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News and Announcements

Announcement

Yukon Quest Online 50/50 Cash Raffle Draw

The Yukon Quest held the draw to determine the winning ticket for the 50/50 Cash Raffle (Lotteries number 2024-023).

Congratulations to Aaron Ratko, with ticket number B-1089 as the winner! Aaron has won $1,500 with his winning ticket!

This fundraiser was made possible through the support of Yukon Lotteries and the communities of the Yukon. As a non-profit organization, we appreciate all of the support we receive and recognize the generosity of the members of the communities as key to our success.

We will contact Aaron and make arrangements for him to receive his prize winnings.

Please watch our website and social media feeds throughout the year as we hold more fundraisers in preparation for the upcoming 2025 Yukon Quest races. Thank you to everyone that contributed in this Online 50/50 Cash Raffle, and to everyone that supports the Yukon Quest!

Official Finish Times for the Yukon Quest

The logs have been reviewed and the finish times for the 2024 Yukon Quest have been released.

Sean de Wolski was the first musher to complete a race, finishing at 10:59pm on February 3.

Crystal To was the first YQ250 musher to finish, ending her race at 7:31am on Feburary 5.

Michelle Phillips captured the YQ450 crown at 1:08pm on February 5.

Misha Wiljes was the last musher in at the stroke of midnight on February 6. To reflect the issue with coding a time of 00:00, the time was set at 23:59 for the purposes of the leaderboard spreadsheet.

The Final Standings for the 2024 Yukon Quest

The Yukon Quest has ended and we have our final standings.

Sean de Wolski captured the YQ100 title, edging out Jon Lucas and Nathaniel Hamlyn.

Crystal To took first place in the YQ250, followed by Louve Tweddell in second.

Michelle Phillips defended her title as YQ450 Champion, with Mayla Hill coming in second and Kailyn Olnes in third.

Misha Wiljes arrives in Pelly Crossing, finishes 4th in the YQ450

Misha Wiljes has arrived in Pelly Crossing! The 2024 Yukon Quest is officially finished.

Misha arrived across the line right at the stroke of midnight. It was a long journey across the Yukon, but Misha pushed through and finished fourth in the YQ450.

We would like to thank all of the competitors, officials, vets, volunteers, fans, and everyone else that followed along and supported the teams throughout the Yukon Quest. It’s been an incredible adventure full of challenges and obstacles, successes and triumphs. We saw teams push themselves, and we saw the weather turn against us. We had to make changes and difficult decisions in the interests of safety. As we venture onward into 2025, we will look back on this Yukon Quest and remember it for the amazing experience that it was.

With Misha’s arrival, we are now able to extinguish the red lantern.

All of our teams have arrived back safely.

Michelle Phillips wins the modified YQ450

Michelle Phillips defends her title!

In a year full of changes, one thing remained the same: Michelle Phillips is the YQ450 champion. She held off a strong push from Mayla Hill to claim first place. It was an exciting race as both mushers took rest near Stepping Stone, but ultimately Michelle’s early race strategy helped her in the end as she was able to get on the trail sooner and back towards the line.

Michelle crossed the finish line at 1:08pm in this shortened YQ450 race. A huge congratulations goes to her and her team for their successful run in the 2024 Yukon Quest!

We have our winners for each of our races, but we also still have mushers on the trail. And so, as tradition calls for, the red lantern remains on until we know everyone is back home safely.

Crystal To wins the YQ250

Crystal To has crossed the finish line to win the YQ250!

She arrived at the Pelly Crossing finish line at 7:31am, followed closely by Louve Tweddell. She finished only 18 minutes later at 7:49am.

It was a hard fought battle with the lead changing multiple times, and both competitors pushed toward the end with the finish line in sight.

Congratulations Crystal!

Official Statement from the Race Marshall - YQ450 Changes

Given the uncertainty around trail conditions as the race has progressed, the Race Marshall has made the decision to shorten the 2024 Yukon Quest 450 into a 300 mile race. The mushers will leave Pelly Crossing to head to Stepping Stone, and then they will return to finish in Pelly Crossing. This decision was made in consideration of our teams, officials, vets, and volunteers headed to Scroggie Creek. Safety is our primary focus.

The YQ250 will continue as is, with the teams finishing in Pelly Crossing.

We will have more information available shortly.

Louve Tweddell is first into Carmacks

With the YQ250 in full swing, Louve Tweddell was the first musher into the Carmacks Checkpoint. She arrived at 6:21pm with her team of 10 dogs. She will now stop for her mandatory 6 hour rest and vet check.

Crystal To is hot on her tail and will be arriving in Carmacks shortly. Both competitors have been battling it out with the race keeping very tight.

Kailyn Olnes arrives in Carmacks

Kailyn Olnes has arrived in Carmacks, where she will stop for a mandatory 6 hour rest period and vet check.

She pulled into the Checkpoint at 6:14pm with her team of 10 dogs.

Kailyn is placing 3rd so far in the YQ450, just behind Mayla Hill and Michelle Phillips.

