Dog Sledding

Sports and Hobbies
1
Hi all. So my daughter just announced that she would like to try dog sledding. Anyone have a suggestion where to go not too far from Zurich?

2
Haha - I do love a girl that likes dog sledding. I know there's a fair number of operators in Germany and definitely one in St. Cergue, near Geneva. I'm sure others will be along soon too with more tips.

Um, just as someone that has been dog sledding before - beware of choosing one that fits your "speed". If your daughter is young, consider that this sport, no matter how nice and tame it seems in the pictures, is not the tamest sport ever. Some operators cater purely to tourists and they have "tamer" dogs (and you can effectively have a very nice, slow fun experience and very magical!), some are in it for the racing and their dogs are trained to go really fast and be very aggressive (think - hitting trees, falling off sleds and having to chase them while postholing through snow, hitting ice going at a fair speed. Which is also fun for some people, but a different experience ). So yeah, take some time to talk to the operators ensure you have a good experience.

3
Wow. Thank you. Great advice. Definitely don't want to be hitting any trees! Thanks for your help.

4
Muotathal SZ, about an hour (or 1.5, depending on where you are) out of ZH is well known for it's Schlittenhunde:

http://www.erlebniswelt.ch/schlittenhunde/

Also, there is a company in Gross, SZ, just outside of Einsiedeln:

http://www.huskyevent.ch/angebote/angebote-winter/

And if your daughter wants to see the professionals in action, one of the famous races is in Studen SZ:

http://www.studen-sz.ch/veranstalltungen/

One caveat, though - this is a professional sport, not to be undertaken by novices. I'd start getting to know the kennels, do a few organized and guided rides, etc. The dogs are as sensitive as they are powerful, and I cannot stress how very important it is to know what one is doing - and to learn from the professionals.

Oh... and you need snow. That's been a problem in the last few years...

Have fun!

5

I go to Studen every year to watch the Hundeschlittenrennen. Great show . Worth going. And you can all see what is all about and enroll in the Club if you would like to.

Next year the race will take place on the 31st of January and on the 1st of February. I am , of course, going .

6
There are a couple of companies that do it in Amden - I can't remember their names so go to the Amden site

7
I have done this, and it was great fun, a whole day with the dogs in the snow. The professional musher was always in the lead, as he should be, minimizing the risk. But still, the dogs got quite fast, and you do need quite some strength and also the appropriate weight to do it. If your daughter is still a child rather than a young adult, you should go for something where she can just sit in the sled.