Brent Sass
|
Brent Sass, posing for photos at the checkpoint on Chena Hot Springs Road during the 2015 Yukon Quest. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
January 2, 1980 Excelsior, Minnesota |
| Residence | Eureka, Alaska, USA[1] |
| Website |
wildandfreealaska |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Dogsled racing |
| Event(s) | Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Yukon Quest |
Brent Sass (born January 2, 1980 in Excelsior, Minnesota) is an American dog musher who won the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest international sled dog race from Whitehorse, Yukon to Fairbanks, Alaska in 2015. He is well known for rescuing other mushers along the Yukon Quest trail throughout his dogsled racing career. In 2011, the rescue efforts of Sass and his then-lead dog Silver at American Summit in blizzard conditions led to the introduction of the Yukon Quest's Silver Award that recognizes sled dogs that have performed acts of heroism on the trail.[2][3]
Dogsled racing career
In 2012, Sass participated in his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and earned Rookie of the Year honors.[1]
In 2015, Sass won the Yukon Quest in nine days, 12 hours, and 49 minutes.[4] He also competed in the 2015 Iditarod, but his quest to become the second musher to win both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod in the same year fell short as he was disqualified from the Iditarod for possessing an iPod Touch during the race; the iPod Touch was deemed a prohibited two-way communications device due to its built-in Wi-Fi Internet connectivity feature.[5] Sass was in fifth place at the time of the disqualification.[6]
In 2016, Brent Sass was trying to leave the White Mountain checkpoint, 77 miles (124 km) from Nome but his dogs would not leave the checkpoint. He was going to be in 3rd place, but because of this problem he finished in 20th place, losing $44,175 in prize money. [7]
Television
Sass appeared in the first season of Ultimate Survival Alaska which aired in 2013.[8]
References
- 1 2 "Brent Sass - Musher Details - 2015 Iditarod - Iditarod". Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ↑ Caldwell, Suzanna (March 1, 2015). "Moving into winner's circle means moving out -- way out -- for musher Brent Sass". Alaska Dispatch News. Anchorage. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Musher Hall of Fame | Yukon Quest". Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ↑ "Brent Sass Wins 2015 Yukon Quest". February 17, 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ↑ Grove, Casey (March 10, 2015). "Yukon Quest champion Brent Sass disqualified from Iditarod". newsminer.com. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ↑ Newcomb, Alyssa (March 11, 2015). "Brent Sass Disqualified From Iditarod for Using an iPod Touch". ABC News. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ↑ "Poised for a 3rd-place Iditarod finish, Brent Sass slipped to 20th. Here's what happened". Alaska Dispatch News. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ "Local musher to appear on National Geographic show". April 18, 2013. Retrieved 2015-03-20.