Wearing a parka, boot, mitten and hat system from Northern Outfitters was one important element in the winning style of four Yukon Quest International dogsled teams.

Hans Gatt, who won the 1000-mile Yukon Quest this year, wears the parka, boot, mitten and hat system found in Northern Outfitters' 9-piece clothing system.

A second race, the Yukon Quest 300, runs concurrently with the 1000-mile race. The three top winners of the Yukon Quest 300 also were sponsored by Northern Outfitters. These mushers also wear parkas and clothing systems designed for extreme cold weather and sold exclusively by Northern Outfitters.

Winners of the YQ300 were, in order of their finishes, Sven Haltmann, Magnus Klatenborn and Sean Williams, who are qualified to run in the Iditarod this March.

“I really want to thank the folks at Northern Outfitters for supplying me with the best winter clothing in the world. It stood up to everything the Yukon Quest could throw at it and performed flawlessly,” Hans Gatt said. The winners of the YQ300, Haltmann, Klatenborn and Williams all expressed their gratitude as well.

"What our cold weather clothing does is give the mushers the edge in warmth, flexible comfort and moisture wicking,” according to Jim Harrison, owner of Northern Outfitters. “Dogsled racing requires that the mushers are able to move freely, and our parkas need very few layers, giving them the ability to move easily so they can compete at the highest level.”

Gatt, a Northern Outfitters Pro Staffer and designer of the Gatt Racing Dog Sled, won the Yukon Quest with a time of 9 days, 1 hour and 38 minutes. He arrived with nine dogs on the line and his great dog, Sonny, showing the way. As soon as he crossed the finish line, he checked and hugged his dogs, thanking all of them for a great race. He then expressed thanks to Northern Outfitters, supplier of his cold weather gear.

At the end of the race, on February 15, 2010, Gatt said, “This team is the best I’ve ever raced. It is strong and resilient. We’re ready for the Iditarod which begins in about two weeks. We’ll be running with Northern Outfitters again.”