Iditarod Start Moves 300 Miles North From Near Anchorage To Fairbanks; Not Enough Snow [View all]

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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. This year's race begins March 9; winners typically have taken eight to ten days to complete the course, often in blizzard and whiteout conditions. (Read "5 Surprising Facts About the Iditarod Dog Sled Race.&quot

"It's unfortunate that we have to make this very important decision this far out, but the task of getting tons of supplies and equipment in the right places, on time, begins this week," Mark Nordman, the race director, said in a statement.

EDIT

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150212-iditarod-dogs-sled-race-alaska-global-warming-science/