Parka and Winter Clothing Systems by Northern Outfitters Help Four Top Yukon Quest Teams

The parka system from Northern Outfitters assisted four teams to victory in the 2010 Yukon Quest dogsled races.

Hans Gatt, who won the 1000-mile Yukon Quest this year, wears the parka, boot, mitten and hat system found in Northern Outfitters’ 9-piece clothing system.

In addition to sponsoring the winner of the 1000-mile race, Northern Outfitters also sponsored the three top teams in the Yukon Quest 300, a shorter qualifying race for the Iditarod. These top mushers also wore Northern Outfitters’ top-performing cold weather clothing.

Sven Haltmann won the 300-mile race, crossing the finish line in Circle, AK, at 7:42 p.m. on February 8. Second place was taken by Magnus Kaltenborn finishing less than 2 hours later. Third place went to Sean Williams who finished at 4:44 a.m. February 9. The YQ300 is a qualifying race for the Iditarod coming up in March, 2010.

The winter clothing by Northern Outfitters worn by the four mushers helped make the difference in their outstanding performances. They all expressed thanks for the warmth and comfort offered by the parka, boot, mitten and hat systems.

“What our cold weather clothing does is give the mushers the edge in warmth, flexible comfort and moisture wicking,” according to Jim Harrison, owner of Northern Outfitters. “Dogsled racing requires that the mushers are able to move freely, and our parkas need very few layers, giving them the ability to move easily so they can compete at the highest level.”

The time recorded by Gatt in the 1000-mile race beat the previous race record by more than a day. This was an extraordinary performance by him and his dog team. He finished in just over 9 days with his lead dog Sonny and nine dogs on the line. At the line, he expressed gratitude to his dogs and to Northern Outfitters who supplied him with the parka, boot, mitten and hat system that made a difference in his race.

The winner of the 1000-mile race said his team was the strongest in his history. “It is the best team I’ve ever raced,” Gatt said. He went on to say, “the dogs and I are all completely ready for the March 7 start of the Iditarod.” He again thanked Northern Outfitters for its sponsorship.