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Hello Rémi, could you introduce yourself and tell us how you became a musher?
Originally from the Northern Alps, I've always lived in a mountain environment in the company of dogs. With a background in multimedia, but reluctant to work behind a desk, I tried my hand at several jobs (piste rescue, catering, farm work...) before getting my feet wet in mushing. 6 years ago, I was lucky enough to meet a young musher who had been injured and was looking for a replacement for the winter season. Two huskies were already with me at the time, and I made myself available, soon finding myself (in the space of three weeks) on my own with a pack of around fifteen Nordic dogs, to which I gradually added my own. By the end of that first season, I had put both feet down, confirming my passion for working in this world and sharing it with as many people as possible. 2 years later, I set up my own business under the name Nunatak, in homage to my first dog Nuna, who had passed away in the meantime.
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Describe your passion?
First and foremost, it's the love of life and dogs that drives me - you need to have a good affinity with the cold and extreme conditions - but it's above all the call of the great outdoors that still fuels this passion today. It's a demanding job, with all its constraints and demands, but it's also full of emotion, with all those moments of sharing and exchange with the dogs. It's a daily pleasure to watch them evolve and live together.
How many dogs do you have today? Can you introduce us to your pack? How do you raise a Nordic dog?
More or less twenty sled dogs of various Nordic breeds, from the Siberian Husky to the Greenland Eskimo and, most recently, the Alaskan. We are set up year-round at an altitude of 1500m, in the woods, for the comfort of the dogs, who benefit from the coolness of this environment even during the hottest periods. Each dog lives in its own enclosure, in groups of 2 to 5, and all together in semi-liberty in a large playpen under my supervision. Nordic dogs are primitive breeds, very close to their wolf cousins, with a highly developed hunting instinct and a pack life characterized by hierarchical interaction between conspecifics. Training must be a little stricter, imposing your "paw" on the whole group and remaining vigilant on a daily basis to ensure good synergy and harmony within the pack as a whole.
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What activities do you offer? Who is your target audience?
My main activity is dog sledding, where I'm the pilot and take people for a ride. This activity is open to everyone aged 2 and over, and is suitable for people with motor or mental disabilities. Theme days, nocturnes with overnight stays in cabins or bivouacs, park visits and zootherapy, cani-rando or cani-cross are also on the menu of our services.
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How do you organize a dog sledding trip? How does it feel?
We begin with a presentation of the equipment and an introduction to the dogs, a very moving moment. The musher then guides you on your way, comfortably seated in a sled in winter or on a go-kart the rest of the year. After the barking and excitement of the start, the silence of the great outdoors is broken only by the screeching of the runners on the snow or the wheels on the ground, the panting breath of the dogs in exertion, the musher's voice and the sounds of nature. With all the sensations of animal traction, downhill speeds can reach up to 40km/h, and far from being passive, you'll feel gravity, the exhilarating sensation of speed, and the skids on bends.
Together with Luc from the Gîte de la Draye, you are the driving force behind the La Draye association, which is enjoying a great deal of momentum. What are this winter's new highlights?
We have already forged a partnership with the commune of Baratier, to map out new itineraries there, and we're going to try to re-establish the link to the resort of Les Orres in order to reopen a 25km round trip in the heart of nature.
