If finding an activity the whole family can enjoy is a priority, dog sledding should top the list. Youngsters enjoy petting the friendly, furry pups and the rush of the sled over the snow; Mom and Dad can sit back and enjoy the scenery without worry of a wipeout and for folks with disabilities or physical limitations the activity is simply stress-free; just lie back and let the dogs do the work.

Brian Maas, snowboarder turned passionate musher, has owned Wilderness Adventures, LLC with his wife, Deanne, for the past 10 years. Brian leads daily trips at the Resort at Squaw Creek during the winter months while Deanne runs the office and reservations. Every hour, Brian and his expert guides pick up groups of two to four people (the maximum weight a team of 10 sled dogs can pull in the sled is 500 pounds). Tours last around an hour as Brian and his guides drive Resort at Squaw Creek’s groomed cross country trails. Yelling commands like “on by” (ignore distractions) and “ha” (left), guides communicate with the dogs while they steer the sled from the back.

Brian, who fell in love with the sport 10 years ago and has been acquiring dogs and breeding his own ever since, is the coach. The dogs are the team, and the trick to mushing, he says, is creating the best possible team out of the dogs’ unique personalities and skills.

“What I love is being the coach,” he says. “It’s amazing to watch them do what they love to do.”

Driving a sled, Brian says, isn’t the difficult part. Simply let go of the brake and the dogs do the rest. The ever-evolving puzzle as a musher is finding the best combination of dogs to make the team work and make the team fast.

Sled dogs start formal training at around 1½ years of age and generally retire at around age 10, he says. During most of the hot summer months, the dogs rest. But come Aug. 1, Brian and his teams are back in practice. During peak season, the Alaskan Huskies log around 15 miles a day at speeds up to 20 miles a hour while pulling the sled.

These dogs love to run, so you can sit back and enjoy the ride through the beautiful Squaw Valley and watch the light bounce off the surrounding snow-covered peaks and over the valley. It’s a simple, peaceful way to spend an hour. It feels good for the soul and, of course, fun for the whole family.



If you go…
Wilderness Adventures, (530) 550-8133, www.tahoedogsledtours.com. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through spring at the Resort at Squaw Creek; reservations strongly recommended. Weekend hour-long tours are $110 for adults and $55 for children under 60 pounds; weekdays, $95 and $45; maximum weight 500 pounds per sled. Overnight tours are $1,500. Evening tours available by reservation at Sugar Bowl.