Yukon River Quest
4061 4th Ave. Y1A 1H1 Whitehorse, YT, Canada

Oops. I discovered yesterday that I had inadvertently disabled the online store. It is back on line now at https://yukonriverquest.ca/shop We have all sorts of good stuff including our special YRQ/Covid tee shirts and stickers. We also still have a number of the very fine 2019 red volunteer shirts with the Lorraine Wolfe paddle design. Take a look and brighten a dark winter day by thinking about paddling the Yukon.

Happy New Year to all of you from the YRQ team! Best wishes in 2021 and here's hoping we can hold the race in the new year! Happy Paddling!

AGM REPORT: NEW BOARD ELECTED Our AGM was December 10, 2020. More than 20 members were present via Zoom to approve a new set of Bylaws per updates required of all Yukon Societies this year, including the elimination of life memberships unfortunately (the board will notify previous ‘lifers’ re. how we will pro-rate their membership). The membership elected the following slate of 10 directors: Al Foster, Jeff Brady, Peter Coates, Spencer Edelman, Lidwein Hanrath, Deb Bartlett...e, Stephen Mooney, Anne Jessup, Christa Van Laerhoven, and Stan Fordyce. The year-end financial report was approved accounting for a move of registration income to the 2021 year since there was no race in 2020, and Coates gave a detailed president’s report on the state of the event and plans for next year (hopefully with COVID in the backwash, but we will be ready to deal with whatever its presence requires). Following the AGM, there was a brief regular board meeting to select the executive, which will remain the same four board members to maintain a smooth transition in this unusual year. Coates will serve a third year as President, and Hanreth will again be Treasurer. Switching offices are Edelman who will be the new Vice President and Bartlette who will be the new Secretary. The board’s next meeting is January 20, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. Yukon Time via Zoom. See more

REMINDER - The Annual General Meeting of the YRMPA is this Thursday Dec. 10 at 5:30 PM Yukon Time (currently the same as Mountain time with the Yukon on permanent Pacific Daylight Time). You must be a member to receive an agenda and attend this meeting via Zoom. New members welcome - here's the link! https://yukonriverquest.ca/yrq/app/membership/

We are 30 days away from our Annual General Meeting on Dec. 10 (via Zoom). Current members were emailed a packet over the weekend. New members are welcome to join and then will be sent meeting information. See details in this ad that is running in the Whitehorse Star.

At this time of year we usually are getting ready for a wave of early registrations, but that opening has been moved from Nov. 1 to Feb. 14 while we make plans for an event next summer to keep everyone safe. Today, we did post our first set of COVID YRQ RULES for the 2021 race on the website. They include restrictions such as how we gather, how we start, how checkpoints are run (new layover procedures at Carmacks & Minto in Rule 27), and what will and will not be allowed on t...he river and onshore. This is a work-in-progress and is likely to be amended several times as we get closer to the race, but it's a good start to help you prepare. Paddlers and volunteers were sent a letter on October 28 explaining developments in more detail. We are still working on a set of Half YRQ Rules in anticipation of having a shorter race as well. Please study the rules and also check out other items like the racer guide and other information under the Rules & Preparation Menu on the website: https://www.yukonriverquest.com//10/YRQ-Rules-2021Covid.pdf See more

The Yukon River Quest board continues to look ahead to a race in 2021. Right now we have 119 teams registered from the cancelled 2020 event and about 30 on a wait list, so there is huge interest in the race. However, at this time we still do not know if we will be able to have our event. We hope so, but due to the uncertainty we have decided to push our usual registration opening for remaining slots from November 1, 2020 to February 14, 2021. By then we hope to have a good id...ea about what kind of race we will be able to have. Our Rules Committee will be meeting this fall to make some changes to our existing rules, as well as drafting alternative sets of rules that we may have to put in place due to COVID concerns. These could include changes in how we gather, how we start, where checkpoints are located and how they will be run, etc. The board also wants to experiment with a Half River Quest next year, from Whitehorse to Carmacks. This would allow teams that were not able to register for the big event in 2021 to still be able to get on the river with us. We have a lot of scenarios to work on over the next few months and welcome your input. See more

If you had the time to enjoy a trip down the Yukon River. Would you consider doing it on a log raft. Spoiler alert! Going through Five Fingers is a lot easier in a canoe, kayak or SUP than in a raft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XI6L5DkM3k

