In order to protect himself adequately from the cold ( up to - 60c ) Ararad wore: technical sportswear of the last generation : Odlo underwear, Thorlo sock, Kefas footwear, Napapijri clothing wrist warmers, liner gloves, neck warmers and hats are hand made, sawn by Alaskan mushers and tailors normal sun glasses, transparent lenses and colored ski goggles with adequate ventilation to avoid steaming up digital watches with straps and case coated with plastic or rubber for the cold and equipped with special applications : compass - barometer - Gps
The sled is hand made with white ash and parts in aluminum, steel, plastic and rubber. It is equipped with a cordura bag in order to carry all the necessary gear and food to travel from one village to the next. In the bag there is a section usable to rest one or more dogs in case of tiredness. The runners are made with changeable plastics according to the glide of the snow.
The diet of the musher ( the dog sled driver ) was based on : pasta, pizza, meat slices, fish cuts and vegetables pre - cooked and vacuum sealed, to be warmed up in boiling water obtained by melting the snow with a special alcohol stove. Ararad is greedy for "salmon strips" smoked and prepared by his Yukon Indian friends, "banana bread" ( cake made with ripe bananas and organic flours ), dried fruits and all kinds of milk chocolate. The drinks include various kinds of multi vitamin fruit juices ( prepared in bags to be thawed in boiling water), tea, instant coffee and salt - vitamin supplements.
The dogs diet was based on high energy Eagle dry dog food soaked in warm water or just dry kibbles - salmon and river white fish slices - mixed soups with warm water, dog food, corn oil and fish, lamb and beef meat snacks. To prevent eventual abrasions on the dogs paws, 1500 special socks called " booties " have been used. During rests if necessary the dogs wear special wrist wraps to relax the legs joints. In case of intense cold weather and whipping arctic wind - the Blizzard - with gusts which can reach 100 mph causing dangerous conditions of poor visibility because of the blowing snow - the so called " White Out " and temperatures which drop drastically, specially shaped and padded dog coats are used while running. During the sleep instead, if necessary the dogs are covered with warm pile blankets like those supplied to the airline passengers in flight.
At each stop it has been arranged a warm bed made of straw or spruce tree branches on which the dogs - covered with warm pile blankets - and their musher - wrapped in his sleeping bag ( when not gently accommodated at the Village Schools ) rested often crouched the ones next to the other to warm up each other and experience so TOGETHER extraordinaire and unforgettable moments of poetry.
