Iditarod mushers face deep snow in run to the coast

WILLOW — For the 67 Iditarod mushers taking off from Willow Lake today, the only thing deeper than this year’s competition will be the snow.

If Lance Mackey is to three-peat, it will be against a stronger field than he’s ever faced. According to race officials, nine of last year’s top 10, 18 of the top 20, and 25 of the top 30 racers are competing again this year. The five champions in this year’s race account for 16 of the 36 wins in Iditarod history.

But the trail doesn’t care about past glory. Each racer is up against the 1,131-mile-long southern route up though the Alaska Range, down into the lowlands and out to the Bering Sea.

There is near record snowfall along the coast this year, according to Race Marshal Mark Nordman, as if the 40-below temperatures and white-out conditions weren’t test enough.

“When you talk to the local people, they say there’s more snow since our other great event, the Iron Dog, came through,” said Nordman. “These lows, these storms you keep seeing just keep coming in too. Nine feet of snow in Kaltag, that’s a lot of snow.”

But before the mushers get to the coast, they have to pass through the Alaska Range. The section between Finger Lake and Rainy Pass is always a spot of concern, but the trail is looking pretty good, Nordman said.

“We like 6 or 7 feet there to cover the alder and stuff. Truthfully we were a little light on snow there, but we’re fine right now,” he said. “We’ll actually be hauling a groomer all the way to McGrath trying to groom the trail between Finger Lake and Rainy Pass.”

It’s Nordman’s job to make sure the path is clear for the dogs. Without the horsepower of a Ski-Doo or Polaris, the Iditarod sleds need a much smoother path. With Nordman’s coordination, this task is up to local volunteers and a team of official trail-breakers.

In the week leading up to the race, locals have been clearing brush and smoothing out the two most notorious spots in the Alaska Range, the Steps and the Gorge.

“The Steps are actually in good shape. We had a couple of young guys at the bottom shoveling snow at the bottom step. It’s just a series of switch-backs, so I don’t see a problem there,” he said. “Now, we have a couple of guy working in that other famous spot, the Gorge.”

Three days before the race starts, Nordman sends out his official team of trail-breakers.

“They’re six men with big machines, and they break it up for the final run before the dogs come and put the lats up,” he said.

The lats are what physically mark the trail. About 15,300 wooden stakes with reflective tape and permanent marker guide the mushers all the way to Nome.

Even with all the preparation, Nordman knows the Iditarod will throw challenges in front of the trail.

“That’s what’s so special about the Iditarod. Every year’s different,” he said. “Once it starts, you pretty much just react. We’re just putting out fires and trying to stay ahead of the dog teams.”

“If you never heard my name, then it would be a successful race,” he said.

Mackey might disagree, as would the other 30 mushers race experts say are in contention for the top portion of this year’s $610,000 purse when they leave Willow today.

The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a temperature right around 20 degrees, perfect for mushing or sending your favorite team off.

Racers take off from Willow Lake just behind the Community Center every two minutes starting at 2 p.m. There is public parking at Mile 69 of the Parks Highway, but it is limited.

Free shuttles will run from Wasilla High School, Wasilla Sports Complex and Houston High School starting at 11 a.m. and run until 6 p.m. Coming from the north, there will be shuttles at 11 a.m. and noon from the Sunshine Station at the Talkeetna cutoff, returning at 4 p.m.