Cain’s Quest, an endurance snowmobile race through Labrador, is cutting the region’s south coast from its 2026 route for safety reasons because of unpredictable weather conditions.
The decision was made after careful consideration and keeping in mind the serious issues encountered by some teams in recent years.
The race had to be called off in 2023 due to poor ice conditions, which saw one team, the popular Wild Nordic Finland, end up in the water off Port Hope Simpson.
Cain’s Quest Board Chair Todd Kent says it was a tough decision, but discussions with members and data collected from Environment Canada show it was the right decision for safety reasons.
(66 Wild Nordic Finland Facebook.)
“I mean, everybody can remember the images of those racers down there on the south coast. Even people on the south coast (in past years) advised ‘don’t come down here, it’s too dangerous.'” says Kent. “It’s not something that anyone wants on their conscious to direct these teams down there only to find ‘holy cow, we made a mistake’ because the ice is bad or it’s open water and get themselves into a situation that they found themselves in the last couple of races.”
This year’s route will range from Lab West to the north coast and down through Rigolet and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, encompassing some 3,400 km.
2026 marks the race’s 20th anniversary, and they’re making a few changes says Kent, including increasing the prize purse to $125,000.
The deadline to register a team is 12 noon on September 19th.
