Gatt
Racing
Kennels
Hans Gatt
Atlin, B.C.
Biography
After seeing his first Sleddog Race in 1988 in Austria, where he was born and raised, it became very clear to Hans Gatt, that he wanted to be a professional Dogmusher.
Pretty soon after this decision was made and being first in numerous dog racing events all over Europe, he moved to Atlin, a picturesque mountain community in Northwestern British Columbia, Canada, to train and take care of his dogs.
Hans won the 400 Mile Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Sleddog Race in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, one of the biggest Mid-Distance Races on the planet, four times. In his other two attempts in this race he placed second.
After being a four time Iditarod Veteran finishing as high as 12th, one of his biggest dreams came true when he won the 1000 mile Yukon Quest (Alaska, Yukon) and the 300 Mile Copper Basin (Glennallen, Alaska) in 2002.
Just two weeks after his Yukon Quest victory he took on the extreme challenge to compete in the 1200 Mile Iditarod Sleddog Race, which he completed using most of the same dogs. Only very few people have completed both races back to back.
In 2003 Hans defended his Yukon Quest Championship, making him the only person to win the race twice in a row. In 2004 he again won the Yukon Quest, which now makes him the only three time winner of "the toughest sled dog race in the world".
In his spare time he enjoys outdoor activities such as running, mountain biking, canoeing and skiing. In the summer he combines these activities to compete in Adventure Races, gruelling multi-discipline races, that can last up to one week.
