For the first time in 25 years of running dogsledding tours, Tanya McCready must invest in snowmaking equipment.
Increased temperatures, lack of snow and ground changes have forced the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race, a longstanding Alaskan competition, to adapt to its changing environment. The Iditarod sees teams of dogs and mushers travel a grueling 1,000-mile course across the Alaskan wilderness. The race historically runs from Anchorage to Nome to commemorate the 20 dogsled teams that traveled the route in 1925 to deliver medicine amid a diphtheria epidemic.However, several years of snowpack and climate challenges have led Iditarod officials to create a "restart" where the race now begins in Willow, Alaska, a small town over 72 miles north of Anchorage.
To ensure the Iditarod trail has enough snowpack for safe sledding, St. George says Anchorage and Willow stockpile snow that is then trucked out along the path ahead of the race.