ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten

Here we'll stuff all those things we want to keep for later reading. Like the "Ask the musher"-series.

Suggestions for topics to be moved here are welcome!

Moderators: fladogfan, libby the lab, mira, mamamia, sc-race-fan

ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten

Postby Heidi » Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:16 pm

I am very happy to announce Ed Iten will be joining us beginning Monday, 12/15. :D Ed is a six-time "Top 10" finisher of the Iditarod, which includes a 2nd place finish in 2005. Ed has won the Kobuk 440 seven times, and he won the Kuskokwim 300 in 2004. In 2008, Ed finished 5th in the All Alaska Sweepstakes.

Ed and his wife, Ruth, and their two children make their home 25 miles from Kotzebue on Saqaugiin Creek, three miles off Kobuk Lake. The Itens now operate one of the most seasoned and successful bush kennels in Alaska.

Please check out Ed's website here: http://www.editen.com/index.html

Welcome Ed! :D

ED ITEN W/CLOUDY & ZOEY AFTER HE WON THE KUSKO (Ruth Iten's favorite photo of her husband)
happy_ed_iten_nome.jpg

ED ITEN AT THE ALL ALASKA SWEEPSTAKES Photo by Jan DeNapoli
ed_iten_with_queens_web.jpg

A HAPPY ED ITEN! Photo by Jan DeNapoli
happy_ed_iten_nome resize.jpg

ED ITEN WITH THE QUEENS AT THE ALL ALASKA SWEEPSTAKES Photo by Jan DeNapoli
DSC_0174[1] resize.jpg

ED ITEN AT THE 2008 IDITAROD CEREMONIAL START (Video) Courtesy of J.J. Keller & Assoc.


All photos used with permission
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
Heidi
 
Posts: 3203
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:57 am

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby emwcee » Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:52 am

Oh, boy, do I get to be the first to start? It's such an honor to have you join us in our forum. I follow you in the Iditarod every year. Here are my questions:

1. Do your children enjoy sled dog racing too? Have they participated in any races?

2. Why did you decide to home school, and how has that affected your family life and mushing career? (I home school too :D )

3. What are the summers like for you and your family? I understand you are pretty isolated after breakup? How often do you and/or your family cross the lake to go somewhere, and how do you spend your time in the summer?

Thanks so much.

Marcia (emwcee)
User avatar
emwcee
 
Posts: 1848
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:12 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby sc-race-fan » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:12 pm

WoW, I get to be second!!
Thanks for joining us, you will soon see we are a bunch of Idita-fanatics from all over the world who enjoy the race. My questions are:
What is your favorite trail food? How do you keep your fingers warm when doing those tasks that require uncovered dexterity? If you were not a musher what else would you do "in your spare time"? More questions later, but nap time is over and I'm helping with the feeding!!
Proud PaPa of the triplet litter; Aidan (B), Bailey (G), and Cameron (B). Cameron is on top in picture; Bailey, of course, is the bowhead!!
User avatar
sc-race-fan
 
Posts: 721
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:09 am
Location: formerly Columbia, South Carolina, now residing in Mooresville, North Carolina

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby Tonichelle » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:13 pm

What inspired you to start running dogs competitively?

and what inspires you to continue?
"The only disability in life is a bad attitude." - Scott Hamilton
User avatar
Tonichelle
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:35 pm
Location: South Central Alaska

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby CynCyn37 » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:29 pm

Welcome aboard Ed!

Thank you so much for joining us.

How was the All Alaska Sweepstakes versus the Iditiarod? Did you like it better or worse? How was the organization of the event.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer our questions. It really helps this Texan who never even gets to see snow.
User avatar
CynCyn37
 
Posts: 613
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:47 pm
Location: West Texas
Skype ID: CynCyn37

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby tanglefoot » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:04 pm

wow ed iten now as well...guess we have had the top 20 best mushers in the world joining us now for chats...you guys all are fantastic thanks!

ed, what made you decide to move into the bush to home your kennels?

what bloodlines are you currently running/breeding?

what is your favourite race?

many thanks

matt
Believe in your dog team and your dog team will believe in you. – Frank Turner
TANGLEFOOT SLED DOG RACING TEAM
User avatar
tanglefoot
 
