If you are NOT a US CITIZEN and are planning to visit to work, volunteer or study, YOU WILL NEED THE CORRECT VISA. To find out more information you need to contact the embassy in your home country BEFORE travelling.
Dog mushing help and non-stop adventure in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
Last activity
: 14 May 2025
Profile information
Usually responds within 17 days
Min stay requested: 1 month or more
Workawayers needed
Possibility that workawayers are needed
No availability
Details
Host ref number: 255143487348
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Feedback (10)
Left by Workawayer (Elke) for host
I arrived speaking no good English, and Simon was extremely patient with me !
Simon's daily life is extraordinary, and he has taught me so much ! There were lots of surprises, and it was probably the most rewarding and beautiful adventure of my life !
The dogs are really great, they're all really nice and i love them so much, probably my best
… read more job !
Words fail me, i'm back in France with a head full of good memories !
Thanks for everything !
Merci beaucoup Simon !You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Mikayla) for host
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Barbara) for host
I spend one month with simon and he was a super host! and the dogs were wonderful! you'll love them! You'll also always be lucky to have a warm seat on the car thanks to Porky and even sometimes a little surprise ahah. so kind.
my morning routine was to take the old dogs for a walk on the frozen pond while Simon was training the youngs ones with
… read more the 4 Wheeler. what an amazing routine. I miss that. Even scooping the poops was fun.
You'll have time to go for a walk, spend time with the dogs, read the 1000 books that Simon has, all super interesting! I couldnt finished all that I wanted ahah there is so many. Anyway, you will have time to do what you want. :))
And his friends.. what great they are! I had such a fun time with them!! And oh ! you should go to Golden Eagle, especially on Thursday and Sunday. there is good music, good beers for good prices and good people. if you like blue grass, old time music, that's your place.
I can only recommand you to go there. It was an amazing experience. Thanks a lot. :)))Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.6)
Left by Workawayer (Elke) for host
I arrived speaking no good English, and Simon was extremely patient with me !
Simon's daily life is extraordinary, and he has taught me so much ! There were lots of surprises, and it was probably the most rewarding and beautiful adventure of my life !
The dogs are really great, they're all really nice and i love them so much, probably my best
… read more job !
Words fail me, i'm back in France with a head full of good memories !
Thanks for everything !
Merci beaucoup Simon !You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Mikayla) for host
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Barbara) for host
I spend one month with simon and he was a super host! and the dogs were wonderful! you'll love them! You'll also always be lucky to have a warm seat on the car thanks to Porky and even sometimes a little surprise ahah. so kind.
my morning routine was to take the old dogs for a walk on the frozen pond while Simon was training the youngs ones with
… read more the 4 Wheeler. what an amazing routine. I miss that. Even scooping the poops was fun.
You'll have time to go for a walk, spend time with the dogs, read the 1000 books that Simon has, all super interesting! I couldnt finished all that I wanted ahah there is so many. Anyway, you will have time to do what you want. :))
And his friends.. what great they are! I had such a fun time with them!! And oh ! you should go to Golden Eagle, especially on Thursday and Sunday. there is good music, good beers for good prices and good people. if you like blue grass, old time music, that's your place.
I can only recommand you to go there. It was an amazing experience. Thanks a lot. :)))
Left by Workawayer (Isabella) for host
I spend approximately 3 months with Simon and his 16 lovely dogs during winter. It has always been my dream to visit Alaska, where I could experience one of the coldest environments on Earth, see the northern lights, and off course, to learn how to care for sled dogs. Coming from a hot climate, I was a bit of a lost case when I arrived in Alaska
… read more in the midst of winter. Everything from wearing the wrong clothes, not knowing about the dangers of wild life, stumbling around in the snow, and not even knowing what a wood stove was, at first Simon had his hands full with me 😂. Luckily Simon is a patient and good teacher, and I quickly catched on. All in all, this was a great experience that set me up for future success in a similar environment. My daily chores (well they are not chores at all really), included taking the dogs on a daily walk, feeding them, cleaning the kennel area, and prepare meat for sledding trips.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Jennifer)
Jennifer has a wonderful spirit of calm, well reasoned and responsible energy.
She went beyond expectations of tasks involved with dog care ,running them and helping with other unrelated general domestics such as cooking and cleaning.
She was very helping in the kitchen ;jumping too - cooking regular meals.
