From our discovery of northern dogs to SKIMATE!

It all started one day in November 2020 when we went to pick up our husky, Nanga.

Nanga is a magnificent red husky, one of those who could win beauty contests. Except that what we really wanted was to be able to share sports activities with him: hiking, biking, skiing.

Nanga has accompanied us everywhere since the beginning: Alps, Pyrenees, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland. He is part of all our adventures.

Shortly after Nanga's arrival we quickly felt there was something we couldn't give him — a furry playmate like him with the same understanding. So, a year and a half later, our little Summa joined the family to adventure with her big-hearted brother.

A move to the countryside, an immersion into the world of mushing and two months of a long winter ski journey through Norway and Sweden later, we welcomed a third companion, Hunza, a lovely red-haired girl rescued at two months from a "bad" human family.

Along with our discovery of northern dogs, the desire to live in the great outdoors, in the cold, the snow and in direct contact with nature, grew within us. We wanted to offer the best to our dogs and the ideal lifestyle for them suited us well too.

So in October 2025 we took the leap and moved to northern Sweden to live as close as possible to nature in an environment conducive to dog-pulling activities in the snow. Naturally we welcomed 3 more companions: Kira, a Siberian husky, and Aikhal and Api, two Alaskan huskies, all three from working lineages.

This little pack allows us to vary the pleasures: sledding, scootering, ski joering, canine hiking, canine mountain biking, ski/pulka.

Over the years, we realized that many people around us shared the same desire: to go somewhere north, with their own dog, to discover dog-pulling without pressure. Not to watch a mushing spectacle, but to live something together, at their own pace. And then also people without dogs — friends, partners, curious souls — who simply wanted to spend time in this environment, and who quickly became attached to a pack when given the time.

But why SKIMATE? Because over these 6 years in the mushing world we've gotten to know many mushers and their companions. Most have larger packs and/or compete in races. We've always felt a bit out of step with that practice even though we've crossed paths with other "gentle dreamers" like us — humans with few dogs and no competitive ambitions whatsoever. So we thought: "Why not create a space for all these gentle dreamers who want to enjoy dog-pulling activities in a different environment, while living with their dogs almost like at home".

That's how SKIMATE was born. Our motto: no stopwatch, just pleasure with our dogs, our visitors and their four-legged companions. Visitors are free to explore the surroundings on their own with GPX trails or to be accompanied to discover dog-pulling with their dog and the surrounding landscape.