Reviews for Yukon Alone: The World's Toughest Adventure Race

The average rating for Yukon Alone: The World's Toughest Adventure Race based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-02-22 00:00:00 Potvin Patrick John is a reporter who spent many months researching the 1998 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. He became acquainted with the mushers and their dogs, race officials, veterinarians, folks at the checkpoints, and many others. The 1998 race included 34 men, 4 women, and 530 dogs. John mushed 100 miles/160 km of the Quest trail, during the race, with a borrowed dog team. The trail follows the old Gold Rush routes, from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon, or vice versa, depending on the year. It is 1025 miles/1650 km long, and passes through the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. It is held in February, and has been doing so each year since 1984. This race was created as an alternative to the Iditarod. Some thought the Iditarod was too fancy, and too famous. They wanted a race that was closer to the old traditions of dog mushing. The Yukon Quest is a tougher race than the Iditarod. It is a month earlier and, therefore, the temperatures are colder (-40 C/F). The nights are longer (17 hours). It crosses 4 mountain ranges, whereas, the Iditarod has only one. Iditarod mushers can use more than one sled, but YQ mushers cannot replace their sled without penalty. Because it is in such remote country, the YQ has less than half the number of checkpoints as the Iditarod, and some are more than 200 miles/320 km apart. So, they have longer runs between resupply, which forces them to carry more weight. Just so you know, the Lure of the Quest, and Yukon Alone, both by John Balzar, are actually the same book. The only difference is that Yukon Alone has an Afterword. If you enjoy nonfiction books about life in the Far North, or dog mushing, you'll probably enjoy this book. 3 Stars = I liked the book. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I read it.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-05-24 00:00:00 Ryan Story I have always been fascinated by the Iditarod and the Quest. This book was an interesting look into the Quest and all the work that goes into preparing for the race; both as mushers and as trail busters, dog handlers, etc. As usual, a book about this topic ends up really being about Alaska and what it means to be Alaskan. Worth a read for sure...but glad I read it in the summer, I got cold just reading about it!