Video: Attaching Snow Hooks to a Race Dogsled

Learn what snow hooks are and how to attach them before a dogsled race in this free instructional video clip about the dogsled race in Iditarod.

Video Transcript

I would like to invite you to visit our website at www.teamclarke.org. Snow hooks are usually made out of a two materials; either aluminum or steel. Most of them have carbide tips on the end for digging in extra firmly, getting deep into the snow. The snow hook is used to really keep a team stopped and there is a technique as you are coming to a stop, it is sort of a timing technique, where you are slowing down with your drag mat or brake bar. Just before you come to a stop you sink your snow hook in. The tips are shaped with some down suction just like a plow share so that as you put the snow hook into the snow, if it is shaped correctly, the force of the sled or the pull going forward will actually drive that snow hook further into the snow and hopefully give you a good hold and keep your dogs stopped. Most of the time it will pull out without too much trouble but if you are in really good hard pack; snow that has had a lot of traffic on it and its pretty packed almost ice. You can have a hard time getting the snow hook out of it. Sometimes it requires you to kick it with the heels of your boot or reach ahead of the snow hook bridle which is lying that is attached to the snow of your dog team and jerk it back a few times. It will sort of free it from the hard packed snow.

Attaching Snow Hooks to a Race Dogsled

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