The Yukon River passes through Five First Nations on our race route: Kwanlin Dün, Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, Little Salmon/Carmacks, Selkirk, and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Our race honours their culture and those who have lived off the river and nurtured it for centuries. For an in-depth account of Yukon First Peoples, read this ECHO (Ethnographic, Cultural, Historical Overview) handbook. A link to this resource can also be found on the main page of the YRQ website. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/echoyukonsfirstpeople/

For those of you missing being on the Yukon River this year. There is some great footage of the river from Whitehorse to Carmacks, Five Finger Rapids, Dawson and the Dempster Hwy. in this video. Drone footage by Hobnob Blingstone. Sit back and enjoy the Yukon. https://www.youtube.com/watch

The YRQ community recently lost a valuable long-time volunteer. Greg Dawson of Whitehorse, shown in the photos below, passed away unexpectedly on June 22. Greg, 58, was active in the community and was the valued leader of our Lower Laberge Checkpoint for many years, a welcome face greeting our racers as they came off the grueling lake, ushering them into the beautiful Thirtymile section of the river, and helping those who needed a break. Our condolences go out to his wife Louise. We will miss him on the river.

Many racers were hoping that if the YRQ had happened this year it would be a fast one. Based on the expected high water flows from the increased snow pack of the past winter. So was the flow higher? Using the Water Survey of Canada's monitoring station's data for the YUKON RIVER ABOVE WHITE RIVER (09CD001) [YT]. Here is the flow data for the days of the race along with the historic mean, max. and min. values for those days.

HAPPY CANADA DAY - Celebrate safely and paddle on!

Final post of the series. You see the Moosehide Slide in the distance and you know Dawson City is near. Just one more bend, or maybe another. Really, another one. And then you see the town, the Klondike coming in clear to the right, and high on the dike, the banner and people. You are exhausted but you manage a final burst of energy as you cross that 'line' in the river and hear the horn and the cheers. You stop paddling, but then someone says 'keep going, go around the dock'..., and you have to paddle some more. People are running toward the dock area and you finally find the spot to curl into shore, and everyone, it seems, is ready to grab your line and pull you in and out of this damn boat. You never felt so good while your body hurt so bad. Seven hundred fifteen kilometers in 40-50-60 something hours. Who cares? Few people on earth can do this and now you are one of them. Thank god for your support crew, and for all those volunteers. You tell them about the moose that swam across the river, you tell them about the hallucinations in the hoodoos, you show them your blisters, and this big guy with the camera takes a photo of them. What?! Now you're ready for Dawson City, well, after you find your room and bed. Where's Gerties, what's this about the drink with a dead toe in it, can I stay up and close the Pit, and still wake up for the banquet? Or maybe take it easy and drive up to the Midnight Dome to see the river from above, where you've come from. You'll find out later. You have a feeling this is your kind of town. What a great place to finish! Can't wait to get that finisher pin and then it will be real. You don't know if you can do this again, but there's something called a Great River Club now, only 5,000 kilometers to join. Hey, why not? Photos by Harry Kern, Jeff Brady, Danny Brady, Katie Emmets, Eric Nelson, Annie Brady, Mary Thole, Denise Caposey. See more

Before we post our final memory album of our Race Week series, let's take a look at Dawson City last night and today. These photos taken by Kirsty Thomson show the deserted downtown campground, which normally would be full of race support vehicles, and the only traffic on the river she saw was the barge making a run to Coffee Creek. Keep Dawson City and other northern destinations in your minds this summer. They are hurting. They need us back, and hopefully we will be there stronger than ever in 2021.

This will be Friday's only post. I know, the truly fast among us are almost to Dawson City, but we'll wait and celebrate all finishers on Saturday. Let's look back at the past 24 hours, since you've left Carmacks. It begins with a 2-3 hour paddle to Five Finger Rapids, which can be challenging or a breeze where you barely feel a splash. Very few teams flip, but it's dramatic. Fortunately they are back on the water after getting guided to shore by our safety boat. Then on past... Minto (did you see the sheep on the mountain, yeah they are real) and more midnight sun. If you time it right, you'll see it drop again around the next bend. Stunning. Fort Selkirk awaits as the next monitor point. Some will stop here to warm up or you just holler out your number as you pass by. You must come back here some day, when you can take in the history and enjoy it. Then the river widens even more, the Pelly having doubled the Yukon in size. The mountains seem to rise more vertically, you see more sheep if you are lucky, or a bear. And what are those? Elephants, a tiger, monkeys swinging between spruces! What are those Adirondack chairs doing down in the river? I shake my head and they are still there. What the #$%^! Where is that next rest stop: Kirkman, Coffee Creek, where is it? Finally, we make it. What great volunteers, eh! It's such a short stop. I can't sleep but I do. I wake up to mosquitos. They are real and as hungry as I am. I eat some soup and get ready. Get back in the boat and paddle on. Past White River, the river turning to milk shake and sizzling (my mates say that's real), through the Stewart maze, dodging sand bars. Tired again from all this work and focusing on hitting the right channel. There's the Sixtymile crew. I can muster one final wave. These bends are so long but I know Dawson is near. Will I make it? Photos by Harry Kern, Jeff Brady, Katie Emmets, Mark Adabi, Danny Brady See more

