Alan spent 1 month deep diving offshore ..back in his hot water suit and the cold and unforgiven North Sea."It was good to see old diving colleagues again..I enjoyed working with old mates like Broomie/Allan R, Greg, Diggers. Paul H...and the rest of the team,they are the some of the best commercial divers around today.
Our supervisor was Mike E,who took me on my Sat/course back in 1983!!Roger B was our Supt; Rogers been with me & my dogs on the Alpen Trail & many TVs programes.Alan & dive  team heads back in Aug to complete the project.

John is now in his 4th week of his 10 week commercial diving course and enjoying it,he has done his offshore survival certs; and he hopes to be diving offshore as soon as he finishes his course.Then its back to the Yukon in Nov; to train and prepare for the Cooper Basin & Yukon  Quest he will be living with three times YQ winner Hans Gatt.

Fiona takes daily kennel & museum tours and is working closely with local hotels and companys setting up new and exiting sleddog trips & team building/Corp; events for the coming season.

 

The CSC trails are also being worked on over the summer ..due to a forest forwarder being in they have opened up many more miles for the centre trails."We have awesome trails here now, they are not flat and oval like forestry commission roads ..they have very steep drops,many gee & haw turns, more like a motocross circuit than a typical UK sleddog trails..which are all very boring to human & dogs,we are building a new remote camp also which is coming on great ..this will be the hub of our new longer trips out with clients plus our new evening venture  "Roast Pig on a spit".. ..Mountain Hardwear have given us there top of the range "Everest base camp" tent for it.

 

A new puppy pen is being made. They also will have there own puppy training wheel and direct access to the new 100mx100m x 2m fenced in free running area and water pool.

 

In Sept three new dogs are coming in from Doug & Mel in MT/USA..we hope the puppy pen will be also used not long after that!

 

The centres Yukon 2009 venture is taking shape and financial backers are coming in..We have a UK/TV company wanting to film the whole venture and are awaiting a major £ backers answer in the next few months ..its expensive to race top flight USA!

John has worked very hard to get to this point ..everything is a learning curve,he has been running sleddogs since he was 7yrs old,lived and trained sleddogs with Egil Ellis & Hans Gatt,this is not a hobby or a dream ..only a few UK mushers have fully race dogs for a living give everything to it  ..Atkinson,Milne,Ross..all are Scots who where fully committed to the sport over the years our centre is also fully committed ..Johns now speaking about moving to Canada.

 

In April CSC became members of PRIDE...something every UK team should do & support.

This coming winter CSC will be working more closely with Scotlands only Sleddog Fed the SSF plus head of IFSS development Tim White,we have  visits planned from some top overseas mushers,plus head of The All Alaskan Sweepstake .CSC will also be working closely  with the SSF on training days,

 

If you are looking for a good book to read this summer buy Jeff Kings new book "Cold Hands Warm Heart"..go to Jeffs website to order it.www.huskyhomestead.com.

 

The CSC would like to thank our dog food backers Eukanuba for sponsoring us now for 12 years.

Many thanks also gos to Phil Dixon of Culpepper sleddog equipment the UKs leading sleddog equipment out fitters.

 

This winter the CSC is working with top Scots chef Laurie Mill and will offer remote sleddog trips with a difference..at night be taken into the centres remote mountain camp ..Lauries a bagpipe player ..so the dogs  and humans will hear the camp before seeing it!..enjoy roasted pig / local highland food ..all under the canopy of a mountain pine forest..a short video of this new venture will be on our website update for the coming season.

 

The final stages of our own Scotty Allan book is in progress,the book covers  Scottys life from his move to the USA from the Scottish Highlands to Nome AK,war torn France with sleddogs,and the All Alaskan Sweepstakes,and much more 2000 copys are being published ..see this website for more details September.

 

The CSC are now making/selling there own cable gang lines.(for details email [email protected])

 

 

We have started plans to race once again in Europe but it will be next season after the YQ venture.Our first event back in Europe will be the La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc.John will race the centres Alaskan Huskys in this event and the dogs will train here in Scotland and in Europe for this event.

 

 

2008/9 is going to be a very busy year for the CSC & the Stewart Family.