I’ve been a little remiss in my WILW posts. Usually I remember on a Thursday morning that I meant to do it the day before, so in the future maybe I’ll just pretend that Thursdays are Wednesdays.

Anyway, for today’s WILW I cannot stress enough how much I like the book Ski Spot Run. I have two copies of this book and although it’s been awhile since I cracked it open, I have read and re-read it many times. I probably should re-read it again as every time I do, I come away with a new tip I missed the last time.

It’s a quick read, and one of the things I love about it is that it is absolutely written for a beginner, but with the assumption that while you may know nothing about skijoring this does not mean you are a moron. There are tips for equipment, training, safety, starting with the dog you already have, choosing a dog specifically for skijoring, and even sections on dryland mushing like canicross, bikejoring, and scootering. The authors share stories of mishaps, bloopers, and Murphy’s Law-isms that simultaneously give you a head’s up on pitfalls to look out for and let you be easy on yourself when mishaps and bloopers happen to YOU.

The training recommendations are clear, simple, positive-based, and there are recommendations for off-ski/off-season training as well as on-ski training for all the commands as well as alternative suggestions if something isn’t working for your dog. The overall character of the book is that you can do this.

And there is an overall tone as well as a whole chapter devoted to being a good skijoring citizen. WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?

As a beginner, this book was invaluable to me. Most mushers and skijorers, I’ve found, tend to be supportive and helpful but they’re not always sitting on your coffee table or in your backpack or on the nightstand, and no one answers emails or hangs out on mushing Facebook groups 24/7. Even now that I’m more comfortable and experienced I’m glad to have it on my bookshelf to consult.