The iconic image of the 'Race to the Midnight Sun' - may we race again next year, or virtually this year. Photo by Harry Kern

You've made it through the first night and the drudgery of grinding through those long bends to get to Carmacks, through the morning and, for some, afternoon-early evening. All your friends are there to greet you at Coal Mine Campground: volunteers, support crews, and the campground support for those who came to the Yukon alone. Best money you ever spent: such a relief to have your tent ready for you. But you feel like crap. You consider quitting (some will). After a run to ...the bathroom, you grab a quick bite, and crash. But there is so much going on. The place is a beehive of activity. Still, you sleep. More teams arrive, more teams leave. You awake, eat some more, get your gear checked again. And wow, you really feel like getting back on the river. The crowd cheers you again and you are off. The river instantly feels like home. You can't wait for the rapids and the second half ahead. Meanwhile the campground gets quieter and quieter, social media is updated, and the photographer and other race volunteers get some needed rest. Photos by Harry Kern, Jeff Brady, Danny Brady See more

You somehow made it across Lake Laberge (or maybe you didn't) in time to see the midnight sun as you entered the Thirtymile. You added layers and wolfed down second or third dinner and eased into the current, letting it take you, feeling the speed as you paddle the twisting bends, watching fish jump and maybe an eagle perched on the tallest tree of the next bend. The sky never darkens but there's a chill in the air and a little fog rising from the river. The glow in the north...ern sky moves eastward, and when the sun finally does rise, it's somehow colder, and you wonder if you'll ever get warm. You stop by the fire at the monitor camp, or you keep going. Finally, somewhere between Hootalinqua and Big Salmon, the sun has some warmth, or it starts to rain, and you think that Carmacks can't be that far away. But it is. Photos by Harry Kern, Jeff Brady, Cam Beemer See more

Race day starts early and is hectic down by the river as boats are moved into starting positions, gear goes through a final check, teams move to the starting line, and then the horn sounds at noon and they run to the boats, hitting the river as hundreds watch from shore. It's an amazing scene. Enjoy the memories, and don't forget to check out the time-lapse of the 2019 start on our website. Photos by Harry Kern, Jeff Brady, and Danny Brady

We have a treat for you this morning. Go to our website right now and watch the 2019 massing of a record 117 boats on the shoreline straight through the start of the race at noon a year ago. Great time-lapse photography by Harry Kern! We'll also be posting it on our youtube channel a little later so you can pause it and catch your moment.

It's just after 6 pm on Tuesday June 23 here in the Yukon and we would normally be wrapping up our final pre-race briefing after a full day of seeing teams go through final registration, having their boats inspected, and getting their bibs and team photos. Enjoy the memories. Remember to be at the boat launch tomorrow at your assigned time for final gear inspection (don't we wish!). Get a good night's rest, stay safe and healthy, and be ready to paddle on in one of this year's virtual races and hopefully in the YRQ in 2021! Photos by Harry Kern, Jeff Brady, and Danny Brady

This is a tough week for us. We'd normally be ushering in YRQ Race Week, kicking off big time tonight with the Meet & Greet in Whitehorse, where we gather to introduce teams and thank volunteers and sponsors. We'd like to take this time to let you know that we’re all looking forward to the 2021 River Quest and understand that you are too. We also understand that many of you are looking for more information about that race. At this point, there are still many unknowns for us i...n the Yukon. While we are slowly opening up, our borders are still under fairly strict controls. If we are able to welcome visitors to the Yukon next summer, we are as yet unsure about how large a race we may be able to offer. The Board is constantly looking at options for the 2021 race and will keep you informed as things are determined. Check here and on our website for updates. In the meantime, keep paddling, try one of our virtual races, keep safe, and keep your fingers crossed for a COVID-free 2021 race! For the rest of this week, we will be posting some photos from our archives of racers and volunteers and support crews doing what they normally do at this time of year. Enjoy the memories. You are all so valuable to us! Photos by Harry Kern, Jeff Brady, Danny Brady See more

