Meet The Crew

Norris Glacier – Juneau

Meet our talented dog mushers who lead thrilling adventures through the breathtaking Norris Glacier in Juneau. Learn about their skills, passion, and love for their sled dogs.

camp manager

Matthew Hall

Matt Hall started his racing kennel, Smokin’ Aces Sled Dog Kennel, in 2008 in pursuit of becoming a professional musher. He is a born and raised Alaskan and was brought up in the small village of Eagle, deep in the bush. Hall now competes in highly competitive races all around Alaska and is the reigning Champion of the Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race, known as one of the toughest races in the world. Hall also earned the Championship title in the Copper Basin 300 in 2016. He lives in the small town of Two Rivers, Alaska with his girlfriend and 35 Alaskan Huskies. They live off-grid in a yurt and provide for their kennel by hauling water and firewood with the use of his sled dogs. Hall has been working for Alaska Icefield Expeditions as a musher & guide for 11 years and also guides tours and expeditions in the winter.

Mushing isn’t just a sport, nor just simply a job to Hall–It’s a lifestyle.

lead musher

Elke Konetski

Elke Konetski, the lead musher at Norris Glacier, has built her career and lifestyle around her love for sled dogs. Originally from Texas, she now lives with her kennel of 14 Alaskan Huskies on 40 acres deep in the heart of interior Alaska. This off-grid lifestyle has turned her passion for dog mushing into more than just a career through tourism and racing. During the winter, Elke and her crew of canines compete in mid-distance sled dog races, enjoy mush camps together in the mountains, and operate a luxury cabin stay outside of Fairbanks, AK. This upcoming summer marks Elke’s third year working for AIE, and as always, her dogs will accompany her wherever she goes.

musher

Clark Koerner

Clark Koerner was born in Illinois and raised in New Zealand. He has spent the last 14 years splitting his time between organic farming in the summer and working as a dog musher in the winter. Currently, he is a full-time dog musher based in Alaska.

musher

Jill Ostuni

Jill Ostuni, a native of Long Island, NY, has returned for her second year as a musher on the Norris Glacier. In the winter months, she works as a ski patroller in Vermont, but her love for snow and dogs has brought her back to Alaska. Jill’s passion for living life to the fullest is evident in her commitment to pursuing once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like guiding sled dog tours in the Alaskan wilderness.

musher

Kai Koerner

Kai is a multi-talented adventurer with a wide range of interests and passions. Born in the United States and raised in New Zealand, he has always had a love for exploration and pushing his limits. One of Kai’s favorite activities is dog mushing on glaciers. He finds the combination of speed and natural beauty exhilarating and has spent many hours honing his skills as a musher. In addition to dog mushing, Kai is also interested in spiritual pursuits. He has trained at Zen monasteries and finds peace and clarity through meditation.  Kai is also passionate about sustainable living and has spent time growing food at hippie communes. As a creative person, Kai is constantly exploring new forms of expression. He has mentored with old beat poets like Gary Snyder and enjoys figuring out his own art.  Kai is also skilled in carpentry and has a love for building cabins in the mountains. Finally, Kai loves to travel and has gone on rock-bottom bike tours across continents with his twin. He finds adventure in the unknown and is always seeking out new experiences.

musher

Misheala Robertson

Misheala Robertson, also known as Mish, is a dog musher with a passion for adventure. Her journey into the world of dog sledding began in an unexpected way. After being excluded from a family vacation to Hawaii, Mish decided to plan her own adventure in Alaska. She stumbled upon a dog sledding excursion and, despite the minimum requirement of two people, was determined to participate. This led her to search for companies that would allow her to go solo and ultimately brought her to a job listing for a dog handler in Juneau. To her surprise, Mish was offered the job and began working with sled dogs last year. She even adopted her own sled dog after the summer season ended. Since then, Mish has become immersed in the world of dog mushing. She had never heard of the Iditarod before last March, but this year she had the opportunity to work for the race. Mish also served as a handler for the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, an Iditarod qualifying race. Despite her relatively short time in the sport, Mish has already accomplished so much and is dedicated to continuing her journey as a dog musher.

let's mush

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