Are there any advantages to travelling by dog sled instead of by snowmobile?
We travelled to Clyde River in Canada last year, where we had the opportunity to travel by both snowmobile and dog sled. These two ways of travelling are very different. I can tell you it’s safer to go by dog sled. There was an accident last year on Baffin Island in which a whole family disappeared because their snowmobile ran out of fuel (fortunately they were later found safe and sound). You don’t have to deal with that if you’re travelling by dog sled. And dog sleds are also better for the environment. Has exposure to a Western lifestyle (five-day workweek, comforts such as stores) impacted the amount of time hunters spend on the ice? There’s been an impact to some extent. But in many places jobs aren’t exactly hanging on a tree. In northwest Greenland, there is much more of a subsistence culture. However the Inuit live in houses and have to pay for electricity and other utilities, so in order for earn money and make a living, many men need to be hunters. Sometimes wives also get pa
Under the laws of some states, commercial dog sledding practices would be considered criminally cruel. In California, for example, the state criminal anti-cruelty law makes it a crime to inflict needless suffering or unnecessary cruelty upon an animal—including by overworking an animal. So in my opinion better to use a snowmobile which is designed for such needs, and not dogs that are man’s best friend. I have recently bought a snowmobile and also new tracks for it from http://compositsnowmobiletracks.com/. So it’s extremely durable and powerful while dogs get tired in a couple of hours.
