RAY — While a forecast calling for snow may dampen the spirits of many Borderland residents who aren’t quite ready for winter, Ryan Anderson couldn’t be happier.

For the 30-year-old musher from Ray, snow means sled dog racing season is right around the corner.

“I’m ready to get on the sled,” Anderson said.

Even though his season officially kicked off Oct. 1 when he started training his 32 sled dogs with a four-wheeler, he is ready to get on the sled and breathe in, what he hopes, will be a winning season.

“There are a lot of good dogs out there right now,” Anderson said as he looked over his yipping pack of four-legged teammates.

Anderson, who won three of the four sled dog races he participated in last season, is looking forward to what he hopes are more successful races.

“I’m optimistic about this year, you never know what can happen, but I hope the outcome is similar to last year,” he said.

The musher took the top slot in the White Oak Classic, John Beargrease, and U.P. 200 races, but fell short at the CAN-AM Crown 250 because of poor weather.

“I went into that race extremely unprepared for the awful weather,” Anderson said of last season’s final race that he ended up pulling out on. “I really kicked myself for the mistakes I made because the dogs ran great. But now I know.”

For the 2012 season, Anderson is currently signed up for the three races he won during the 2011 season, however, he is unsure if he’ll tackle the CAN-AM again.

“It depends on how the dogs do at the U.P.,” he said. “There is a new race in Ely the weekend after the U.P., so if the team and I are in good shape, I might see if we can’t run that one, too.”

Anderson admits that going into this season feels “different” than it has in past years. He attributes the unfamiliar feeling to not pushing himself as hard.

“The last two seasons, I pushed and pushed myself,” he explained. “I just have to go in and do the best I can and hope for a win. I’m not putting as much pressure on myself this year.”

For some, the sport of dog sled racing can be a hobby, but Anderson notes it is his livelihood.

“I’d love to go out and do these races for fun, but I have to make ends meet,” he said. “In the winter, winning races is my income.”

He is optimistic about the Beargrease race this year and is returning 12 of the 14 dogs who carried him across the finish line last year.

“Of those 12, I don’t know how many are going to make the team with more coming through the program, but we’ll see,” Anderson explained.

The most consistent dogs will wear a harness on race day, but because of injuries and other road blocks that may come up, Anderson won’t know which dogs will run until days before the race.

“I’ve got 12 yearlings that I’m working with,” he said. “There is about five of them I could race. Last year, I only used three yearlings.”

For now, Anderson has until the first weekend in January to prepare for his first race and he has already put 550 miles on his four-wheeler. Regardless, his fiance, Missy Carpentier, said his mood has already changed — for the better.

“There is always a big change in his attitude from summer to winter,” Carpentier said as she flashed a smile to her future husband. “You’re very, very happy when you’re running with your dogs.”