Iditarod Diverted Again To Route With Enough Snow - Reuters

[hatrack]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Warmer weather in Alaska has prompted organizers of the Iditarod Trail sled dog race to divert the famed contest to a route with enough snow. Sparse snow at the southern end of the course has moved the grueling 1,100-mile (1,770-km) race from its traditional route. This year it will start in Willow, a small community 30 miles north of Wasilla, where it usually begins.

Warm and windy weather has scraped Wasilla clear of snow, making sled-dog racing there impossible, race executive director Stan Hooley said.

EDIT

This year, alternating bitter cold and spring-like thaws turned trails to mud, slush and ice. The 2006 event will still end in Nome, 102 miles south of the Arctic Circle.

Race Marshal Mark Nordman said meltdowns were also occurring in the usually colder, northern parts of the route. Temperatures had climbed above 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10.00C) in Kaltag, a tiny village and race checkpoint on the normally frozen Yukon River. Luckily for Iditarod organizers, temperatures around Alaska have dipped over the past week, and new snow has restored trail conditions somewhat.

EDIT

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-03-02T221037Z_01_N02380135_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-ALASKA-IDITAROD.xml

[Blue_In_AK]

1. The race has had to move to Willow to restart

several of the last few years. Wasilla's not too happy about it because of the economic impacts, but what are you going to do? Temperatures have cooled considerably in the past week, so hopefully everything will go off without a hitch. My husband is a volunteer dog handler for the race so we will be at the ceremonial start in Anchorage tomorrow and heading up to Willow on Sunday. I'll probably post some pix in the photo group if anybody wants to check it out later.

[roguevalley]

2. I love to be at the ceremonial start. its happening.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Are you coming up?

I'm not ordinarily a big dog fan, but I love the Iditarod. I'm really looking forward to getting some good shots this year with my new camera.

[roguevalley]

8. I wish I could. I'm stuck down here so I'm going to watch

it on the boob tube. you should post the photos. its so exciting, people who have no idea will love it.

[xchrom]

4. i'm a crazy mad huge dog fan!

so i'ld love to see pics! please? please? please?

[northofdenali]

5. The race has its own website, and keeps very

up to date on the dogs, the mushers, the route, standings on the trail, etc.

Check it out at http://www.iditarod.com/

Blue, cheer 'em on at the ceremonial for me, ok? I can't come down this year. I volunteered when they had to start it in Fairbanks - most all of us Quest volunteers did. Fun, but sad to see it diverted.

Friend in Wasilla says it looks like California there - all brown. No snow. It looked that way when I was there last in November.

xchrom, the site has tons of pics, and the dogs are SPECIAL!!!!!!!

[ajacobson]

6. Way cool!

I follow the race via the internet, here in the brutal wilderness of Detroit. :-)

[Blue_In_AK]

7. We've got some snow here in Anchorage

and conditions aren't too bad since we got a couple inches of new snow last week to cover all the ice. I'm not sure if they got any snow out in Wasilla, though, so it's probably good that the restart was moved. My husband's out now helping to lay out the fence downtown to keep people off the track, and they'll be hauling in the snow to cover Fourth Avenue. Temps are supposed to stay around freezing, so everything should be okay. I'll definitely have some pictures up early next week.