Last night the YRQ decided the entry fees for next year. We have simplified the fee structure (and imposed an increase in fees for some classes). The new fee structure is $350 per boat, $300 per person. For teams carried forward from 2020, I have added a gratis payment to make up the difference, so nothing extra is needed. For teams carried forward who are changing class, They get credited the new entry fee for their old class, and charged the entry fee for their new class. A side effect of this is that any paddler in anything other than a tandem class who has not "signed" their waiver will have been sent a reminder.

Two bits of news on merchandise: the first is that the online store was non-functional over night last night. Sorry about that. It is fixed now. The second bit of news is that the lady's sizes of the covid/YRQ shirts are in Whitehorse, and I can get them mailed out this afternoon. My apologies for the shop not working last night. Peter

The Men's Covid/YRQ T shirts have arrived and look really good. The Lady's sizes shipped from Winnipeg 5 minutes later, were processed at Edmonton 10 minutes later, and missed the boat coming to Whitehorse. They should be here this week, but transport is a bit iffier than it used to be. Check them out in the online store, https://yukonriverquest.ca/shop

For those of you that have done the race before. Lake Lebarge presents many challenges, but it is also a scene of a flotilla of boats heading down the lake. In 1898 there was a somewhat similar scene of boats racing down the lake to Dawson. Photo credit Larss and Duclos collection.

We have had our first entry in the Virtual Half YRQ. So now we have a target time to beat: 18:37:11. A couple of technical issues came out if this. The competitor's GPS was getting GPS locations every second, but only storing them every 20 seconds. That meant that the distance travelled acording to the GPS was slightly longer than the distance my system calculated from the gpx file (the sum of the chords joining two points is always less then or equal to the chord distance be...tween the two points). And the course she was paddling on had sharp turns to the problem was exacerbated. SO, make sure your GPS is recording data at the fasted rate it can (constrained by storage space and battery life), and if your course is twisty, paddle a bit extra on the end just in case. https://yukonriverquest.ca/y/app/entry8/tracker_replay.php allows you to replay the pretend track, https://yukonriverquest.ca/y/app/virtual/viewOriginals.php shows you the original track (in this case rather confused as he paddled round and round in tight loops) See more

We've added a new main Menu item on the website called Racer Actions and added more drop-downs under the other menus to help you navigate easier between the Virtual YRQ, Virtual Half YRQ and the 2021 YRQ. Check it out and get registered for the virtual races. It's June and everyone should be on the water! https://www.yukonriverquest.com

I think a few past racers in the YRQ might appreciate this aerial photo of the Yukon River at Carmacks and the location of the Coalmine campground checkpoint. Photo courtesy of Murray Lundberg, Yukon History & Abandoned Places

Yukon River Quest virtual race story in the Whitehorse Daily Star. Have you decided to enter yet? https://www.whitehorsestar.com//river-quest-launches-two-v

In case any paddlers from outside the Yukon wondered what the Whitehorse launch point looks like in mid May... The water levels are just starting to come up from their annual low, and there is still some ice in the bays. Oh and quarter of an hour after I took this picture it started hailing.

The intent and process for entering the virtual races is not totally obvious. But it is not difficult. So I've written a little document going through the process showing some of the things that can go wrong so it looks a little less intimidating. http://yukonriverquest.ca//How%20to%20enter%20the%20virtua

The Virtual YRQ has officially launched. No race open time, no race close time. But everyone's tracks get mapped on to the Yukon River starting from Whitehorse at 12:00 June 24th. Register for the full race or the half race at https://yukonriverquest.ca/yrq/app/entry8/virtual.php

The photo upload feature that was mentioned here a week ago can (and should) be used by paddlers in the virtual races. Unlike for the real races, for the virtual race the photos can be anywhere in the world because that is where you will really be paddling.

