Great Friggin Chat gets behind the stories of the intrepid few who take on the Yukon 1000 race. Described as the world’s toughest survival and endurance race, the Yukon 1000 starts in Whitehorse, Canada, and heads 1,000 miles north following the Yukon River to the Dalton Highway Bridge in Alaska. Those who spend 40 days rowing across the Atlantic describe that experience as a doddle compared to the 1,000 miles of the Yukon. The Yukon 1000 follows the footsteps of early adventurers, immersing you in the raw, untouched wilderness that few humans will ever experience. More people have been up Everest than have been past Dawson City. Yukon 1000 challengers must have the physical and mental fortitude to cope with the staggering feat of paddling 18 hours a day; just to complete the race. Completely self-sufficient, teams sleep rough where they stop, and in extreme cases must be able to survive in true wilderness.
In Episode 3 we talk to Heidi and Alecia from Skirtin Albertans, a canoe team who came second in the race just 40 mins behind the canoe winners. These two Canadian natives have a clear passion for the outdoors and have grown up in families who have woven self-sufficiency into their childhood. A decent amount of race hours, and time in the outdoors with some amazing experiences – we want to hear more about being dropped into frozen ice as a kid! They have demonstrated a thorough approach to their race research and a good sense of humor, two critical success factors for the Yukon 1000.
In Episode 2, we chat with Dave Maitland & Hamish Hamilton. If you're looking for a couple of decent Kiwis that will give anything a shot, then you don't need to go further than Dave and Hamish. A key part of this race is your relationship with your race partner, and having been friends since childhood and completed many adventure races together, this has been tested over and over. “Happiest in the mountains or on the Lakes, Rivers with likeminded People doing adventures ” There is no substitute for experience and these two are rich with it, from working for the NZ Police to construction diver, electrician, backcountry pilot, hunting, spearfishing, competitive swimming… and more, are all in the locker… we're enjoyed the storytelling from these guys – two thoroughly decent blokes.
The Yukon 1000 follows the footsteps of early adventurers, immersing you in the raw, untouched wilderness that few humans will ever experience. Yukon 1000 challengers must have the physical and mental fortitude to cope with the staggering feat of paddling 18 hours a day; just to complete the race. Completely self-sufficient, teams sleep rough where they stop, and in extreme cases must be able to survive in true wilderness. And who better to kick things off with than Jon Frith, the Race Director and someone who has competed in the race himself. Jon loves the Yukon so much that he has paddled it numerous times and currently holds the record for source to sea along the mighty river. In this episode we cover: His own race down the river How he became the current custodian of the Yukon 1000 race What he looks for in applications for those looking to compete in the race Plans for the next edition of the race Future plans for the Yukon 1000 and sister races
Ben Lott and Will Goodwin competed in two separate teams but formed a mutual love of the Yukon territories and the race. They also discovered this love was shared by all the other racers and in an effort to share these stories, the Great Friggin Chat podcast was born.
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