Bert Poffé and Kiki Nárdiz have done many adventurous trips and winter expeditions both in Canada and in Europe. In the past they spent some time with the Canadian Atikamekw First Nations and were lucky to meet some inspiring people of different First Nations such as Gérald Ottawa (Atikamekw), Regent Sioui (Huron) and Bob 7 Crows Mic Mac)In August 2007 they spent one month amongst the Anishnabe in Quebec and wrote several articles on this nation for Belgian newspapers. Also a documentary was made about this experience.
Not long after their return from their stay with the Anishnabe, Bert and Kiki started dreaming about a new adventure. After seeing a documentary on Joel on French TV, Bert e-mailed him straight away to congratulate him with his projects in Mongolia. As a result, dreams were shared and adventure plans where discussed.
The "Khuvsgul Dogsled Expedition 2009" is the result of these dreams.
Joel Rauzy and Bayana (France – Mongolia)
Three years ago Joel Rauzy came on an exploring dog sled adventure and fell in love with the country and his future wife Bayana . He comes from a village near Toulouse in the south of France, noted for its balmy climate rather than snow and ice.
Joel had been involved in dogsled racing in various parts of the world, and saw the potential for dog sledding and the sort of racing Alaska is best known for.
Bayana was born and raised in Ulaanbaatar. After her studies in both Leningrad and St Petersburg she became a teacher in Russian and English. When she met Joel, Bayana’s life changed completely. She left the capital and together they lived for 4 straight months in a Ger, just as a start! Thanks to Joel she became an outdoor enthusiastic and eventually she became very much interested in the Nomadic people of her beloved Mongolia.
The couple became the first and only Mongolian dogsled outfitters.