The Virtual YRQ logo is an adaptation of a free corona virus logo developed by E Conceptive of San Jose, Calif. applied to the YRQ logo. For details on use and licensing, see https://www.iconfinder.com/econceptive

Coming soon!!! The Yukon Pretend Quest, a virtual race where you may apply your paddling over four days this summer to our full race course from Whitehorse to Dawson, or a 'Half Quest' from Whitehorse to Carmacks. Registration will be $35 for the full race and $20 for the half race. To get ready, see instructions at: https://www.yukonriverquest.ca/yrq/app/virtual/guide.php The Virtual YRQ logo is an adaptation of a free corona virus logo developed by E Conceptive of San Jose, Calif. applied to the YRQ logo. For details on use and licensing, see https://www.iconfinder.com/econceptive

Yukon River Quest racers can now post photos from previous year's races and have them appear on the results page and race replay pages. Various restrictions apply: * the photos have to have been take within a day of the start of the race, during the race, or within a day of the end of the race * Photos must have time stamps encoded in them (most do these days) * Photos must be located on the Yukon River on the race course * if photos have GPS data embedded in them that locati...on will be used, or you can select on the map where the photo was taken (GPS data takes precedence) * you have to sign on as a team from that year to upload photos The URLs for this are a little ugly -- they are not intended to be typed in directly. Instead, go to https://yukonriverquest.ca/user, then select they race year you want. Some of the older years are not really in the system, so for the moment you would have problems selecting years before 2012 (with some exceptions: nothing lost trying). You can also go to year 2020, but you won't be able to upload photos for that year. Other plans for 2020 may be forthcoming, but 2020 does a number on plans. See more

We received this video of Terry Oleynx's 2019 YRQ. Terry's son Nick produced the video. Some great scenes of last years race. Hope everyone is looking forward to 2021 when we can get back on the river. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRFU_JLpHUM&feature=youtu.be

Maybe instead of racing in the YRQ, you might want to enjoy paddling one of the many rivers in the Yukon. https://www.youtube.com/watch

Yukon River breakup happened 5:30pm on Sunday.

You asked for it... and the online YRQ Store is finally open! See the new link with this photo of the 2019 shirt on our website, or go directly now to: https://yukonriverquest.ca/shop

Breakup of the Yukon River at Dawson hasn't happened yet but the latest breakup photo, looks like it might be happening soon. https://yukonriverbreakup.com/

Congratulations to master carver Wayne Price, a Tlingit from Haines, Alaska, on this distinguished award. Wayne has worked with Yukon First Nations youth and adults for many years on various canoe carving projects. He's an incredible teacher and paddler. Gunalcheesh Wayne!

Since the start of the Yukon River Quest. Racers arriving in Dawson have been greeted by the sight of a high dyke separating the town from the river. That dyke was constructed to prevent future flooding of Dawson, which was a fairly common event. The last flood happened in 1979. These photos capture what Front Street looked like back then.

Though there is no race this year. Its no reason to not maintain a long standing tradition of guessing when the ice will go out on the Yukon River at Dawson City. https://yukonriverbreakup.com/

Cyril Derrreumax sent us this video of his 2019 Yukon River Quest in a C2. This is the Go Pro video of our race with me of On The Water 360 and my buddy Galen Licht of Sea Trek Kayak and SUP Center. This race is such a cool adventure! WARNINGS: #1: I just put the segments one after each other. No music added, no special cut. Just raw footage.... #2: this is a long video (22+ minutes) so unless you want to take on the Yukon River Quest, you might find this boring! HaHa. https://www.youtube.com/watch See more

TONIGHT!!! If you haven't seen this yet, tonight's a great time to gather round the telly or laptop and experience the 2019 YRQ from the perspective of a rookie SUP paddler. Enjoy!

With no race this year, one of the things I'll miss. Happens when the last racer is finally in, the awards banquet is over and all the gear is packed way. Is the chance to go up on the Dome and look at the Yukon River, Dawson City and the surrounding landscape.Give a big sigh of relief and realize that for another year, all the people involved in this race did an amazing thing pulling together to put on this truly Yukon event. So, what will you miss? See you next year. Al Foster a YRQ volunteer Photo: Benjamin Steffes-Lai

I'm so sad to think of all the great friends I'm going to miss at the YRQ Meet and Greet 2020. Thinking of you all, our racing family, supporters and volunteers . Reply with your favourite YRQ photo and let's share some love.... Sheila Dodd.

Two confirmed cases of covid-19 in the Yukon. Suspension of all non-essential travel into and out of Yukon as well as to our rural communities is recommended. https://www.cbc.ca/ne/canada/north/yukon-covid-19-1.5506363

June 23-26, 2021 - it's a date. Paddle on!!! And thanks to everyone for supporting us during this difficult time. Stay safe and healthy everyone!!!

