ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser

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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby Heidi » Wed Apr 01, 2009 11:48 am

Martin & Kathy, I have a few more questions..

--What other teams surprised (and impressed) you the most on the Iditarod and/or the Yukon Quest?

--Did you ever have any other career aspirations besides mushing?

--How did you and Kathy meet? :mrgreen:

Thanks!!
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby SuldalsXpressen » Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:21 pm

Hi, Kathy and Martin! You are so kind to spend time with us.

1. What would you change about the Iditarod trail if you were king for a day (not talking about being Jeff... :D )?
2. Is 16 dogs a maximum of dogs to use in a Iditarod team? Would you like to use 20? Is it possible to use 30?
3. What is your view on the different sleds used in racing? Positive and negative sides?
4. Do you guys do any hiking with your dogs during the summer? Any neat rivers you would recomend for padling?
5. Kathy: Is there anything YOU would like to change about the Iditarod?

Now, for a special request... I notice you have a good singing voice and that you like music. Would you join me for a jamming session in Takotna or any other cp if I ever get to go to Alaska during the race (I'm norwegian and I play the guitar :D )?

Thank you so much for being here, both!

Eskil
Mmmmmm...... Unalakleet... DO'H!!!
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby maxandtuk » Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:11 pm

Martin and Kathy! Once a again thank you so much for joining us here on the BSSD forum! I think all of the questions that I was going to ask have already been...well...asked. :) Just wanted to say that I have been following the Iditarod faithfully for about 8 years now and have been a fan of yours ever since the beginning. Thanks for being such a great role model and musher.


M&T

P.S. I pick u to place first every year in our annual Top Ten Picks Thread :D
Livin' faster than my angels can fly
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby emwcee » Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:44 am

Martin, one more quick question: Where in Switzerland are you from, and was German your main language growing up? My husband's mother is from Rorschach on the Boden Sea, and her father was a boat builder there. My husband lived in Switzerland for a couple of years when he was a teenager - about 1975.
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby Holly Golightly » Thu Apr 02, 2009 6:08 pm

Hey there, Martin and Kathy! May I offer a belated welcome to the message board?

First off, my condolences on a difficult Irod this year - 2010 will be probably much better - for one thing, the weather can’t be *that* awful two years in a row. I do have a couple questions that nobody’s asked yet, too, so here goes:

#1: If someone wanted to become a kennel helper, what qualifications and attributes must they have in order to be considered? I’m sure it’s a position that entails much responsibility. (My friends have asked me why I’ve never looked for work as a helper, and I tell them “I’m not qualified,” but I want to be certain.)

#2: I know this is an extremely nosy question, but…several posts ago, it was mentioned that the purse decrease (paired with unexpectedly low placing) really has had an impact for the both of you. Is there anything that us here on the forum can do to lend a hand to ease the possible financial strain on y'all? (It’s OK if the answer’s “no”; I’m sure I’m not the only person here who’s wondered it, however, just the only one with enough chutzpah to ask.)

Thanks,
Holly.
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby Buser » Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:36 pm

Di* wrote::D Hey Taz, shhhhhh! :oops: :lol: All in good fun Martin, although we do get a little crazy after staring at our computers for ours on end with no "mandatory 24" in sight!

Taz reminded me of another comment I wanted to make, absolutely loved your whistled rendition of "What A Wonderful World" whistled to your dogs! I think it was on ADN's website! So great! :D :D :D
I found the link, here it i...! Scroll wayyyy down to the bottom, it is the last one on that page!
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/139013
Do you have a whole repertoire of songs to whistle to them? ;) :lol:


I have always whistled quite a bit. I don't have any particular favorites, mostly just what comes to mind. Whistling feels happy to me!
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby Buser » Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:40 pm

Heidi wrote:Martin & Kathy, I have a few more questions..

--What other teams surprised (and impressed) you the most on the Iditarod and/or the Yukon Quest?

--Did you ever have any other career aspirations besides mushing?