....and boy o boy she can cook great
… read more tasting vegan food and ...loves cayenne pepper!
So those cold alaskan nights can feel like an inferno at times when eating .
Seriously it was good to be introduced to a new healthy kind of eating and all the meals were sensational .
She is a great team player and dependable to every task asked of her.
She always listened carefully and made sure she understood instructions clearly .This is especially important when the dogs safety is at stake in times of high stress for moose when snow conditions meant moose held the trail.
She is motivated to fulfill all tasks asked of her and does so graciously and with a happy positive demeanour.
This is a wonderful character trait as you are left feeling she genuinely wants to help make a difference and can rest assured all tasks will be completed.
She ran the entire operation for 3 weeks whilst i was away.She did a fantastic job of keeping the dogs. safe, well excercised and happy.
On the domestic front she come through with flying colours !! Keeping home fires burning and preventing freeze up -which is no small task .
Jennifer was a pleasure to have as both a helper and someone to spend time with .She is very well grounded and exceedingly dependable.
I was luck to have her and appreciate her integrity and peace!
Left by Workawayer (Jennifer) for host
Well, this was perhaps one of the best times of my life. I could try to capture what a uniquely magical little world Simon and the dogs have opened up to the lucky Workawayer, but I would probably be writing forever.
I can't even really put into words what makes Simon such a special person; you just have to meet him! And the dogs are some of the
… read more sweetest and most hilarious I've ever met. Spend some time here and they'll really get to know you, listen to you, and make it easy for you to pretend that they love you more than anyone on Earth.
Running the dogs was too delightful to feel like work, and other tasks like feeding and cleaning the dog yard were easy and fun. There was plenty of downtime and lots of beautiful trails through the surrounding forest to spend it on. Simon even arranged for the other volunteer and I to take some expeditions into the mountains (which involved a whole lot of driving us around and even running gear out to our cabins so we'd have less to carry), so that we could get away from town for a bit and feel the real, deep peace of interior Alaska.
I’m 100% sure this is the best Workaway in Alaska. If you’re reading this and considering it, go for it!You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Carissa)
Carissa gave me 3 months of committed help during the Alaskan winter .
She was a natural with the dogs from natural willingness to spend time with them out in the dog kennel to keeping a disciplined scheduled getting them out on their daily frolic off the chain .
She jumped in and helped with other duties such as cooking and detail cleaning
… read more inside.
She was respectful of my place and space and fit in naturally to the new environment.
I recommend her to all hosts .
Left by Workawayer (Carissa) for host
Be Prepared to FALL IN LOVE with these amazing, very special dogs!!!
Simon is a lovely host; he's genuinely a nice guy who makes you feel at home from the moment you arrive throughout the whole stay. I got to meet his "covid safe" circle of friends and they were all super nice and fun to be around! we spent Christmas & New Years Eve together, as
… read more well as tea time/dinners and some backyard bonfires. His friend,Teka, is really sweet and also has an adorably friendly little dog that just loves to play. She was kind enough to bring me to town with her often.
I learned how to run a dog sled and the experience is intense and amazing and something very special to be able to do. I'll cherish that forever. The area where he lives is beautiful, with private and public trails to explore the various surroundings.
The dogs, I could write a pages upon pages about the dogs with each different and wonderful personality they have. I have worked with dogs my whole life and his older "fluffies" and younger race dogs are by far the sweetest, most loving dogs I've ever known. I would take them for daily walks and to go play on the trails and local frozen lake area and it was always so much fun because they get so excited to be experiencing it with me. These pups love to be out playing with you and you just can't help but smile and feel good inside when you're watching them enjoy the thick snow and one another. Simon is really great about not micromanaging either, he let me find my groove with the dogs and create my own style of exercising and playing with them on a schedule that worked for us. He is very easy going and shows that he appreciates the work being done.
There is the town not horribly far away, yet far enough you feel the Alaska lifestyle of being away from the busy world. If I needed to get to town I could aways ask Simon or Teka. Simon and Teka are also fun to cook for and with if you like to cook! We all traded off times we cooked various meals and it made it more enjoyable and like being "home".
This was a great experience, with time to relax and time to run around outside, there was social time and just chill by the fire with some dogs and the radio time.
I could write so much about the experience, I stayed for 3 months in the dead of winter, and left with a smile so that says it all.
