Whiteout Racing Kennel LLC is owned and run by Christina Gibson. Age twenty-one, she’s been training and racing sled dogs for eight years and has competed in the Pacific Northwest, Inland Northwest, Rocky Mountain States, Midwest, and Alaska. At the age of four, after watching Universal Pictures' cartoon movie ‘Balto’, she decided she wanted to run, and win, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Her mother understandably assumed it was a passing fantasy, but when she ran a dog for the first time at the age of twelve, Christina was immediately hooked.
Christina now owns Whiteout Racing Kennel, a professional race team based in Washington state's Methow Valley. Her team raced in the 2018 Jr. Iditarod, a 150 mile race in Alaska meant for teens 14-17 years of age, and after spending 30 hours, 34 minutes, and 50 seconds on the trail, came away with Red Lantern honors, the Sportsmanship Award, a scholarship, and unforgettable memories. Since then her drive to compete with the best athletes in the world has grown, and her team has raced in numerous mid-distance and stage events, often finishing at the top of the field. Christina and her team successfully completed the 2022 Pedigree Stage Stop Racing, which has been a long standing goal. For now the team has it's sights set on the Yukon Quest 300.
2022 CopperDog 150 - 10th & Sportsmanship Award
2022 Race to the Sky 100 - Champion
2022 Pedigree Stage Stop Race Finisher
2020 Race to the Sky - 4th
2020 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge - 5th
2020 Eagle Cap Extreme - 3rd
2019 Stage Stop's Eukanuba 8-dog Classic - 3rd
2018 Jr Race to the Sky - 1st
2018 Eagle Cap Extreme 100 - 5th
...More in the Racing archives!
Whiteout Racing Kennel strives to stand for honest and quality dog care and racing.
Here at Whiteout Racing Kennel, everything is run based on what is best for the dogs, and we take great pride in our athletes and their care!
What creates an environment they can thrive in? That's the question that our system is built around. This is anything and everything from how the dogs are trained to how the kennel is set up. A large portion of our program is based off the benefits we see in our team from free running. This is a time that our dogs can run loose and interact with each other and the world around them while supervised, and is an almost daily occurrence. As a result we see happier dogs overall who have a strong bond with not only their musher, but also their fellow teammates. We also believe that this positively effects work ethic and morale in the team while training.
Our dogs have access to several large pens when they are not training as a team or free running. The pens were specifically designed to be large enough that the dogs have room to run and play with their kennelmates. They are kenneled with 2-4 dogs per pen based on each individual, what dogs they get along with best, and how they are feeling that particular day. We also have a tether yard, where each individual has access to a house, water, and is close enough to neighboring dogs that they can interact, while also having their own individual space! Our tethers are used for feeding time, a place to sleep at night, as well as safe space for when they are not in pens. This ensures that each dog can be given the proper amount of food based on its weight and nutritional needs, without worrying that another dog may take its food, and that each dog is in a secure and safe place while they sleep.
The fascinating thing about dog mushing is that there are hundreds of ways to do things, and no single right way. We strive to be a forward thinking kennel, and are always evolving our training program and kennel to best suit our dogs and their individual needs to create the best environment for them as possible.
Dog care is first and foremost. During a distance race the team undergoes multiple close inspections by a proffesional vet team. These Inspections, or 'Vet Checks', occur before, during, and after each race.
Learn more about the incredible canine athletes of Team Whiteout and their unique individual personalities here.
Have questions or are interested in becoming a sponsor? Feel free to contact us!
We would love to hear from you! You will hear back directly from Christina.
Cover photo by Julia Redington
