Dogsledding and hot springs in the Alaskan wilderness.

by Tyghe Trimble

If you’ve ever wanted to test your mettle at one of the most grueling winter sports — dogsledding — Chena Hot Springs, Alaska, is the place to do it. Nestled deep in a forest of spruce, aspen, and fir, this far-flung winter paradise, 56 miles east of Fairbanks, is snaked with miles of trails that ­offer the ideal training ground for dozens of champion sled-dog teams. And as its name suggests, the area is a geothermal hot spot dotted with natural springs, which maintain a year-round temperature of 106 degrees — even when the air hits negative double digits. The Chena Hot Springs Resort, an 88-room, off-the-grid getaway powered by generators drawing on the Earth’s heat, combines the best of both worlds. During the day, sign up for a mushing class that will teach you how to stand on the runners, steer, and get acquainted with the dogs you’ll soon take gliding at 15 mph along packed snow. “It’s a demanding class,” says teacher Laura Allaway, who’s been mushing for nearly five years. “If they’re in an all-out run — four to six dogs with their jaws open, tongues out — you feel like you’re running with them. All you hear and see are the swish of the runners and the clanging of the chains, the panting, and a cloud of steam going into the air.” After class, shake off the cold with an invigorating dip in a mineral hot spring, and gear up to do it all over again the next day.