Left by Workawayer (Sara) for host
This was my first work away experience so I was a little nervous coming in but Simon made me feel very comfortable and welcome upon arrival and throughout my trip. I really enjoyed my time with Simon and his sweetheart dogs. Simon took time out of his day to show me around town during his free time and always helped with any questions I had. I
… read more also came in with very little experience with dogs but after a few days adjusting I quickly bonded with them and came to understand each individual dogs personality. They are all so different and so lovable and sweet. I took them out on runs and walks daily as well as poop clean up. I highly recommend this experience to any one looking to get off the grid and be around good company. Thank you, Simon!You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Orin)
Orin is an extra special wonderful person.
She arrived short notice for two weeks to help excercise my sled dogs whilst I was away by day busy with work.
Orin is very positive and very outgoing and sociable with all beings including dogs.
She set a high standard in usually excercising all 16 sled dogs in one day which is a committed effort because
… read more it involves taking multiple groups of about 4 dogs out at a time.
In mud ,sun and rain and even risk of wasp stings Orin happily ran down the trail with equally happy dogs.
Orin had great initiative and would tackle jobs she saw that needed to be done without me asking her.These jobs included detail cleaning the cabin ,washing dishes and even cooking up some healthy tasty meals .
She was fun to socialize with at end of the day and had a relaxed ,easy going manner.
Thanks so much Orin for all your great energy and help!
I recommend Orin to all hosts -treat her well and you will have a wonderful enriched experience with her mature and fun loving nature
Left by Workawayer (Orin) for host
Wow, wow, wow! Staying with Simon and his 16 beautiful dogs was my first work away experience and set the bar pretty high! Lucky me!
Simon is an awesome unique human being.
He made me feel welcomed from the moment I arrived.
We spent time meeting his friends, exploring the nature around, eating in the sweet local coffee place, watching kiwis
… read more movies, cooking yummy food, and also had some really nice guitar session nights.
Simon has a lot of knowledge, we spent hours talking sharing stories (he has really funny ones).
Other than that he is one of the friendliest and kindest people I have ever met!!! I felt connection his positive perspective on people and the way he lives his life, and have learned a lot from just being around him.
I really enjoyed the peace and the love that his place (and of course his amazing dogs) have to offer.
Generally he was the best host I could ever ask for!
I spend two weeks in his cozy cabin with his sweetest dogs (helping running them during the day) and loved every moment. If it wasn't for my viza I would have stayed way more.
I highly recommend him to any work away who seeks an Alaskan adventure with a funny kiwi twist.
Thank you Simon for opening your door and heart to me! I feel like I have a home in Alaska ;)
Left by Workawayer (Stefan) for host
After volunteering at Yukon quest, I felt that I want to spend some more time in Alaska, especially with dogs. What would be an better opportunity than living with a real musher? So I contacted Simon, visited him to get to know each other and do a first ride with the dogs... And I knew: that's it!
I stayed with Simon for around 6 weeks and it was
… read more my best workaway experience yet! Simon is very down to earth, got some warm clothes for me and introduced me to the dog care and to the sled, how everything works. Almost every day, we went along the trails through the beautiful snowy forests as a training for the dogs or even for overnight trips to the hotsprings... Such a special experience! Beside that, I went for walks with the dogs in the mornings and helped Simon with things like chopping dog food or keeping the oven running. Simon took me to a lot of social events with his friends too, so I could experience Alaskan lifestyle and community life, which I'm very glad for.
I would recommend this experience to everyone who want to try Alaskan life, raw nature and so so so lovely dogs!You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Natasha & Rachel) for host
Wow what an awesome experience, this was my first workaway and I don't know if I could find a better experience. Simon was an awesome host, he made me feel welcome and at home from day one and showed me around as much as he could and gave the ultimate cultural experience. I met a lot of Simons friends who were great people. The dogsledding was an
… read more unbelievable experience the dogs were great and always had fun on every ride. I highly recommend this experience to anyone wanting to give it a go, well worth it and an adventure I will never forget. Thanks SimonYou can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
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Information for those planning to visit the US
If you are NOT a US CITIZEN and are planning to visit to work, volunteer or study, YOU WILL NEED THE CORRECT VISA. To find out more information you need to contact the embassy in your home country BEFORE travelling. Do NOT attempt to enter the USA without the correct visa!
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