at the snow falls in France and not much there either
They got an other 2.5 inches yesterday which is good!

To check the weather and snow coverage of the ski resort click on the image below.


It is a big logistic to leave our kennel, one of us will be in MT the other one in France, so all have to be double and we have to make sure we don't forget anything important. We have to double check all the paperworks for traveling with the dogs and the new changing EEC Regulations make sure your nerves are "well attached"!!!

Our dog food sponsor ROYAL CANIN have dog food and dishes an leashes waiting for us when Jacques arrives in France.
ANTIPODE will provide the best racing sled there is for Jacques.
ENERGIZER FRANCE is like last year our sponsor for all our needs in Lithium batteries and small headlamps.
Thanks to Aurelie who just found a new job but she told her new boss that she is gone 2 weeks early January to help Jacques... THANKS TO HER !!!

Jacques arrived in Fairbanks at 1am and I arrived at 6pm....

we are leaving tomorow early afternoon for Wyoming !!!

Jacques will do one training run here to selected the extra dogs we need for the race in Wyoming !!!

here's a picture of the dogs loaded on a cargo airplane palette in Frankfurt.

HELLO!

the first part of the race in the "porte du SOLEIL" is over and after 3 very rough days for Magali we are finaly done with it....

Jacques got the first place for the first part of the race, Magali after 3 days of very dangerous trail got an accident in the stage in Chatel and I ended up to the ER in THONON since the rescuer got very worried about my neck pain after the accident. I fell on the side and hit the packed snow ready hard with my head and the violence of the shock make me let go the sled.... I got up and started to walk to try to get my dog team but the rescuer found me and stopped me for security reasons, they put me in specail shell to prevent any damage of my neck and spine.... they were all very nice and carrying....

I lost my team but all the dogs are ok, I have no broken bone dut serious pain in my back, arms and front of my chest.... I am not sure to be able to take the start tomorw we will see if I feel I can safely drive my dog team.

Jacques's team is well and ready to go !!!!

Hello
Tomorow we are leaving for Avoriaz we are training for the last time in La Pesse
here's some photos of our training runs in La Pesse

Jacques was double sledding with Memo our friend and I had the chance to double sled with Francois Mermet yesterday. The oter time my handler Sylvain trained with me....

I will do my est to out updates during the race....

Magali

Yesterday we didn't train dogs

On January 5th we went to visit Memo Log house factory ! very impressive !!!
He build all the house inside... this wa a very interesting visit.

Here's a photos of us with the ANTIPODE sled compagny staff !! and our new sled "sluidjack" !!!

Here's some photos of training in La Pesse and other scenes

We are in La Pesse a small village in the Jura Mountains and are staying with our Friends Muriel and Daniel and Leo Mellina.

Ken Anderson and his wife Gwen Holdman are with us ! the 9 of us total are invading the little village and we are showing making discover Ken the great Cheese of France !! the Wine testing is goind well too.....

Ken realize finally what real food is and really love the TARTTIFETTE !!!! he even eats it for breakfast !!!!

We are training the dogs on very nice trails every day.

Daniel made us the sled from ANTIPODE and Ken bought one and loves it now Gwen wants one now too

Our team !!

from left to right:

Aurelie, Jacques, Michael and Sylvain

   We arrived in Frankfurt  Dec 31st at 6 am.

Interesting landing due to freezing rain and snow on the airport ground.

the 56 dogs arrived in great shape after doing the vet examination and custom e drove to La Pesse France and arrived there at about 10pm.

My friend Pascale (in the middle) and my two handlers that stayed home to take care and train the dogs...

in the Luftzanza warehouse in Frankfurt !!

In 17 days the dogs will fly to Europe !

We will travel with Luftanza cargo and land in Germany trhen drive to the Jura Mountain to meet our friends Muriel and Daniel whom we will stay with until the start of the race.

Daniel is the one who build our racing sleds, his compagny name is Antipode (used to be Extrapole)

28 dogs will be going to France...

The link to follow the race is http://www.grandeodyssee.com