Iditarod Musher Profile

Sven Haltmann came to Alaska in 2001 to look for new challenges and opportunities. He quickly fell in love with the sport of mushing and Alaska's beautiful wilderness. It became very clear that Alaska was the perfect playground for him and he decided to stay.

Sven absolutely loves the outdoors and all animals. He feels very fortunate to finally have a life full of action and excitement, is in good health and can fulfill his dreams. He says, "I sure don't take that for granted and feel very blessed!"

He grew up in Appenzell, a little Swiss village, in the foothills of a popular mountain range. Surrounded by farm animals all of his teenage days, he developed a strong bond with animals, especially dogs.

He finished the 2009 Iditarod in 22^nd place and is ready to take it to the next level in 2010. Iditarod success is a long process and takes patience and time. 2009 taught him valuable lessons and prepared his team for more challenging tasks.

Summer 2009 brought some changes to his life. After fighting fires for the past five years, Sven works now in Fairbanks at the GoNorth Travel Center.

Sven loves Alaska and America, a place where dreams still come true!!!!