ENTERPRISE — Bringing excitement to the new year, some of the best sled dog teams in the country convene at Ferguson Ridge Ski Area for the 2023 Eagle Cap Extreme Jan. 19-23.

Longtime Eagle Cap Extreme volunteer Julian Pridmore-Brown said the popular event’s registration opened May 1 and by early June all the slots were filled. Close to the start of the three races — 100, 200 and 31-mile courses — 24 teams are still in the running.

“There was a lot of interest when the registration opened, but for various reasons, like not enough training time with teams, some of the teams dropped out,” Pridmore-Brown.

Completing the 200-mile course qualifies teams for the Iditarod and Yukon Quest, the “granddaddies” of sled dog racing. Eight teams are registered, including Eagle Cap Extreme veterans Bino Fowler and Josi Thyr, so the competition should be fierce.

Enterprise’s Morgan Anderson and Craig Anderson are both racing their teams in the 100-mile race. Once volunteers, the daughter and father started collecting and racing dogs a few years ago and the sport seems to be turning into a family tradition.

Pridmore-Brown said the 100-mile course, over which 10 teams will be vying for victory, was changed this year.

“In the past there were two legs, out to Ollokot and back, but this year we added a third leg in the middle out to PO Saddle, about a 34-mile leg,” Pridmore-Brown said.

The teams will have two rest periods at Ollokot Campground on the Imnaha River for a total of six hours.

“This allows a little more rest time but it’s a floating rest, so they can divide the six hours between the two stops as they see fit,” Pridmore-Brown said.

No changes were made to the 200-mile course, which has four legs with rest periods in between at Ollokot where both the dogs and humans complete physical exams and dine on hot meals.

A week ahead of the race Pridmore-Brown said the Schneider Meadows Snotel is measuring 61 inches of snow.

“The Snotel is on the southern end of Schneider Meadows and is similar in elevation to Twin Lakes, the farthest point of the course,” Pridmore-Brown said.

The public’s first opportunity to meet the dogs and their mushers is at the vet checks Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 9 a.m. in Enterprise on Main Street by the Wallowa County Courthouse and at 1 p.m. on Main Street in Joseph.

At 6:30 p.m. that evening the musher’s potluck, open to the public, begins at the Wallowa County Fairgrounds’ Cloverleaf Hall, home of Eagle Cap Extreme Race Central.

The races start at noon Thursday with the 200-mile racers. Shuttles to Ferguson Ridge and the starting line are available from a parking lot on Tucker Down Lane.

Spectators can also see the teams from the Salt Creek Summit Sno Park, 20 miles outside of Joseph on Forest Road 39. The 100-mile racers will complete the course by Friday morning while the 200-mile racers will get back to Ferguson Ridge between Saturday morning and afternoon. Spectators are encouraged to come cheer the teams as they cross the finish line.

An awards reception is Saturday, 5:30 p.m. at Cloverleaf Hall. The public is invited to celebrate Wallowa County’s favorite wintertime outdoor spectator sport, its human and canine athletes, and hear tales from the trail.

For musher bios and a full schedule of events, visit www.eaglecapextreme.com.