Sports in Norway, Like Skiing and Bobsledding, Face Threat From Warming Arctic

Ten years ago, Green Dog Svalbard began its sledding season in late October. Now it is December, sometimes as late as Christmas. The season once ended around June 20; now it ends three weeks earlier. Then sledding companies switch to pulling tourists on wheeled carts.

“What used to be very exciting trips in the valley now have become just getting dusty along a gravel road,” Holmen of the Norwegian Polar Institute said.

In summer, newly urgent attention must be paid to the safety of the dogs. It is especially critical in June, when they have yet to shed their winter coats. If the temperature reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit and there are no clouds or wind, trips are frequently canceled. Later in summer, when dogs have thinner coats, 59 degrees sets off a “general alarm,” Mookhoek said.

“We have to watch them; they don’t watch themselves,” Mookhoek said. “They just keep running.”

Jugs of water are set out on each day’s route. Every 10 minutes, dogs are offered a chance to drink. Whatever water remains is poured on the dogs. At the first sign of distress, such as a wobbly stride, the dog is returned to the kennel and placed in water, which is also injected beneath its skin for hydration, said Martin Munck, who owns Green Dog Svalbard with his wife, Karina Bernlow.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/sports/arctic-sports-climate-change.html