Iditarod Musher Profile

Hans Gatt, 51, grew up on a farm in Austria. He ran the farm from age 26 and bred award winning dairy cows. He raced motocross in Europe until he attended a dog sled race that ignited his passion for racing sled dogs. Hans immediately started a breeding program using Edinger, Dunlap and Lester Erhart dogs. He also built his first dog sleds in Austria, under the name ‘Gatt Sleds.' His partner in sled building in Austria was his good friend Ernst Danler. After winning all eight races entered in his first year of racing, including European Championship, Hans turned his attention to the world of dog sled racing in North America. He moved to Atlin, B.C. in 1990. Hans has won the Yukon Quest three times, the Wyoming Stage Stop four times, the Copper Basin, the European Championship four times and the IFSS World Championship Open Class, among many other races. He would like to improve upon his 2009, 10^th place finish in the Iditarod. Hans builds dog sleds, travels a bit, and trained a Jamaican musher to run the 2009 Yukon Quest. He lives near Whitehorse, Yukon, with his partner Susie Rogan and 72 dogs.