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Nome, Alaska Iditarod Party
The Biggest Party in Alaska
Starting March 1 2008
2008 Iditarod changes
Global Warming
By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press
(AP Photo/Al Grillo)
culled from yahoo.com
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Editors Note:Nome Alaska starting March 1, is the site of the Biggest Party in Alaska!
Zack Steer, waives to onlookers as he drives his team at the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow, Alaska, in this March 4, 2007 file photo.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race officials have moved the start of the race from the traditional site in Wasilla to Willow citing rapid urban growth and a warming climate. The ceremonial start in Anchorage will be trimmed by seven miles.
The modern challenges of global warming and population growth are catching up with the world's most famous sled dog race.
Citing a warming climate and sprawling development, officials with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race said Wednesday they were implementing permanent logistical changes that in recent years have become the norm for the March event.
The March 1 ceremonial start in Anchorage will go 11 miles, seven shorter than the traditional route.
The actual competitive start of the 1,100-mile race the following day will move 30 miles north to Willow from the traditional site in Wasilla — where the Iditarod has its headquarters and part of Alaska's fastest growing region.
"A lot of development in the area makes it less desirable, and there have been less-than-winter conditions," said Stan Hooley, executive director of the Iditarod Trail Committee."It just doesn't make sense to us to make choices that are not in the best interest of both the two- and four-legged competitors."
Long gone are the early days of the race begun in 1973 to commemorate the 1925 delivery by sled dogs of lifesaving diphtheria serum to Nome.
Because of lack of snow, the competitive launch — called the restart — has not taken place in Wasilla since 2002.
The following year, conditions were so dismal along some stretches of the race trail north of Willow that managers made the unprecedented decision to hold the restart in Fairbanks, more than 200 miles from Wasilla.
Since then, Willow has been the site where mushers and their dogs begin the trek to Nome.
For the ceremonial start, snow is trucked along the route that begins in downtown Anchorage. That's not a solution for the actual competition, officials said.
"The reality is the teams racing," Hooley said. "That, in and of itself, means there's a completely different level of acceptable conditions on the trails."
Willow also has become the preferred site for its rural setting, officials said. Mushers take off from the frozen Willow River and soon vanish into the wilderness.
Wasilla, on the other hand, has seen tremendous development and growth over the years. Now houses and businesses line the Knik-Goose Bay Road parallel to the Wasilla race route leading to the checkpoint in the community of Knik, home of the late Joe Redington Sr., father of the Iditarod. Under the route changes, Knik also will be bypassed.
"No matter how many resources we have available, conditions will never be as race-ready as Willow," Hooley said. "No matter what the weather conditions would be, there's a lot of asphalt and other things that don't mix well with competitive racing. To be around that is stressful for the dogs."
In the early days of the Iditarod, there were no ceremonial starts at all. The first two years, in fact, the competitive race took off from Anchorage, recalled 1978 winner Dick Mackey, the father of defending champion Lance Mackey.
Mushers were slower in those days, their loads heavier and their equipment inferior to today's sleek sleds, Mackey said in a phone interview from his winter home in Quartzsite, Ariz. Wasilla was a long way from development, too, he said.
"In general it's much easier just to disappear and not have to contend with the crowds," he said.
For that reason, Willow is a good choice for the restart even though Wasilla is "beautiful for fans," Mackey said.
Losing traditional Iditarod spots like Wasilla and Knik is sad, said the younger Mackey, who won the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race three weeks before winning last year's Iditarod. But for the most part, the Fairbanks musher was pleased with the new official restart site, even though it means fans from south-central Alaska will have to travel farther.
"It's easier for the mushers, no doubt about it," he said. "And it's a good excuse for people to get out and see Alaska."
THE ARCTIC MAN SKI & SNO-GO CLASSIC
"The Ultimate Adrenaline Rush"
Mile 196 Richardson Highway, Summit Lake, Alaska
April 9th - April 13th, 2008
2007 Arctic Man Champions
The Arctic Man is a race for teams of two skilled competitors that tests the strength of an athlete and the horsepower of a snowmobile. Courage and training are essential elements of this team of snowmobile and skier.
The Arctic Man is one of the World's Toughest Downhill Ski races, and an exciting snowmobile race, all in one. The skier begins at a summit elevation of 5,800 feet and drops 1700 feet in less than two mile to the bottom of a narrow canyon where he meets up with his snowmobiling partner. The snowmobiler meets the skier, on the go, with a tow rope and pulls the skier 2 1/4 miles uphill at top speeds of up to 86 mph. The skier and the snowmobile then separate and the skier goes over the side of the second mountain and drops another 1200 feet to the finish line.
At the Arctic Man you " GO FAST or GO HOME."
Truly the Ultimate Adrenaline Rush for spectators and competitors alike.
Last year aproxiamate 13,000 spectators came from around the nation to enjoy this spectacular Alaskan event. The area the race is held is some of the best snowmachine riding country in the world. The snowcapped peaks and beauty make this spring event one that you will treasure for a lifetime.
Kodiak Crab Festival
May 22-26, 2008
The 2008 schedule will be available
as events are finalized
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