The Yukon Quest will again be partnering with the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (1 CRPG) for the 2011 Yukon Quest Trail to receive trail support from Whitehorse to the US-Canada Border.

Joint Task Force (North) will once again put together a team of qualified Canadian Rangers to develop and maintain this portion of the 2011 race trail.

"This is a very important partnership to the Yukon Quest – one that allows the event to maintain a high service level and continue to produce the legendary trail the Yukon Quest is known for,” said Georgina Leslie, executive director of the Yukon Quest International Association of Canada.

In 2010, Joint Task Force North was unable to provide support for the trail through a partnership with the Canadian Rangers. As a result, a group of experienced volunteers stepped up and the Yukon Quest received funding from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.

However, for the 2011 Yukon Quest, there will be a renewed formal partnership between the Yukon Quest and 1 CRPG to utilize the Canadian Rangers.

"The Canadian Rangers have a long-standing relationship with the Yukon Quest and it's wonderful to be able to offer this opportunity to the Rangers,” said Major Jeff Allen, commanding officer, 1 CRPG.

"I know the men working on the trail take their job seriously and have their operations down to a science.”

The Canadian Rangers use a three-phase process to establish the "Super Highway”, which is how some people refer to the trail because of great trail work and superb quality of the trail in the past two years.

The first phase involves "Ranger-style” trail breaking to clear brush from the path and pack snow down with snowmobiles.

The second phase re-establishes the trail and removes any debris that may be obscuring the trail.

The third phase is called "proofing” and is usually done only hours before the race start as a final check to make sure the trail is in top form.

The 2011 Yukon Quest begins in Whitehorse on Feb. 5th.

For more information about the 2011 Yukon Quest, please visit www.yukonquest.com.