US Airways - December 2013 - (Page 41)

explore Adventure Time to Play By Brion O'Connor In Search of the Perfect Run Canines and humans alike love the thrill of a fast-growing sport, sled dog racing. photo by nathalie fortier The flawless run behind a fast, finely tuned dog team is a privilege few people in the world will ever experience. You can only know it fully through your own efforts and day-to-day contact with the dogs that make it possible. Strive for it. And if the experience humbles you at all, you are a winner. -Jim Welch, The Speed Mushing Manual Lily Stewart, a 16-year-old from Ipswich, Massachusetts, wears a helmet-mounted video camera as two handlers rein in her sled dogs, Grinder, Chess, KT, and Endo. Stewart waits for the ★ start of the four-dog sprint at the International Federation of Sledding Sports Winter World Championships in North Pole, Alaska. The event features 20 of the top teams from around the world. At the crack of the starter's pistol, Stewart's dogs, surrounded by dozens of others, lurch into a frenzied dash. The video transforms into a blur of tails, legs, harness lines, and sleds, covered by a spray of snow. "As soon as we went out, I immediately saw that disaster could happen at anytime, because there are all these lines, and all these dogs running on top of each other," says Stewart, a high-school sophomore and the youngest member of the United States team. "They really don't care where the other dogs are going. They just want to get up to the front and lead the pack. That was pretty scary." The dogs reach nearly 30 miles per hour and sustain the pace for a solid 16 minutes with the 105-pound Stewart and her high-tech Danler Hornet sled in tow. For the last mile, Stewart and her hounds duke it out with a team from France, literally scraping shoulders as they sprint to the finish line. Stewart's team hangs on for third place, Lily Stewart at the International Federation of Sledding Sports Winter World Championships ÚTo experience the race from Lily's helmetmounted camera, scan the code below. usairwaysmag.com december 2013 41 http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - December 2013

Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Vacation Memories
Hub Crawl: Miami International Airport
Wine & Dine: Holiday Fizz
Diversions: Going Whole Hog
Diversions: Time Travel
Style Spotlight: Holiday Bling
Adventure: North Carolina's High Country
Adventure: Arizona Story
Adventure: Sled Dog Racing
Gear Up: Stocking Stuffers
Great Escapes: Charleston Place Hotel
Great Escapes: Hotel Palomar in Washington, DC
Travel Feature: Costa Rica
US Airways: Tower Talk
Celebrate Tucson, AZ
Health Matters: Miami Foot and Ankle Surgery
Charlotte, USA
Must Read: I Got Schooled
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - December 2013