From our discovery of northern dogs to SKIMATE!

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

Nanga is a beautiful red husky, one of those who could win beauty contests. Except that our wish was first and foremost to be able to share sports activities with him: hiking, biking, skiing.

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

Shortly after Nanga arrived we quickly realized there was something we couldn't give him: a furry playmate like himself with the same codes. So, a year and a half later, our little Summa joined the family to accompany us with her big brother by heart.

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

In parallel with our discovery of Nordic dogs, the desire to live in the open air, in the cold, the snow and in direct contact with nature, grew within us. We wanted to offer the best to our pups and the ideal lifestyle for them suited us well.

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 traction activities with our pups in the snow. Naturally we welcomed 3 more companions: Kira a Siberian husky and Aïkhal and Api two Alaskan huskies all three from working lines. Life went on and unfortunately, in April 2026, our little Summa left us in a tragic accident; she remains with us on every outing. Since August, our pack has grown with the arrival of four new companions: Djuma and three brothers, Skil, Yaz and Koyo.

This small pack allows us to vary the pleasures: sledding, scooter, ski joering, canicross, canibike, ski/pulka.

Moreover, over the years, we noticed that many people around us had the same desire: to go somewhere in the North, with their own dog, to discover traction without pressure. Not to watch a mushing show, but to experience something together, at their own pace. And also people without dogs — friends, partners, curious minds — who simply wanted to spend time in this environment, and who quickly become attached to a pack when given the time.

So, why SKIMATE? Because over these 6 years of evolution in the mushing world we have met many mushers and their companions. Most have larger packs and/or compete. We have always been a bit out of step with this practice even though we have encountered other profiles of "gentle dreamers" like us, that is to say humans with few dogs and no competition objectives whatsoever. So we thought: "Why not offer a place for all these gentle dreamers who want to enjoy traction activities with their dogs, in a different environment, while living with them almost like at home".

That's how SKIMATE was born. Our motto: no stopwatch, just pleasure with our pups, our visitors and their four-legged companions. Visitors remain free to explore the surroundings on their own with GPX traces or to be accompanied to discover traction with their pup and the area.