Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs

Seeley Lake, Montana

Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs is owned by the Gallea family in Seeley Lake, MT.  The Galleas have been involved with racing sled dogs since 1986.  The kennel has fielded teams in races in the Lower 48 and in Alaska.  These races include the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon and the Grand Portage Passage, both in Minnesota; the Race to the Sky and Seeley Lake 100/200, both in Montana; and the Iditarod and Jr. Iditarod in Alaska.  Bill, Cindy, and Jim have each competed in the Iditarod, making the Gallea family one of the only families in Iditarod history to have both parents and a child as Iditarod mushers. 

This year will see two members from the Gallea family in the Iditarod.  Cindy will be racing Snowcrest's main team in her fourth Iditarod.  Over the past five years, Cindy has learned a great deal about competition in the world's longest sled dog race, and she is very excited to put Snowcrest's team to the test as she tries for a Top 20 finish in the 2003 Iditarod.

Seavey's Iditarod Racing Team

Seward, Alaska

The Seavey family has been mushing in Seward, Alaska, since 1963.  The Seaveys are the only family in Iditarod history to have three generations of Iditarod mushers.  Dan Seavey founded the family's kennel soon after moving to Alaska from Minnesota in 1963.  Dan helped to start the Iditarod in the early 1970s, and was the third place finisher in the very first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1973.

Currently, Dan's oldest son, Mitch, operates the racing kennel.  Mitch and Janine, and their four sons, Danny, Tyrell, Dallas, and Conway, make running the Iditarod a real family effort in which everyone makes a major contribution.  Mitch is the main racer in the family and has competed in ten Iditarods, placing as high as fourth.  Mitch has also won the Copper Basin 300 and Klondike 300 in Alaska and the Grand Portage Passage in Minnesota.  Mitch placed 12th in the 2003 Iditarod, and is a likely contender for one of the top positions in 2004.

Mushing is a family affair for the Seavey's.  During the fall and winter, the entire family works to prepare for the Iditarod.  In the summer months, the Seavey's own and operate IdidaRide Sled Dog Tours, in Seward, Alaska.  The tour business provides the major income that supports the Seavey family, and allows the family to focus on sled dogs 365 days a year.