At the foot of the shiny Monte Nasaasaaq- “The king of the mountains” -a Sisimiut, in Greenland, hundreds of spectators put themselves in bundles in bright jackets, isolated pants and heavy boots have flanked a track full of snow on Saturday waiting for the runners to slide beyond.
The low sun shone from the ice. The snow creak under the feet, fine and dry like sifted flour. The flags of Rossa and white Greenland have sprung up everywhere – from the poles, hidden in hoods, banging in mitte hands.
For more than three decades, Greenland has held a national league championship for dogs – the aforementioned Qimussersua, which means, in the Greenish language, “the great North race”. This year the event brought together more than 25 Mushers-Tras to whom a 14-year-old boy rather hard-and at least 400 dogs. It is a tradition deeply rooted in the culture of the country, in which dogs are not only animals, but partners in survival. And usually, the race does not attract very international attention.
But this year he was swept away in a great geopolitical storm when the White House announced that Usha Vance, wife of the vice -president JD Vance, and one of their children would have participated. With Greenlander preparing for the protest, Mrs. Vance ended up canceling her journey.
Mrs. Vance had tried to frame her visit as a gesture of cultural appreciation. The Greenlanders have not bought it. President Trump has been set for having conquered Greenland – a semi -autonomous territory of Denmark – and has constantly increased his speech with “taking it, in one way or another”, as he said.
Many Greenish (and Danes) saw the visit as a threat. The organizers of the race quickly released a pointed declaration stating that the vans had not been invited. A spokesman for Mrs. Vance denied this, saying that the second lady had received “multiple invitations”.
Mrs. Vance, together with her husband and other officials, arrived in Greenland, but ended up passing less than three hours on Friday at the Space base of Pitugik, a remote American missile defense station on the northern coast of Greenland, to miles from any city.
The race, however, went on, just as expected. For competitors, it was the culmination of years of daily treatments, discipline and profound mutual understanding between human and dog.
Saturday afternoon, a voice cracked on the speaker with updates on the progress of the competitors while crossing the exhausting 26 miles. The children bounced to stay warm. In the distance, the sharp bark echoed through the mountain.
“We are not trying to impress anyone,” said Davidsen, a spectator who was attentive to the appearance of the sleds. “We just want to be close to nature and between them.”
Like many others here, he saw the event not only as a competition but as a meeting – a space in which people of distant settlements meet, celebrate and reconnect to the snow. Sisimiut, who hosted the race this year, is the second largest city in Greenland, with a population of about 5,000.
Mikaela Eliassen, Sisimiut entrepreneur, was waiting for the finish line with her children. He said it was a little disappointed by the fact that the vans did not arrive.
“We never have visitors,” he said. “So when we finally heard someone who was coming here, I was excited.”
Greenlander has been working with hundreds of years. They used them to travel in distant villages and to hunt seals and reindeer.
In 1968, when an American reinforced bomberd crashed through the ice near what is today the base of Pitugik, the sled dog teams were called to help with cleaning. The ability of dogs to move through the fragile ice made them essential for efforts.
Today, dogs are still important, they assist Greenland in ice fishing, carry consumer materials, take tourists for a lap and even delivering mail.
Only a race is allowed in the Arctic region of Greenland: the Greenland race slide dog. This breed has evolved over the centuries to work in the cold and, the thought, any mixing could damage its resistance.
A former Musca itself, Mrs. Eliassen started leading sleds at the age of 6.
“The dog sled is not just a sport,” he said. “He teaches responsibility, patience and respect.”
“They say that Musher whose dogs respect him the most is the one who wins,” he added.
While the first sled believed the last ridge and came to view, the crowd exploded. Henrik Jensen, a 26-year-old Musher of Ilulissat in northern Greenland, broke the milestone-his face burned by the wind, his dogs glazed of ice and foam but continued to tighten.
His supporters have increased. Some were dressed with black jackets combined with “Team Henrik” decorated on the back.
As he sat on his sled, smiling and amazed, a group of fans raised the wooden sled in the air – dogs that barking and returning to their harnesses, excited by the roar of the crowd.
“I prepared for this for years,” he said, his father smiling proudly with one hand on his shoulder.
And if they were tune in to American, he said, it’s a good thing.
“It is fantastic that you are following, “he said.” There should be room for everyone here. “