--How did you and Kathy meet? :mrgreen:

Thanks!!


I was impressed at the way Sebastian ran the Quest then followed up with a great run on Iditarod.

I staked land in Trapper Creek in the early 80's thinking I might start a potato farm. My schooling is in horticulture so I chose a piece of land that would be good to farm. I do have a cabin there but no potatos.

Kathy and I me at Alaska Children's Services, where she was a social worker and I was a Group Home Staff person.
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby Buser » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:01 pm

SuldalsXpressen wrote:Hi, Kathy and Martin! You are so kind to spend time with us.

1. What would you change about the Iditarod trail if you were king for a day (not talking about being Jeff... :D )?
2. Is 16 dogs a maximum of dogs to use in a Iditarod team? Would you like to use 20? Is it possible to use 30?
3. What is your view on the different sleds used in racing? Positive and negative sides?
4. Do you guys do any hiking with your dogs during the summer? Any neat rivers you would recomend for padling?
5. Kathy: Is there anything YOU would like to change about the Iditarod?

Now, for a special request... I notice you have a good singing voice and that you like music. Would you join me for a jamming session in Takotna or any other cp if I ever get to go to Alaska during the race (I'm norwegian and I play the guitar :D )?

Thank you so much for being here, both!

Eskil


1. I would put a trail in early in the year to make sure the racers have a base to run on. Even if it storms, if the dogs have a base it is better for them.
2. We used to use 20 dogs and I loved it, especially for a guy like me who is a bit heavier than several of the light weights. 20 dogs was much more fun.
3. I would never go without a sit down sled again. It's so much more comfortable and sitting provides less wind resistance for the dogs. the sit down sled might be a little more difficult for some people to manuver but with practice it's very driveable.
4. We take the pups on hikes all around where we live. The big dogs get to go free running in hay fields nearby. They don't really walk, they just love to romp around and run. Too many great paddling rivers to name. We like the Little Susitna around here.
5. I wish the banquet in Anchorage was more of a BIG event. Friends of ours who are meeting planners in town say the banquet has so much potential. I also think the FINISH in Nome should be more of a huge celebration. Fireworks, bands playing, a strong PA System with big screens showing live feeds as the winner arrives. This year when Lance was talking in the mini convention center in Nome immediately after he finished he didn't have a microphone so it was hard to hear unless you were in the front row. Can you tell I'm from New Orleans, where we have the greatest free show on earth - Mardi Gras? I think these ideas would help draw more people into the race and could make it a really big annual event for people - like Arctic Man in the Spring. I am a bit of a dreamer. I did enjoy the shorter banquet because people got to hang around and chat with friends after the program. The Iditarod Trail committee has done an incredible job of bringing the race into people's homes with the Insider and the tracking program!!!
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby Buser » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:02 pm

maxandtuk wrote:Martin and Kathy! Once a again thank you so much for joining us here on the BSSD forum! I think all of the questions that I was going to ask have already been...well...asked. :) Just wanted to say that I have been following the Iditarod faithfully for about 8 years now and have been a fan of yours ever since the beginning. Thanks for being such a great role model and musher.


M&T

P.S. I pick u to place first every year in our annual Top Ten Picks Thread :D


We are overwhelmed with the warmth and kind words from all of you. Thanks for taking the time to make those comments. It especially helps in a year that hasn't gone very well.
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Re: ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser! (3/28-4/4)

Postby Buser » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:07 pm

emwcee wrote:Martin, one more quick question: Where in Switzerland are you from, and was German your main language growing up? My husband's mother is from Rorschach on the Boden Sea, and her father was a boat builder there. My husband lived in Switzerland for a couple of years when he was a teenager - about 1975.


I was born in Winterthur, Switzerland but grew up right outside Zurich. I lived for one year in the dessert in Iran where my Dad was helping get a hospital up and running. German was my first language. Then I learned Farsi in Iran, then French. English was my last acquired language.
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