Posts: 4570
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:41 pm
Location: cotswolds england uk

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby Moose » Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:25 pm

Hi Ed! You've got photos of what appear to be some pretty big dogs on your website right now. Are the photos misleading, or are the dogs larger than one might expect in a long-distance kennel?
Wag more, bark less.
User avatar
Moose
 
Posts: 5392
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:11 pm
Location: Maine

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby boo » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:46 pm

Hey, Ed....you've been on my 'wish he'd win' list forever. You have absolutely gorgeous dogs and I love that you eat Native foods out there on the trail. Thank you for joining us here at this forum, which is a wonderful warm place, to a large part due to the generosity of the kids of BSSD. We feel like Bush Alaska is so generous to the race, and without the communities and the culture, the race wouldn't be what it is. That said, just a few questions:

1. Where are you at in your kennel.....how many experienced dogs, how many newbies, what ratio of leaders to team dogs (don't give away any secrets if they are proprietary). ;) How big a pool are you pulling from? Are all the dogs you hit the line with yours or do you have access to and train with the dogs belonging to others in your area/village? IF you have leased/borrowed dogs, what is that like and how far out do you make that decision?

2. I assume your dogs do 'chores'....what is that like, what do they do....give us a glimpse into running a kennel where you do.

3. Who is the biggest 'character' in your team? We love anecdotal and funny stories that bring the dogs on your team to life for us. If we have a mug shot of them, then we watch for them during the race, too. Weird, huh. 8-)

Thank you so much for taking time out of training and prep to join us here, Ed.
boo
User avatar
boo
 
Posts: 414
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:33 pm
Location: Bend, Oregon

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby MotorWerk » Tue Dec 16, 2008 3:09 am

Hello Ed. Welcome to our forum. You've been pretty close to winning the Iditarod and I hope you might do so in the near future.

Questions; do you think mushing has become too much about genetics? Would you clone a dog if you had the opportunity?

Thanks for your time and the best of luck to you and your team this coming season. Know that there's at least one person from Norway who will cheer you on towards victory these coming months.

S Olsen/Norway
-exit body, exit mind-

""It's a mathematical certainty that somewhere among all the millions of stars, there is another planet where they speak Norwegian""
User avatar
MotorWerk
 
Posts: 1319
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:01 am
Location: Sarpsborg, Norway

Re: ASK THE MUSHER Vol. 11: Ed Iten (starts 12/15)

Postby Editen » Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:25 am

emwcee wrote:Oh, boy, do I get to be the first to start? It's such an honor to have you join us in our forum. I follow you in the Iditarod every year. Here are my questions:

1. Do your children enjoy sled dog racing too? Have they participated in any races?

2. Why did you decide to home school, and how has that affected your family life and mushing career? (I home school too :D )

3. What are the summers like for you and your family? I understand you are pretty isolated after breakup? How often do you and/or your family cross the lake to go somewhere, and how do you spend your time in the summer?

Thanks so much.

Marcia (emwcee)

Yes, the kids have traveled in the sleds since they were babies. They have participated in the junior races locally here in Kotzebue as well as the Noatak 120 and the Jr. Iditarod. The kids biggest accomplishments were helping Ed train for the Iditarod. The year Ed came in second Katie was instrumental in running the second team.

Our home is twenty six miles from town across the Sound. The only access is boat by summer or dog sled or snow machine by winter. To maintain our lifestyle in the country homeschooling was our only option. When the kids were younger they were quick to learn reading, math, social studies and science both through books and also by helping out around the place. We chose this lifestyle so we could work as a family- homeschooling was just an extension of that.

To make ends meet I work for U.I.C. construction from mid May to mid October, primarily building schools and health clinics in the villages. This means Ruth and the kids maintain the kennel all summer. They seldom leave the homestead. There has been salmon fishing in the past with putting up dried fish for the winter. They also start fall training on the dogs. Last summer both kids worked on glaciers in Southeast Alaska giving sled dog tours to cruise ship passengers. It was a wonderful experience for them, in addition to them making good summer wages for college. With the kids gone we got a temporary dog handler for a month so Ruth could begin her section hike on the Applachian Trail.
Editen
 
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:16 pm

Next

Return to Archive

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron