As a child, Blair Braverman dreamed of dog sledding, like other kids aspire to be astronauts, movie stars, or deep-sea explorers. Growing up in his Valley in Central California, Braverman pulled rollerblades, was chained to a golden retriever, and pretended to be covered in mud, even though snow was an alien concept.
“I loved being outdoors and loved dogs,” says 34-year-old Braverman. “To me, being able to combine them seemed magical. I couldn’t understand why not all adults dog sled.”
After learning about dog sledding (also known as mushing) for the first time in a book, the young Braverman fell in love with the story of the iconic Alaskan sled dog. Baltic— She moved to Norway at age 18 to study the sport for a year at a “folk school” (basically a specialized boarding school). Apostle at her Islands dog sled race in Wisconsin. The snow race is her two-day event of her 40 miles with her team of six dogs. Braverman has raced so many times since then, she says, that she lost count of the number of times she completed it.
But there is one race that stands out from all of them. In 2019, Braverman, who now lives in northern Wisconsin with her husband and dog sled buddy Quince, her Mountain and her 24 huskies, completed the Honorable Harsh Iditarod. In this annual her 998-mile race across Alaska, contestants battle extreme conditions including freezing temperatures, whiteout her blizzards and encounters with elk, bears and bison. Dozens of mushers enter each race, but not all of them finish. In fact, in 2019 she was one of only 39 of hers to finish the race when Braverman entered, with 13 dropping out or scratching during the race. Braverman and her team of eight dogs Completed the Iditarod In less than 14 days. (The fastest record in 2017 is 8 days, 3 hours and 40 minutes.)
When not training or competing in dog sledding events, Braverman is a journalist, author, and twitter personalityHer third book and debut novel, small game, The show, which premiered on November 1st, includes a “deep look at what survival really means, what it means to be seen and noticed.” naked and afraid.
Survivalism is also the theme of dog sledding, so it’s not surprising that she describes her first novel as a survival story.
According to Braverman, dog sledding involves many factors. Athletic ability, cold tolerance, wildlife coping, sleep deprivation, strength, endurance and most importantly connecting with dogs. Braverman and her husband form dog sledding team BraverMountain and are looking to the next dog sledding season. Dog sledding season usually starts in the fall, but in a way he lasts all year. Braverman shared with her SELF training tips to help prepare. She for long distance races.
