Yukon mushers went back to the sport’s roots for the first race of the season Sunday.

The trails of the old Yukon Dog Mushers Association (YDMA) in the Ibex Valley were once again alive with husky barks and the sound of sleds sliding through the snow.

Fox Lake musher Armin Johnson, 34, earned victory in the season-opening Yukon Brewing Twister race, finishing the 12-mile (19.3-kilometre) race in 42:57.

Dave Johnson (45:34) and Marine Gastard (49:50) finished second and third among the field of 12, bumping newcomer Kristina Young off the podium.

Virginia Sarrazin, 39, won the first skijor title of the season behind her dogs Ranger and K2, finishing the same route in 48:03, a full seven minutes ahead of her lone rival, Jess Wood.

Armin Johnson also won the 3.5-mile (5.6-km) recreational class. His four dogs pulled him over the line in 13:25, well ahead of runner-up Katherine Sheepway, who was on skis behind one dog.

It was a cold, but beautiful morning on the historic trails, with temperatures dipping to the -20 C range.

Many mushers’ faces were complete with frosted eyebrows and rosy cheeks post-race.

Behind leaders Angel and Nelson, Armin Johnson passed several teams along the trail en route to the victory.

He and his wife, Mandy Johnson, hope to race their teams on the Alaska circuit later this season.

“They really take it seriously,” he said of Alaskan mushers. “They have a real neat history with it there. You go to some of these villages and that’s all they have.

“The Yukon used to be a big place for sprint mushing too, so we’re just trying to bring a bit of that back.”

The YDMA, founded in 1963, dissolved shortly after the turn of the millenium, Johnson said.

But the trail system – designed specifically with mushers in mind – remains intact.

“It’s a really neat arrangement of loops, and they’re cleared right down to the sand,” Johnson explained. “You can run a dog sled on them with just a skiff of snow. There’s not many places around here where you can do that.”

The setting is pristine, he added, with the trail overlooking the Takhini River in many areas.

One day, the trail system could once again become the territory’s mushing headquarters, said Sarrazin, Dog Powered Sports Association of the Yukon (DPSAY) president.

The group held a dryland race on the Ibex Valley trail system this past summer.

For full results from the first DPSAY race, visit their website at dpsay.wordpress.com/.

Meanwhile, the Mount Lorne Christmas Classic, scheduled for this coming weekend, has been postponed until the new year, due to lack of snow.

The stage race will now be held Jan. 2 and 3.