The UP 200 might have wrapped up over the weekend, but the Upper Peninsula has one more sled dog race before the end of the season.
Copper Dog will return to the Keweenaw Peninsula next week, running between Feb. 27 and March 1. The event needs strong support from the community’s volunteers.
The Copper Country gets involved in major events, no matter the season or weather. This year Copper Dog expects to have a whole lot of fun, opening the race weekend in Calumet on Friday night with the Copper Pull and more events in Laurium on Saturday, then finally ending the race weekend with closing ceremonies on Sunday.
In between, Copper Dog hopes to successfully stream the 2026 race with help from Northern Glow Technologies and volunteers.
“They’ll be using their cell phones to give us feedback to our mobile tech center,” said Tyler Harri, owner of Northern Glow Technologies. “From there, we will give it up to our YouTube feed and you will be providing it to the world. And it’s a great opportunity for people who want to go out, take a look. It’s a new angle.”
Krissy Tepsa says organizers are running up against the clock. Race weekend will return to the Keweenaw Peninsula before you know it, and Copper Dog needs many more volunteer positions filled.
“A lot of the road crossings you need 12 to 16 people so it’s nice to have your community or your group from wherever you work at just to get together and do a little bit of team building and just do something fun outside of work,” said Tepsa, volunteer coordinator for Copper Dog.
On Friday, organizers will meet with first-time volunteers, returning faces and crossing coordinators at the Copper Dog training at CLK Schools. Tepsa says it’s very important new volunteers and coordinators attend because you’ll learn all kinds of strategies to keep teams, volunteers and spectators safe.
“The do’s and the don’ts and that different hand signals depending on if it’s daytime or nighttime,” Tepsa said. “And then the last hour is going to be outside actually dog handling with Tom Bauer and then the Mushing Club at Michigan Tech. They’re all going to have a couple of dog teams there and if you haven’t dog handled before, totally recommend attending it, especially if you’re going to dog handle at the start because they’re wanting to go.”
Copper Dog says some people may have had issues registering as volunteers this year after updating the backend functions of the website. Tepsa says past volunteers who may have come across an issue logging in to register should reach out as soon as possible so Copper Dog can resolve the account issue.
More details and contact information for Copper Dog volunteers can be found online.
The training opportunity on Friday, February 20th, will begin at 5:30 pm. The first hour will go over crossing signals, sled anatomy and explain how dog handlers work with teams at race starts and when teams run into town. The classroom program will take about an hour to complete. The second hour of training will move outside for volunteers to practice dog handling with the Otter River Sled Dog Kennel and MTU Mushing Club. The outdoor training will have volunteers practice running alongside teams, how to complete a hair pin turn, and bringing the team to a stop.
Copper Dog was started in 2010. The event attracts thousands to the Calumet – Laurium area for a full three days of sled dog activities. In 2023 the competition introduced the Copper Dash and Copper Pull events to enhance public spectating opportunities on Saturday. The Copper Dog will take off on February 27th in Calumet. Join the community for a fun evening and see the teams take off. Or consider volunteering Friday night and view the teams on their way to Eagle Harbor.
Volunteers experienceing trouble registering for a road crossing, bag check duties, dog handling or video operations should contact Krissy Tepsa. Email Tepsa at krissykovachich@copperdog150.com or call 612 600 1160.
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