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This image is excerpted from Carsten Egevang’s new book, Greenland unseen.

In March 2018, I attended Greenland’s annual dog sled racing championship in Ilulissat. Thirty participants with 10 dogs each competed for the title of best musher. Although there are cash prizes involved, the honor and prestige of keeping the long tradition of dog sledding alive is what motivates many participants.

Dog sledding is going through rapid changes in Greenland; its use for subsistence hunting is diminishing while racing grows in popularity. The overall number of sled dogs in the country has declined by more than 50 percent over the past three decades.

I captured this image from a high mountainside just after the race began.