Mushing and mountains

The Pedigree Stage Stop began in 1996 and is the largest sled dog race in the lower 48 states. Mushers can run up to 10 dogs per day of their pool of 14, although some mushers will run lighter with teams of eight dogs. A dog is not required to run all seven stages and can sit one out. Mushers put a lot of thought and strategy into which dogs they rest on which days as they prepare to tackle the various obstacles found across eight different mountain ranges and seven Wyoming communities before crossing the finish line in Driggs, Idaho. In some areas, dogs and their mushers will tackle 10 percent grade hills for miles at a time through deep snow.