Trail Update: McCabe Creek

The Canadian Rangers Pace Team has discovered open water on the river south of McCabe Creek. They have tried to do emergency rerouting of the trail, but have been unable to find a suitable path around it. This presents a major safety issue for the teams leaving Carmacks.

To mitigate this safety risk, we have made the decision to transport teams from Carmacks to McCabe Creek. They will then resume the race from there. The tracker will show sudden movement between Carmacks and McCabe Creek, which will be the teams being transported.

From the time a team is set to leave Carmacks, a window of 2.5 hours will be applied to them before they can resume racing. In this window will be the time spent transporting the teams and setting the teams back up as well as any additional waiting period to compensate for the distance between the two locations.

We will continue to monitor trail conditions and respond to situations as they develop. We are thankful for the Canadian Rangers Pace Team and their commitment to helping us make the trail as safe as we can.

Canadian Rangers Pace Team is leading the way along the Yukon Quest trail

ExTN24 Ranger Pace Team (Charles, Justin, Phillippe, and Greg) are out in front of our dog teams, checking the trial to make sure it is safe for passage. The Yukon Quest is proud of the partnership with the Canadian Rangers and of the critical work they do in helping us establish our trail every year.

While our dog teams and mushers are pushing along the trail on their way to the finish line, the Canadian Rangers are in front making sure its safe along the way.

Mayla Hill is first in to Carmacks

Mayla Hill is first into Carmacks, arriving at 12:11pm. Here she will begin her mandatory 6 hour rest and vet check.

Michelle Phillips is on the trail behind Mayla and will soon be upon her.

This is shaping into a tight race!

Sean de Wolski Wins the YQ100!

Sean de Wolski was first across the finish line in the YQ100, claiming victory with a 49 minute lead over Jon Lucas in second.

Sean crossed the finish line at 10:59pm. He had started the race in the 6th position and made up ground and time to capture the title.

Photo: Crystal Schick

Start Day for the Yukon Quest

The 2024 Yukon Quest is officially underway!

Fans braved the chilly temperatures to line the starting chute at Suncatchers Inn Cattery to watch the dog teams fly along the trail. The first part of the day started with Misha Wiljes in the YQ450 and ended with Crystal To in the YQ250. Due to limited space in the dog yard, we then had to pull all of the trucks out and let the YQ100 mushers pull in. This resulted in an hour long break in the action.

During that break, we were able to establish live streaming for the YQ100 mushers. A huge thank you to OMNI Productions, Industrial Electric, and the generous community member that lent us use of the Starlink unit to provide network capability for us to go live. Fans around the world watched the YQ100 mushers head out.

Vico Fauveau in the YQ100 ended off the day, and the crews packed up and started out on their own journey along the trail to support the mushers and dog teams.

Photo: Crystal Schick

Join us at Suncatchers Inn Cattery for the start of the races!

It’s almost that time!

The Yukon Quest races will be starting in a different location and at a different time than originally planned.

We will be starting the races at the Suncatchers Inn Cattery at 2pm on Saturday, February 3. Located just past the Takhini Hot Springs, it is near the Dawson Overland Trail and will provide the most suitable location for the mushers to begin their adventure through the Yukon.

We invite and encourage the public to come support the mushers at the start! Please be aware that there are limited services and limited space available. The temperatures will be colder and we won’t have “warm up buildings” available. There will be parking available along the road leading into the area.

The dog yard and the start line will be separate areas and unfortunately we won’t be able to have the public interacting with the dogs in the dog yard. The mushers need a space to unload and organize their teams. This area is also private property that the owners have been extremely gracious in letting us use for our race. We ask that everyone please be careful and respectful to their property.

We had hoped to line up a shuttle service, but it just didn’t work out. We will attempt to live stream as much of the start as we can so that everyone can celebrate the race.

We thank everyone for their patience as we get this set up to go. We also thank the mushers for competing in our event and writing their chapter in the story of the Yukon Quest. We are sorry to hear that Cody and Paige couldn’t make it, and we’ll keep two seats warm for them in preparation for our 2025 races!

Bib Draw Results!

The Bib Draw for the 2024 Yukon Quest was held on Thursday, February 1, at the Sternwheeler Hotel. The evening started with a Meet the Mushers event, and then the Bib Draw was held for mushers to select their bibs.

The draw started with the YQ100 mushers, and the results were:

Bib 45: Amelie Janin

Bib 46: Claudia Wickert
Bib 47: Nathaniel Hamlyn
Bib 48: Silas Godber
Bib 49: Jon Lucas
Bib 50: Vico Fauveau
Bib 51: Sean de Wolski
Bib 52: Jimmy Lebling

The YQ250 mushers went next. Through a series of unfortunate events, we had several withdrawls in that race and now only have two mushers. With four bibs to choose from, we elected to have the mushers each represent two sponsored bibs. The results were:

Bib 30/33: Louve Tweddell

Bib 31/32: Crystal To

The YQ450 mushers followed that to round out the night. Unfortunately, two mushers had mechanical issues on their way to the race and had to drop out last minute. The remaining mushers choose their bibs, with the results as:

Bib 1: Misha Wiljes

Bib 2: Normand Casavant

Bib 3: Connor McMahon

Bib 4: Kailyn Olnes

Bib 5: Michelle Phillips

Bib 6: Mayla Hill

We would like to thank all of the mushers that are competing in our event, and all of the sponsors that supported our race by purchasing bibs.

