The Great Race The Yukon Quest

The story of an incredible challenge

Nicolas Vanier embarks upon one of the world’s hardest sled races: the Yukon Quest.

The Yukon Quest is 1600 kilometers of mountainous landscapes between Canada and Alaska that he travelled with his 14 dogs in 11 days, 8 hours and 38 minutes. Only 26 people were foolhardy enough to embark on such an extreme adventure.

The Yukon Quest is a mythical race that follows the ancient gold seekers path from Whitehorse, Canada to Fairbanks Alaska. He faced extreme temperatures and staggering mountain climbs.

On February 7, 2015, after three years of training, Nicolas Vanier took a leap of faith. “They are 14, lined up two by two, hysterical, unrecognizable, crazy-eyed…” he writes in his tale.

The beginning of the race will be hellish. A thousand times he thinks of dropping out… before returning to the assault. In the end he reaches his goal: to finish in the top ten alongside the greatest mushers.

In The Great Race Nicolas Vanier conveys his fears, his exhaustion, but also his joys and the fantastic complicity that he shares with his dogs.
This achievement is his, but it is theirs as well.