Alaska Dispatch News 1st Reported: With minimal snow on the ground so far this winter in Southcentral Alaska and little in the forecast, the Iditarod Trail Committee board of directors will decide Tuesday whether to move the race restart from Willow to Fairbanks. The meeting comes a day after a four-person trail committee and race staff team spent the day flying over and landing on portions of the trail, according to Iditarod Executive Director Stan Hooley. A decision is expected by 8 p.m.
The 1,000-mile sled dog race has been moved north only once before, when low snow conditions in Southcentral Alaska forced organizers to restart in Fairbanks in 2003.
In an email, Hooley said trail conditions have been a “question mark all winter, in some areas more than others.” He said that while there is some snow on the south side of the Alaska Range that will allow the race to “salvage” its Anchorage ceremonial start — if the snow doesn’t melt or blow away before the March 7 start date — other parts of the trail appear to be lacking.
The worst parts of the trail appear to be north of the Alaska Range, including the Dalzell Gorge and a stretch between the checkpoints of Rohn and Nikolai known as the Farewell Burn.
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