PEOPLE: Sled pulling dogs in the Slovak Karst National Park

Teams from numerous nations, including Hungary, competed in an international dog sledge competition for the second time in a row on the cross-country skiing course of the Slovak Karst National Park, which is situated in the Dobsina Ice Cave and borders Hungary. A ski rental centre and shelter, two of the County of Košice Municipality’s most recent expenditures, were opened on the second day of the two-day competition.

Following the “experimental season” of the previous year, the international competition returned during January 27–28 on the cross-country skiing course next to the ice cave. The Polish championship and a night race were part of the second round, which took place the following weekend, February 2-4. This competition series is known as the Ice Trophy Grand Prix. The most prestigious categories, which are Skj 1-dog, double sled, quadruple sled, and sixth sled, had their competitions judged on Sunday, February 4, according to a statement made earlier to our editorial team by spokeswoman Katarína Strojná of the tourism organisation of Košice Region Tourism.

International competitors

Teams from Austria, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Moldova have all competed in the competition. Given the success of the inaugural international competition last year, the organisers have set aside two distinct parking lots for this year’s event, from which you can either walk or take a bus to the competition. “In addition to the first two days of the first stage of the competition last weekend, on Sunday 28 February we also opened a ski rental with a heated shelter in the park next to the Dobsina ice cave, which was set up with the intervention of the county and financed by our tourist organisation” – said Lenka Vargová Jurkova, the director of the tourism organisation.

Hungarian dogs and sleds 

Lajos Köffer, a competitor from Hungary, who has competed in multiple national championships and numerous European events, spoke about the sport’s symbolism of freedom and the union of dogs and nature during the first two days of the competition.

“I’ve spent years competing in dog driving events in Slovakia. The Dobsina route is quite intriguing and well-balanced, with plenty of flat sections interspersed with a few challenging climbs and a lengthy, several hundred-meter hill. Of course, the dogs are in good shape, but, if necessary, we may assist and play with them. We’ve been involved in this sport for a very long time; it truly is our passion” – Lajos Köffer remarked. Thousands of people attended the race throughout the course of the first two days, according to Marcel Kollárik, one of the key organisers of the dog sled race. “We also had a night race on the following Friday, and then the international competition’s second round on Saturday and Sunday. The official results for the races held last weekend will be revealed in the following weeks, Marcel Kollárik informed, despite the fact that partial results have already been released.

text and photos by Róbert Németi