Low snow causes havoc again with Iditarod

WASILLA, Alaska – Another low snow year in Alaska is playing havoc with the world’s most famous sled dog race, at least for the start.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race always begins with a ceremonial, fan-friendly slow jaunt through the streets and trails of Anchorage, held a day before the start of the competitive portion of the nearly-thousand mile race.

A lack of snow last year north of Anchorage forced the race from the normal start in Willow, about 75 miles north of Anchorage, further north to Fairbanks. The conditions in Willow are much improved this year, but the problem is in Anchorage, where the snowfall in the city for the last two years has equaled only about two-thirds of a normal year.

“Our real challenge right now is trying to figure out whether we’ve got adequate snow to make Anchorage and the ceremonial start happen,” Iditarod Chief Executive Officer Stan Hooley told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

“We’re pretty confident in where we’re going to officially start the race. In terms of that all-important ceremonial start, we’ve got some work to do,” he said.

This will be the 44th edition of the sled dog race to Nome, and the ceremonial start has always been held in Anchorage.

That won’t change, but Hooley said he’s not quite sure how it might look. He said in 1994, there wasn’t enough snow to cover the 11-mile route from downtown Anchorage to the race’s end in east Anchorage, and it was shortened.

One important aspect of the ceremonial start is fans across the world participate in an auction with the winners getting to ride with mushers on the Anchorage course. In each of the past few years, the auction has brought in more than $200,000 for the Iditarod.

“It’s an important part of our overall fundraiser mix,” he said, noting it pays other dividends.

“Those folks (Iditariders) are our very best goodwill ambassadors, because when they go back to their own little corners of the world, they do it with smiles on their faces and talk a lot about that experience. So we need to continue to nurture that program,” he said.

Hooley is not ready yet to shorten the ceremonial start, and is hoping Mother Nature will help with some late February snow.

But Luis Ingram, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Anchorage, said there is no significant snow in the seven-day forecast, and confidence isn’t high for any after that.

Anchorage set a record for low snow totals last year at 25.1 inches. This year’s total so far is 25.8 inches, while a normal snowfall total in Anchorage is 74.5 inches.

Hooley said there is plenty of snow outside the Willow area, and he’s pretty sure that is where the race will have its official start on March 6. The board of directors will decide the official start location Friday.

Meanwhile, preparations continue for this year’s race, which has drawn the third-largest field ever with 86 mushers.