The Yukon Quest International Association (Canada) was proud to welcome back the community for its annual Barkfest & Sign-Up Day outside its office in Whitehorse on Saturday, August 6, 2022.

The action picked up at the event at noon with a canicross race along the riverfront cohosted with the Dog Powered Sports Association of the Yukon. A total of seven racers took part, including four who also registered to race in the Quest this winter.

Ten mushers registered in-person at Barkfest with another three submitting their paperwork digitally. The first musher to register for the 2023 Yukon Quest was Louve Tweddell who signed up to run the YQ450. Congratulations to Nathaniel Hamlyn who won the draw for 500 booties courtesy of Aurora Booties for signing up at Barkfest!

In addition to the canicross race and sign-ups, Barkfest attracted more than 100 people throughout the day and included a successful fundraiser barbecue and a sale on merchandise, as well as membership and raffle tickets available for purchase. The winner of the door prize, a Yukon Quest hoodie, was Michael Burtnick.

The 2023 Yukon Quest starts at Shipyards Park in Whitehorse on Saturday, February 11, 2023. Next up on the calendar is a rookie workshop scheduled for Saturday, October 22, 2022, with more details to come later this summer.

2023 Yukon Quest mushers in order of sign-up as of Sunday, August 7, 2022:

YQ450
Louve Tweddell
Connor McMahon
Normand Casavant
Michelle Phillips

YQ250
Ilana Kingsley
Nathaniel Hamlyn
Michael Burtnick
Nicolas Cardona

YQ100
Benjamin Pier Simard
Amelie Janin
Jonathan Lucas
Debbie Knight
Lori Tweddell