Iditarod Musher Profile

Hans Gatt, 52, grew up on a farm in Austria. He ran the farm from age 26 and bred award winning dairy cows. He raced motocross in Europe until he attended a dog sled race that ignited his passion for racing sled dogs. Hans immediately started a breeding program using Edinger, Dunlap and Lester Erhart dogs. He also built his first dog sleds in Austria, under the name ‘Gatt Sleds.' His partner in sled building in Austria was his good friend Ernst Danler. After winning all eight races entered in his first year of racing, including European Championship, Hans turned his attention to the world of dog sled racing in North America.

Hans moved to Atlin, B.C. in 1990. Hans has won the Yukon Quest four times, the Wyoming Stage Stop four times, the Copper Basin, the European Championship four times and the IFSS World Championship Open Class, among many other races.

Gatt's dogs are his own breeding, but in years back he has mixed sprint lines with distance dogs from yards in Alaska, Europe, Scandinavia, Lower 48, and Canada. Hans is entering the 2011 Iditarod to see if he can finally win it and "put that baby to bed!"