Mushing Dying Out in the Yukon?

From the In Case You Didn't Have Anything Else to Worry About Dept (and the Anchorage Daily News):

No Yukoner has won the Yukon Quest since the now-retired Hans Gatt of Whitehorse took the title in 2010, and there appears to be nobody in the wings to replace him. Sebastian Schnuelle, another Quest winner, has joined Gatt in retirement. This year, only five Yukoners even entered the epic race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, and the fastest among them could only manage seventh place. In 2011, the top Yukon finisher placed 15th. All this led Up Here magazine to ask the Yukon's mushing community whether dogsledding is dying out "in the territory where it was born."

Musher Brian Wilmshurst, of Dawson City, Yukon, prepares to leave the start chute of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on Saturday Feb. 2, 2013, in Whitehorse, Yukon. Twenty-six mushers are taking part in this year's event, traveling from Whitehorse, Yukon to Fairbanks, Alaska.

Vince Fedoroff — Associated Press Photo / The Canadian Press, Whitehorse Star

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/04/08/2856788/is-mushing-dying-out-in-the-land.html#storylink=cpy

 ~ snip ~

Should Yukoners be worried? Does a decline in Yukoners’ fortunes in the Quest – the top of the mushing pyramid – spell trouble for the sport itself? After all, if there’s one contest the North can claim as its own, it’s dog sledding. But in a changing Yukon, is there still room for such an old-school pursuit? Where does mushing go from here?

There's a bit more at the link. 

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/04/08/2856788/is-mushing-dying-out-in-the-land.html#storylink=cpy