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The Colorado Mountain Mushers was established in 1989. The Goals of the club are to foster novice and family racing along with other working dog associated winter sports by organizing a fun racing circuit of professional quality, encouragement of new mushers and to promote and foster the well being of sled dogs.

What We Do

Colorado Mountain Mushers engages in many sled dog sport-related activies.

Our recreational races attract members of all ages and dog teams both large and small. Race activies include dog sledding, skijoring (you ski, your dog(s) help pull), cani-cross (you snowshoe or hike, your dog(s) help pull), bike-joring, scootering, carting, weight-pull, and other fun contests for skill and ability. Our focus with all these races is safety, fun, and learning.

CMM also sponsors Musher Visits to schools, scouting groups, and other children's programs. We provide information booths at dog-related fairs, and various members teach workshops and provide mentoring for sled dog sports.

The monthly newsletter is packed with information about all aspects of dog care and training, plus contains classified ads.

Finally, CMM serves as an advocate for mushers at the legislative level, offering a voice at public meetings concerning pending legislation that affects mushers. CMM members are kept up-to-date on the latest legal issues in both our newsletter and email services

A Brief History of Colorado Mountain Mushers

Based on information from Debra Su Stephens, Don Herr, Larry Natzke, and Leslie Fields. Summarized by TC Wait 7/1/2010

Don Johnson, Ron Kruczek, Ron Oldfield, Ed Samberson, Janis Church, and Carol Deeks started the Rocky Mountain Sled Dog Club (RMSDC) in 1960. In little time, sled dog racing became quite popular in Colorado with races drawing well over 100 teams. RMSDC had become a large club with very diverse interests among its members. As the RMSDC sprint races attracted more serious competitive racers, there was interest in providing quality events for novices, families, and mid-distance racing, camping, and other fun events that did not fit into the competitive sprint racing circuit. In February 1989, a small group of mushers decided to branch out and form the Colorado Mountain Mushers (CMM) to meet some of these diverse interests. CMM offered a variety of low-key sprint races and mid-distance races geared towards a family atmosphere and focused on having fun with dog powered sports.

Don and Bette Johnson were instrumental in the founding of the Colorado Mountain Mushers. Along with the other founding members, Don Herr, Terri Newberg, Mike Williamson, Amy Gray, and Nancy Yust, the fledgling CMM put on a wide variety of events, including races in Leadville, Redstone, Central City, Waunita Hot Springs, and on Dillon Reservoir.

In the late 1990s, a group of mushers including Larry and Valerie Natzke, Mark Hatch, Linda Feith, Mark and Debra Su Stephens, and Amos Auringer introduced mid-distance races to the CMM venues.

Now, more than 20 years after it began, CMM is a thriving club with a wide variety of quality events including campouts, dryland races, mushing clinics, sprint races, and mid-distance races. RMSDC has continued its tradition of offering competitive ISDRA events for the serious sprint racers. Many mushers still belong to both clubs, enjoying the best of both worlds