Low snow conditions in the Alaska Range have forced officials with the world’s most famous sled dog race to move its official start from the Anchorage area to Fairbanks, 580km to the north.
It is the second time in three years, and the third time in the past 14, that there has not been enough snow south of the Alaska Range to start the Iditarod from the Anchorage area. Last year, even the ceremonial start in Anchorage was almost moved because of a lack of snow.
Of particular concern this year are conditions in the always-dangerous Dalzell Gorge, which have been exacerbated by a lack of snow.
Photo: AP
In 2014, several mushers crashed their sleds and one injured competitor had to be rescued by helicopter near the gorge, about 241km west of the start.
The low snow conditions this year have left the trail covered with exposed vegetation, the race’s chief operating officer Chas St George said.
“We’re just not feeling that it’s safe enough to run a competitive dog race over this year,” race director Mark Nordman told reporters.
Volunteers and staff members attempted to groom the trail, but St George said birch alders and brush were too much to overcome.
In a normal year, snow would cover that growth.
“We’re going through some major changes with the environment,” Nordman said. “We have more willows and brush than we’ve had in years.”
The approximately 1,600km race will have its ceremonial start on March 4 in downtown Anchorage, which has had plenty of snow this winter. The official start normally comes the next day in Willow, about 80km north.
However, since mushers will now have to drive their dogs from Anchorage to Fairbanks, the race’s official start has been pushed back to March 6.
Officials have worried about the effects of climate change for years, and this is not the only logistical change in its 44-year history.
The race used to have its official start in Wasilla, but a lack of snow and urban growth forced the start of the race 48km farther north, to Willow.
The amount of snow in Willow has not been a problem these past few years, St George said.
It is what happens “between there and the Alaska Range” that dictates where the race’s official start will be, he said.
“I think we’ve been worried about the effects for a number of years,” he said.
The race is to end about nine days later in the old Gold Rush town of Nome. During that span, mushers and their dog teams will have traveled over mountain ranges, through untamed wilderness and battled unforgiving winds whipping off the Bering Sea as they mush down the sea ice to Nome.
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