Dog Days of Winter? Alaska's Lack of Snow Forces Change in Iditarod
For just the second time in 43 years, the start of the sled dog showdown is moved north, to Fairbanks.
A lack of snow in the Alaska community where the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race traditionally begins has forced organizers to move the starting line about 300 miles (480 kilometers) north, to Fairbanks, for the second time in the event's 43-year history.
Recent helicopter surveys of the Alaska Range near Willow, the town just north of Anchorage where the roughly 1,000-mile (1,600 kilometer) race usually begins, revealed that "snow conditions were worse in critical areas than in 2014 and therefore not safe enough for the upcoming race," the Iditarod Trail Committee said in a statement.
Seventy-nine teams—each consisting of 16 sled dogs and a human musher—are gearing up for the endurance race that is a symbol of Alaska's rugged frontier culture.
