Copper Basin '16 Best Cared for Team Award: Torsten Kohnert

Torsten Kohnert is exactly the person to we need to shine a light on in our mushing world. He is now 44, and the German born Torsten has been mushing for half his life. His recent race, the Copper Basin 300 landed him in 11th place out of 48 teams, and gained him, in my opinion the most prestigious award there is: The Vet's Choice for Best Cared for Team. 

Torsten's history with sled dogs goes back to 1995 when he moved to Northern Sweded (Lapland) to pursue his passion. He has finished every major race he has entered, including races in Scandinavia Niclas 9 times Finnmark Race (600 mi), 2 Yukon Quests, 2 Copper Basins, and the GinGin 200. 

Currently, Torsten is living in the beautiful AK to run and race, and his wife and one of two daughters (ages 11 and 14) will join him soon. .  Like many, he has a tour operation with the sled dogs, with 40-50 Huskies in his kennel. And, also like many mushers, living with Nature is a big part of his life, with fishing and hunting to help fill the freezers and his dog's stomachs for those long winter nights.

We will be talking about those big races mentioned earlier, learn more about how he runs his kennel and the special care he takes of his sled dogs that earned him the Best Cared for Team at the Copper Basin. We will also talk about raising kids with sled dogs, his move to AK, the differences in racing in Lapland vs North America and so much more. 

And again, is it the opinion of this musher, that the the most important and prestigious award IS Vet's Choice for Best Cared for Team. My knowlegde and experince pales in comparison to his, and most other mushers, but as I've said before, the care, the bond, the love we give to those we are responsible for comes back to us 1000's of time over. It is that trust and love that gets you and your team across that finish line.