The races start February 3 at 2:00pm!

Meet the Mushers and Bib Draw

****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT****

The Yukon Quest has changed the location and start time for the 2024 Yukon Quest.

The weather in Whitehorse has been warm and wet recently, and as a result, the Shipyards Park and surrounding area have become extremely icy. We have been monitoring the weather closely as we approach the start of the race and determined that the conditions were not safe to us to start in Shipyards Park.

We held a meeting with the Race Marshalls and Race Judges today and looked at our Start Line location. The Race Officials unanimously agreed that the icy conditions would put mushers and teams, volunteers, officials, and the public in danger if we continued to hold the start there. The transitions to the river were deemed unsafe as well, which added to the decision. We have also had several mushers reach out recently to express concerns about the conditions.

We have moved the start location to Suncatchers Inn Cattery, near the Dawson Overland Trail. The start time has been moved back to 2:00pm to compensate for the difference in distance and to maintain the schedule of volunteers and coordination we have further up the trail. In addition to this, the teams will start the race with fewer dogs and then will add dogs later up the trail. This will allow more control of teams and give the mushers greater ability to manage their movements on the trail.

The public is welcome to attend the start of the race, however we will not be able to open the dog yard for the public to interact with the teams. There will be a viewing area for people to see the teams pass through the start chute. The temperature will be cold and there will not be any buildings to warm up in.

This is not a decision that we came by lightly, and we tried every avenue to make the Shipyards Park location work. This decision was made in the interest of safety. We greatly appreciate the support we have received and we thank everyone for following along with the Yukon Quest.

We encourage everyone to attend our Meet the Mushers Event on Thursday at 5pm, at the Sternwheeler Hotel, for your chance to see the mushers and wish them luck!

Meet the Mushers and Bib Draw

The Yukon Quest will be holding a Meet the Mushers and Bib Draw event on Thursday, February 1, from 5pm – 7pm at the Sternwheeler Hotel in Whitehorse.

Join us for your chance to get a poster or Race Annual signed, and to cheer on the mushers as they prepare for their epic journey through the Yukon wilderness.

This event is free to attend and open to the public.

Doors open at 5pm with a Meet the Musher event, and then the Bib Draw will begin at 6pm.

Refreshments will be available!

Yukon Quest 50/50 Online Raffle

The Yukon Quest will be holding a 50/50 online raffle, with tickets going on sale Wednesday, January 31, at 10:00am Yukon Time. Tickets will be available through the Yukon Quest website or by going to www.rafflebox.com/yukonquest.

Tickets for this raffle will be $25 each, or 5 tickets for $100.

Funds raised will go towards helping us fund our vet program and supply items to Checkpoints across our trail.

The 50/50 online raffle will run from Wednesday, January 31 to Wednesday, February 14, with the winning ticket drawn on Wednesday, February 21.

***Please note: you must be 19 or older and a resident of the Yukon to enter. Tickets will not be available in person.***

Race Entry Fee Increase and Date Change (December 5, 2023)

The final race entry fee increase will occur on December 9, 2023, for all of the YukonQuest races.

The entry fee for the YQ100 will increase to $300.

The entry fee for the YQ250 will increaseto $550.

The entry fee for the YQ450 will increase to $850.

Be sure to get your entries in by end of day on December 8 to register at the lower rate.

All fees are in Canadian Dollars. See the race rules or contact Abiatyukonoperations@yukonquest.comfor more information.

Virtual Yukon Quest Challenge is a World Affair!

The Virtual YukonQuest Challenge is live, and it has truly becoming a world event!

Since the challenge began on October 10, we have had entries from ten different nations join us on a virtual walk from Whitehorse to Dawson City, Yukon. The most are from Canada, followed very closely by the United States, and New Zealand rounds out the top three.

Europe is the most geographically represented continent, followed by North America, while North America take stop billing for total number of entries by continent.

To join us on our journey, register using the link. The Virtual Yukon Quest Challenge continues on until March. Will you represent your nation on our virtual trail?

Yukon Quest Online Auction

The Yukon Quest will be holding an online auction from November 17 to November 27, 2023. Bid on amazing items from your favorite businesses around the Whitehorse and Yukon area. Our auction will feature prizes that cater to every taste, with items such as:

flight simulator gift certificates
hoodies and jackets to compliment your stylish wardrobe
portrait sessions
multi-day fishing trips
power tools
flight vouchers from Air North
gift certificates to pubs and restaurants across Whitehorse
hotel stays and more!

This auction is run as a fundraiser for the Yukon Quest and all of the prizes have been generously donated. The funds raised from this auction will be used for the vet program and for Checkpoint supplies for our upcoming 2024 Yukon Quest races. It is through the support of the communities that our event is successful every year, and theYukon Quest thanks everyone that contributes to our online auction and to our Yukon Quest races!

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photo and video credits: Mark Kelly, Crystal Schick, Weronika Murray, Morgan Sapir