Say what? Famed dogsled race to be run on trucked-in snow
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, March 1, 2016, 2:16 PM - It's been unusually warm in parts of Alaska this year, and that's resulted in a bit of a snow drought.
The conditions have been so dry that the city of Anchorage has had to import snow by train to accommodate the Iditarod Trial Sled Dog Race, which kicks of on Saturday.
In a statement emailed to Alaska Dispatch News, Iditarod CEO said the Anchorage ceremonial start may not extend the full 17 km due to the conditions.
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“It’s no secret that warm temperatures for days on end have further eroded what little snow cover existed on the trail system here in Anchorage,” the statement reads.
“We are exploring our options at this time as we very well may need to shorten our Day 1 Ceremonial Start.”
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Seven rail cars were loaded with 300 cubic yards of snow from Fairbanks, which is hundreds of kilometres away.
Jeff Barney, executive director of the city's Fur Rendezvous winter festival, told Alaska Dispatch News it's the first time he remembers event organizers having to transport snow in from outside of Anchorage.
This isn't the first time mild temperatures have caused a problem for the Iditarod competition.
In 2015, organizers were forced to move the restart from Willow to Fairbanks due to lack of snow on parts of the trail.
Then, in 2014, minimal snow cover on part of the run contributed to injuries to some mushers.
Source: Alaska Dispatch News
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