Mushers - Season 1

Today, the Yukon Quest officially begins. While the thermometer indicates -48 Celsius, the mushers and their canine athletes take off at 3-minute intervals. Their first objective: Braeburn, 160 kilometers away from Whitehorse. Even within these first kilometers, the participants are neck-and-neck as they seek to place themselves in a good position. Far ahead, with Bob Daffe among them, teams of Canadian Rangers open up the trail and make a last check for dangers before the first teams come through.

Beneath the sparkle of the Northern Lights, the first mushers enter Braeburn. The rankings change constantly. Some decide to make their first mandatory layover here while the vets check their dogs, while others carry straight on for Carmacks, the second checkpoint. Though he left in 3rd place, Normand the Quebecker lags behind and arrives 13th. The Joker, Hugh Neff, was the last to leave but the first to arrive. Will he be able to keep the lead as he races to Carmacks?

The volunteers in Carmacks are ready to welcome the first mushers, but problems with the tracking system leave them unable to guess the exact time of their arrival. In the end, it's not until around midday that the first teams arrive and make their obligatory stop. Not overstaying their welcome, they leave at the end of the afternoon for the third checkpoint, Pelly Crossing. But a major obstacle is present on the river that forms part of the 117-km trail between the two checkpoints: jumbles of ice. Both mushers and dogs begin to feel the effects of the constant cold as conditions on the trail grow worse. Some teams will fall victim to them. Those in the lead are approaching Pelly Crossing, but at what cost?

Pelly Crossing, on the morning of the 3rd day. The Queen of Hearts, Kristin Knight Pace, currently has a good chance of winning the Red Lantern. Others, however, are facing more serious problems. Last year's Rookie of the Year, the Young Wolf Matt Hall, has had team members injured by the jumble ice. So has Normand, the Quebecker. He was climbing back up the rankings, but falls victim to the ice and has to drop some of his dogs from his team. As for Jason Campeau, the Hockey Player's sled collapses and he has to replace it in the middle of the race. The leaders of the pack are becoming clearer and are now heading towards Dawson City. It's too soon to tell who will make it first, though, especially as the next section is the longest one in the race: 330 kilometers. The first to make it to Dawson City will earn a typical prize for the region: a gold nugget. Who will be its fortunate winner?

On day 4, the first mushers make it to Dawson City, the gold rush capital. This midpoint of the race comes with a mandatory 24-hour rest period. Normand's handlers have prepared a camping spot where they can pamper his dogs. The team starts to care for the dogs as soon as the team arrives, finally allowed to rest. This is where some mushers decide to withdraw from the adventure, weakened by what they've been through and aware now of the merciless difficulty of what's still to come. Only 20 teams will carry on from Dawson, among them Brent Sass, the Sly Fox, who as he takes off on the second part of the race suddenly comes face-to-face with the most dangerous living peril to be met on the Yukon Quest: a moose. Will he escape?

Having overcome challenge after challenge, the last teams finally arrive in Dawson City, while the leaders have already crossed the border into Alaska. For the next two checkpoints, the mushers will have to make do on their own on the unmarked trail, isolated from the rest of the world and without the help of their handlers. Fatigue is beginning to set in. On the canine side, completely exhausted dogs have to be taken home by helicopter, while some of their humans start to make rookie mistakes, losing their enviable spots in the rankings, and others simply give up on the race. For all its worldwide reputation, the trail remains full of surprises. The leaders of the pack are already at the foot of the race's ultimate challenge: Eagle Summit. The question is, how many of them will manage to pass over it?