2012 Volunteer Guide (Updated)

by Todd Brassard
on February 25, 2012

We have made a few updates to our Volunteer Guide for the 2012 Race.  

Download 2012 Volunteer Guide (Click Here)

One important change in this year's guide is headlamp etiquette...

Headlamp Etiquette

If you are looking down the trail and watching for approaching mushers, your headlamp (and that of other volunteers) is pointing directly at the musher.  Viewed from the sled, these bouncing lights look just like the crossing guard's light and can be confusing.  Please turn your light off or cover it when looking down the trail for an approaching team.

Volunteer Now for the CopperDog 150!

by Brad King
on January 8, 2012

Click Here to Volunteer
2012 CopperDog150!

Hey CopperDoggers! 

We're ready for another great race on March 2, 3, and 4!  We already have 45 mushers and 390 dogs registered for this premier race.  Now we just need 200 volunteers to make it happen.  If you can help us out then we only need 199 more.  Sounds easy, right...?

We have a new streamlined system to help you find the ideal volunteer opportunities that match your schedule and interest.  Click here to volunteer and follow the trail to our registration page. If you already have an account on our CopperDog page you can log in with your existing info.  If not, it's a breeze to make a new account. (For those of you that helped us out last year note that we are not using Shiftboard this year).

What could be more fun than dogs, snow, the dark of night, and good friends suffering with you in the cold?  Pick a spot, invite some friends, and make a party out of your experience.

Registration is open to anyone.  Please feel free to forward this invitation.  

Why Be A CopperDog 150 Volunteer?

by Michael Babcock
on September 12, 2011

Why volunteer to work the CopperDog 150 sled dog race?

There are lots of reasons, but in a word: FUN!

It’s fun to meet the mushers, to work with the dogs (or not … there are plenty of non-dog opportunities for volunteering), and to participate in an event that involves the whole county, the entire Keweenaw Peninsula.  This is your chance to do something different. And it IS different, it IS unique. Very few people in the world ever get an opportunity to witness a major sled dog race, let alone participate in one. You can do both, right now!

CopperDog 150, 2012 is coming to a trail near you. Please join us in making this the most memorable race ever – for us, and for you!

Why I Volunteer for the CopperDog 150

by Jeff Fisher
on September 12, 2011

When asked by a friend to participate at one of the Copper Dog 2011 crossings, immediate excuses came to my mind like, " I don't have experience, I'm not qualified, I don't know anything about mushing..etc." But with further prodding from my friend with statements like,  It will be a blast, you'll meet interesting people, and I could really use the help,  I immediately agreed.  How could anyone refuse that?

Watching the start of the race  was so much more exciting anticipating the crossing. As I walked along 5th Street,  I began to get a feel for what it takes to organize the race. The incredible group effort,  familiar faces of the volunteers, and the pent up energy of the dogs. Later that night at the crossing a profound feeling came over me as I watched the first team approach our ninety degree turn in utter silence. After that initial moment of quietude, the dogs were upon us and our crossing team was forced to spring into action ! We quickly refined our crossing strategy, and with added appreciation from the exhausted mushers, we rallied on. It’s was adrenaline, camaraderie,  team work,  a new respect for the mushing spirit and  an amazing amount of fun.

Once you volunteer for the Copper Dog 150 and you begin to meet the hard working folks that make this event possible you can clearly see there’s a love being generated, and it shows. The mushers love it, the dogs love it, spectators love it, and the volunteers are the glue that bind it all together.

A word of warning: Volunteering for the CD 150 may be habit forming and is know to be contagious.

Come join us in 2012!

Get Your 2011 Volunteer Guide

by Todd Brassard
on February 28, 2011

Did not make to Volunteer Coordinator Brad King's training session?  That's okay!   We have the CopperDog 150 volunteer guide available for download (PDF, 2MB).  

Here's a little preview of what you'll find in the volunteer guide.  Scroll down to see a couple of photos from volunteer training session held as CLK Schools.