About Us
The Colorado Mountain Mushers was established in 1989. The Goals of the club are to foster novice and family racing along with other working dog associated winter sports by organizing a fun racing circuit of professional quality, encouragement of new mushers and to promote and foster the well being of sled dogs.
The Colorado Mountain Mushers are members of Mush with PRIDE. "PRIDE" stands for Providing Responsible Information on a Dog’s Environment. The relationship between sled dogs and humans is one of the oldest bonds of its kind. Modern sled dog owners are proud of their dogs as canine athletes that are bred and trained to do what they love: run as part of a team. Mush with PRIDE supports the responsible care and humane treatment of all dogs and is dedicated to enhancing the care and treatment of sled dogs in their traditional and modern uses. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.mushwithpride.org/.
What We Do
Colorado Mountain Mushers engages in many sled dog sport-related activies.
Our recreational races attract members of all ages and dog teams both large and small. Race activies include dog sledding, skijoring (you ski, your dog(s) help pull), cani-cross (you snowshoe or hike, your dog(s) help pull), bike-joring, scootering, carting, weight-pull, and other fun contests for skill and ability. Our focus with all these races is safety, fun, and learning.
CMM also sponsors Musher Visits to schools, scouting groups, and other children's programs. We provide information booths at dog-related fairs, and various members teach workshops and provide mentoring for sled dog sports.
The monthly newsletter is packed with information about all aspects of dog care and training, plus contains classified ads.
Finally, CMM serves as an advocate for mushers at the legislative level, offering a voice at public meetings concerning pending legislation that affects mushers. CMM members are kept up-to-date on the latest legal issues in both our newsletter and email services.
A Brief History of Colorado Mountain Mushers
Based on information from Debra Su Stephens, Don Herr, Larry Natzke, and Leslie
Fields. Summarized by TC Wait 7/1/2010
Don Johnson, Ron Kruczek, Ron Oldfield, Ed Samberson, Janice Church, and
Carol Deeks started the Rocky Mountain Sled Dog Club (RMSDC) in 1960. In little
time, sled dog racing became quite popular in Colorado with races drawing
well over 100 teams. RMSDC had become a large club with very diverse
interests among its members. As the RMSDC sprint races attracted more serious
competitive racers, there was interest in providing quality events for novices,
families, and mid-distance racing, camping, and other fun events that did not fit
into the competitive sprint racing circuit.
In February 1989, a small group of mushers decided to branch out and form the
Colorado Mountain Mushers (CMM) to meet some of these diverse interests.
CMM offered a variety of low-key sprint races and mid-distance races geared
towards a family atmosphere and focused on having fun with dog powered
sports.
Don and Bette Johnson were instrumental in the founding of the Colorado
Mountain Mushers. Along with the other founding members, Don Herr, Terri
Newberg, Mike Williamson, Amy Gray, and Nancy Yust, the fledgling CMM put
on a wide variety of events, including races in Leadville, Redstone, Central City,
Waunita Hot Springs, and on Dillon Reservoir.
In the late 1990s, a group of mushers including Larry and Valerie Natzke, Mark
Hatch, Linda Feith, Mark and Debra Su Stephens, and Amos Auringer introduced
mid-distance races to the CMM venues.
Now, more than 20 years after it began, CMM is a thriving club with a wide
variety of quality events including campouts, dryland races, mushing clinics,
sprint races, and mid-distance races. RMSDC has continued its tradition of
offering competitive ISDRA events for the serious sprint racers. Many mushers still
belong to both clubs, enjoying the best of both worlds
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