Brent Sass
Eureka, Alaska, USA
Veteran
Years Racing: 4
Bio: Brent Sass was born and raised in Excelsior, MN. He moved to Alaska in the fall of 1998 to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks. After falling in love with Alaska he decided to make Fairbanks his permanent home and bought property and started building log cabins in 2002. He got his first sled dog from a friend in 2003 and was immediately hooked on dog mushing. In 2004 he was given an opportunity to train with legendary musher Susan Butcher. After spending one season training with Susan and her husband David Monson, the 1988 Yukon Quest Champion, he started his own Kennel Wild and Free Mushing and begin his Yukon Quest Journey. Sometime near 2am on a -40 night as the pack of mushers racing in the 2004 Yukon Quest stormed the Circle Checkpoint, Brent Sass, a checkpoint volunteer, was hooked on competitive dog mushing. After Volunteering at the Circle checkpoint again in 2005, Brent selected the 2006 Yukon Quest 300 as his first race and shocked spectators as he convincingly won the race, which was marred by a major storm event that eliminated many mushers from both the 300 and 1,000 mile races. To Sass’ credit, he not only won the race, but managed to assist a musher who had lost his team in the storm to the next checkpoint. Since that time, Sass has raced in the Copper Basin 300 three times (4th/5th/3rd), the Gin Gin 200, winning the 2009 Men’s division, and many other mid distance races throughout Alaska. He has completed the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest three times, finishing 15th in the 2007, 5th in 2008 and 7th in the 2009 running. Brent’s trail-manner has not gone unnoticed; he has been recognized numerous times for his unselfishness on the trail as he has put his race on hold to assist other mushers in need. In 2008, he was formally recognized by the Yukon Quest when he was awarded the ‘Spirit of the North Award’, and in 2009 Brent was awarded the Sportsmanship award for helping fellow musher William Kleedehn over the infamous Eagle Summit. Brent and the team spend the winter training in Eureka Alaska, where legendary mushers, Susan, Butcher, David Monson, and Rick Swenson trained during their historic careers. The remote location and great trails make Eureka one of the best training grounds in Alaska. This March Brent and the Wild and Free team will be guiding a group of Norwegian Dog mushing students into the Brooks Range for a 10 day 200 mile trip to Iniakuk Wilderness Lodge. The team is very excited about the expedition and looks forward to a successful trip. From there the Brent and the team will extend their annual training season by trucking 40+ dogs north of Fairbanks 340 miles to a remote arctic camp he establishes and mushes out of for the month of April. In the vast arctic environment, Brent and his ‘Wild and Free’ team are given opportunities for gee/haw training, puppy training, yearling training, and are exposed to harsh climatic elements, all of which prepare them mentally and physically for the demands of Brent’s primary focus; winning the Yukon Quest. In the off-season, Brent runs a successful cabin construction business in Fairbanks, Alaska. His cluster of rental cabins are a popular site for Fairbanksans who love dogs and want to be near the excitement of a competitive racing kennel.