Cancelling the race effects many many people. As well as racers we also had many volunteers signed up to put on this years race. Dear volunteers, Thank-you so much for volunteering to help us with the 2020 Yukon River Quest. We regret to inform you that the race has been cancelled for this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the uncertainties about the virus and what lies ahead, we felt that the risk to our racers, supporters, the communities along and route and to... you, our volunteers, was too great. As you know if you’ve volunteered before, maintaining social distance is very difficult with an event like this, even a scaled down event. We are all very disappointed as are you, too, no doubt, whether you are a seasoned veteran or a first- time volunteer. We, and our racers, are so very appreciative of our volunteers! We hope to see you back for 2021. Please keep yourselves safe and healthy! See more

Good evening everyone. We are in the process of emailing racers tonight about the board's decision to cancel the 2020 YRQ. Details about this decision are being delivered to racers now and will appear in a press release on our website in the morning. Thanks for your patience. https://www.yukonriverquest.com//cancellation-of-22nd-ann/

Every year we get asked is going to be a low or a high water year on the Yukon River. Still to early to make any type of prediction. But for those of you who are into the data here is the Yukon snow survey bulletin and water supply forecast for March 2020. https://yukon.ca//yukon-snow-survey-bulletin-and-water-sup

March 12, 2020 statement by YRMPA on COVID-19 situation: At this time there are no plans to cancel the 2020 Yukon River Quest. The YRMPA Board is in the process of seeking advice from public health officials in the Yukon. As the situation with COVID-19 evolves, we will continue to consult with health officials and keep racers and volunteers updated on our website if any substantive changes to the race should be necessary.

Coming March 14th!

I'm passionate about volunteering for the YRQ and there are many others who also come out year after year to help put this race on. Come out and join us along the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson and be one of the couple of hundred people that help make this a great Yukon event. Al Foster a YRQ volunteer

Just added under the Rules & Prep dropdown menu on our site (in Other Info): Best Practices on the Yukon River (important for racers, support crews, volunteers): 1) Yukon River Heritage - An illustrated introduction for river travellers: https://yukon.ca//yuk/files/tc/tc-yukon-river-heritage.pdf and 2) Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Best Practices for Heritage Resources: http://www.trondek.ca/downloads/THBestPractices.pdf

The Yukon River (Thirty Mile section) is designated as a Canadian Heritage River. Taking part in the Yukon River Quest, whether you are racer, support crew or volunteer should involve some understanding of why this river is an important part of the heritage of the people (past and present) that call the Yukon their home. Set aside some of your time to read about Yukon River Heritage. https://yukon.ca//yuk/files/tc/tc-yukon-river-heritage.pdf

Volunteers needed. A lot of them are needed. If you're thinking of volunteering during the YRQ, then think about signing up early. It really helps the organizers of the race to know well in advance of the start that all the volunteer positions needed to put his race are filled. Al Foster a YRQ volunteer. https://yukonriverquest.ca/yrq/app/volunteer/

I have changed the Racer bios page so it now shows what YRQs people have been in before. This *mostly* matches what people have in their bios, but where different names were used in the past it is different. And there may be faulty memories in other places. Please check and if you disagree with me let me know. Some peoples' race lists are impressive.

The new drop-down menu under Rules & Preparation is now active with the new Racer Guide at the top. We will be plugging in the 2020 Schedule soon and Briefings in early spring. Thanks for the input in the safety survey we sent out in December (now closed). We are still developing the 2020 safety plan and that will result in some new slides for this year's Briefing. You can still upload last year's Briefing but just realize there may be some changes coming re. safety-evacuation procedures. This does not change how you train, so hopefully you are already getting in shape for another epic YRQ!

We are in the process of updating the Rules & Preparation info on the website. When completed, you will see a drop-down menu that will feature our new RACER GUIDE, which you can view right now, along with the rules, schedule, briefing, FAQs, and other racer info. https://yukonriverquest.ca/guide/

A unique way to get some winter training in.

In case you're wondering what the Yukon is like in the winter.......

Over the years the YRQ has been very fortunate to have many people come back year after year to help us coordinate key areas of the race. But over time everyone needs a break and this year we need someone in Dawson to be our Finish Line Coordinator. This person will be involved in the recruitment of volunteers for Dawson. This person might also be the Timing/tracking coordinator for Dawson or Banquet Coordinator, or might simply be a volunteer in Dawson who is well connected and can find volunteers. You can find out more information about this position on our volunteer webpage or contact us at [email protected], or (867) 333-5628.