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At the foot of glistening Mount Nasaasaaq — “the king of the mountains” — in Sisimiut, Greenland, hundreds of spectators bundled in bright jackets, insulated pants and heavy boots lined a snow-packed trail on Saturday waiting for the racers to glide past.
The low sun glinted off the ice. The snow squeaked underfoot, fine and dry like sifted flour. Red and white Greenlandic flags popped up everywhere — from poles, tucked into hoods, flapping in mittened hands.
For more than three decades, Greenland has held a national dog sledding championship — the Avannaata Qimussersua, which means, in Greenlandic language, “The Great Race of the North.” This year the event brought together more than 25 mushers — including a pretty tough 14-year-old boy — and at least 400 dogs. It’s a tradition deeply rooted in the country’s culture, where dogs are not just animals, but partners in survival. And usually, the race doesn’t attract much international attention.
But this year it was swept into a major geopolitical storm when the White House announced that Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, and one of their sons would attend. With Greenlanders gearing up to protest, Ms. Vance ended up canceling her trip.
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Ms. Vance had tried to frame her visit as a gesture of cultural appreciation. The Greenlanders didn’t buy it. President Trump has been fixated on taking over Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark — and has steadily ratcheted up his talk to “get it, one way or the other,” as he has said.
