The sled dogs of the Fusine plain
A mushing school with around fifty huskies, open in winter with the sleds and in summer with walks in the forest. Plus fourteen kilometres of cross-country tracks below the Mangart.
- SeasonAll year round
- EffortHalf a day
- From the houseabout 9 km · 15 minutes by car
- WhereFusine plain, on the SS54 just before the Slovenian border
On the plain below the Fusine lakes there is an international mushing school with around fifty dogs, mostly Alaskan Huskies. It is run by Ararad Katchikian, and one detail explains why this is not a postcard attraction: in 1996 he ran the Iditarod, the one thousand nine hundred kilometre race from Anchorage to Nome, in Alaska.
In winter you go by sled. The beginners' lesson lasts half an hour and is not a passive ride: there is the theory, preparing the sled and then you drive, assisted. It costs forty euros for adults from fifteen and thirty-five for children up to fourteen. Anyone wanting more takes the one-hour lesson, eighty euros, with a maximum of six people. And anyone who wants to learn properly can take the twenty-hour courses with a licence.
If you come in summer and thought sled dogs were a winter thing, this is the discovery of the holiday: an hour and a half in the woods with a husky walking beside you, no snow and no sled. It is the kind of afternoon children retell for years.
In summer they do not close, and almost nobody knows this. They run dog trekking: an hour and a half walking in the Tarvisio forest together with the dogs, which are harnessed to come with you. Forty euros for adults from fifteen, thirty for children up to fourteen, with group discounts. Or just the guided visit to the kennels, one hour, twenty euros.
And then there is the cross-country: on the same plain there are fourteen kilometres of tracks, with the Mangart group behind — the same lakes you walk around in summer.
Always book, and in summer at least four participants are needed. The school adds an annual membership fee of 5 euros. Opening hours are 8.30-12.30 and 14.00-16.00. If you walk on the cross-country tracks, stay off the prepared grooves and do not go near a team in motion.
Where it starts
The starting point and, when it falls within the frame, our house. Map built by us from OpenStreetMap data.
The sled dogs of the Fusine plain in pictures
Frequently asked questions
Can you do sled dogs at Tarvisio in summer too?
Yes. In summer the International Mushing School on the Fusine plain offers dog trekking: an hour and a half walking in the Tarvisio forest together with the dogs, at 40 euros for adults from fifteen and 30 for children up to fourteen, with a minimum of four participants. There is also a guided visit to the kennels alone, one hour at 20 euros.
Where is the sled dog school of Tarvisio?
On the Fusine plain, on the SS54 main road just before the Slovenian border. The address is via Verdi 21, Fusine in Valromana, Tarvisio. Booking on 348 2685867.
How much does a dog sled ride at Tarvisio cost?
The beginners' lesson on snow lasts thirty minutes and costs 40 euros for adults from fifteen and 35 for children up to fourteen; it includes the theory, preparing the sled and assisted driving. The one-hour lesson, maximum six participants, costs 80 euros each. An annual membership fee of 5 euros is added.
How many dogs does the Fusine mushing school have?
Around fifty, mostly Alaskan Huskies. The school is run by Ararad Katchikian, who in 1996 ran the Iditarod, the one thousand nine hundred kilometre race from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska.
How many kilometres of cross-country tracks are there at Fusine?
Fourteen kilometres, on the plain below the lakes, with the Mangart group behind.
We run a holiday flat in Tarvisio, in a well-served, strategic spot in the heart of the village. We know these places because we go to them: the distances, the car parks and the opening times above were all checked at source, one by one.
See the flat
