Racers with their teams at the Northern New England Sled Dog and Trade Fair Concord Monitor | Article & Photographs — Ben Domaingue - HOPKINTON, N.H. 
As climate changes, New England sled dog racing takes to the streets with dry land competition
Sled dog racing evokes images of canines and their caretakers charging through frozen trees across harsh winter climates. Yet, because of changing New England winters and a frequent lack of snow on the ground, the sport has been forced to adapt.
Located at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds, a number of amateur and professional mushers tested their skills in multiple dry-land races during the annual Northern New England Sled Dog and Trade Fair this past weekend.
Bob Heckman, treasurer of the New Hampshire Musher’s Association, said winter races in the Granite State have been pushed further north by a lack of quality snow.
“The way the snow is going is a classic example of global warming,” Heckman said. “The point is, we used to race, one or two races were in Massachusetts and slowly but surely, I live in Kingston (N.H.), we’ve moved further north.”
Tom DiMaggio, president of the New Hampshire Musher’s Association, believes dry-land racing will become increasingly popular as inconsistent snowfall plagues the sport.
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