ITC prepared: Committee paying close attention to trail conditions

JEREMIAH BART/

Sports Editor

With the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race just about seven weeks away, the Iditarod Trail Committee is already paying close attention to the conditions of the famous trail from Wasilla to Nome.

As there has been in each of the last several years, there is cause for concern with less than ideal racing conditions in the Wasilla area, but ITC Director of Public Relations Chas St. George said there is no need for an immediate panic, just because conditions can realistically change on a daily basis.

St. George said the ITC is simply using the motto of be prepared. While the committee will not hide the fact, if at all possible, the re-start of Iditarod XXXIII will be at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, a site in which St. George calls the ideal venue for the future of the race. But just as the ITC has its Plan A, it will not disregard Plan B. That alternative plan would be to move the re-start north, just as the ITC was forced to do last year. But just like to move of the re-start to Willow for Iditarod XXXII, a decision of that proportion will not be made until very late in the ball game. Until then, St. George said, the ITC is taking constant updates on the conditions from communities bordering the entire trail.

If the race were to have started today, St. George said, the abundance of glare ice mixed with gravel in the Wasilla and Knik area would be a problem. But two weeks ago, as St. George pointed out, racing conditions in the Wasilla and Knik areas would have been ideal.

"This is an example of how things can change," St. George said.

Though the conditions in the Wasilla area, at this point, are cause for concern, St. George said the further one gets away from Wasilla, the more conditions improve. On a positive note, St. George said, conditions in the interior are excellent. The south fork of the Lower Kuskokwin and Happy River - both problem spots in recent years - are completely frozen over. Those are issues ITC officials have been most concerned about, St. George said. While there may be a worry of lack of snow in Wasilla, the area of trail between McGrath and Takotna lies on the opposite end of the spectrum.

"The big issue is so much snow," St. George said. "The interior looks very good this year, we're hoping the same thing happens here."

The re-start of Iditarod XXXIII is scheduled for Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m. The ceremonial start is scheduled for March 5 at 10 a.m. in Anchorage. There are currently 86 mushers in the 2005 field.