Sheep Mountain 150 scratched; Aurora Mushers move first event

SHEEP MOUNTAIN — As snowfall returned to the Mat-Su Valley in wet, heavy chunks Tuesday, Zack Steer sat at his lodge in Sheep Mountain and made a decision — there will be no Sheep Mountain 150 Sled Dog Race this year.

“I’m looking at some blue sky right now,” Steer said by phone from the lodge Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Steer sent out emails and made phone calls to mushers, volunteers and the media informing them of his decision.

“We didn’t get any snow,” he said.

As of Tuesday, there was still just a foot of snow around the lodge, located in the Talkeetna Mountains midway between Palmer and Glennallen. That’s just not enough to control a 12-dog team, Steer said — and certainly not enough to accommodate the 50 teams signed up for the race.

“It would not be safe to send 600 dogs and 50 mushers over the trail in it’s current condition,” Steer wrote in an email sent out late Tuesday morning.

Steer said he waited as long as possible for a fresh dump of snow, but had no choice but to call things off with the race just four days away.

“I had to make a decision now because of all the volunteers and just the logistics of it,” he said.

The race had been scheduled to begin Saturday over a course out to Eureka, then on to the Little Nelchina River, back again to Eureka and then home to Steer’s Lodge. Last year, Fairbanks’ Lance Mackey used the race as an early season tune-up on his way to unprecedented wins in both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod. Mackey was scheduled to return this year to defend his title, but he’ll now have to wait until next year.

Steer said he’s definitely planning on holding the event again next year, and noted that while there isn’t any snow for mushing at Sheep Mountain right now, there’s still enough snow to get out and enjoy the winter.

“The cross country skiing is great right now.”

For more information on the race, visit www.sheepmountain.com

Aurora Mushers find

snow in Petersville

PETERSVILLE — A lack of snow didn’t keep the Aurora Dog Mushers Association from holding what’s believed to be the state’s first competitive mushing event of the season.

All they had to do was move the race.

Originally scheduled to be held in Big Lake, club president Larisa Myers-McCoin said organizers had to look up the road to find decent snow.

“We ended up having to transfer it to Petersville,” Myers-McCoin said.

After getting some help from mushers Martin Buser and Becca Ross, who have been training in the Safari Lake area near Petersville, race organizers were able to cobble together a trail just in time to hold a pair of 20-mile races over the weekend.

Big Lake’s Cim Smyth wasn’t hampered by the move from his home town, taking home a check for $250 for winning the adult race. Wasilla’s Ryan Redington collected $150 for second, while Chugiak’s Varan Hoyt pocketed $100 for

third.

In the junior race, the Valley’s Meredith Mapes won a $250 scholarship for taking first, Willow’s Wade Marrs got a $150 scholarship for second and Yuta Takagi of Anchorage got a $100 scholarship for placing third.

Myers-McCoin said the race went off without a hitch, and the only problem — unlike in other parts of Southcentral — was too much snow on the trail that delayed the start while groomers packed it down.

“We arrived Saturday and there was a foot of new snow on the ground,” she said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com

Aurora Dog Mushers Association

25/25 Race

Saturday-Sunday, Petersville

1. Cim Smyth, Big Lake, $250; 2. Ryan Redington, Wasilla, $150; 3. Varan Hoyt, Chugiak, $100; 4. Jennifer Kemper, Denali Park; 5. Sven Haltmann, Willow; 6. Matt Hayashida, Willow; 7. Abe Rose, Chuathbalvk; 8. Peter Cohrs, Willow

Junior Race

1. Meredith Mapes, Palmer/Wasilla, $250 scholarship; 2. Wade Marrs, Wasilla, $150 scholarship; 3. Yuta Takagi, Anchorage, $100 scholarship; 4. Ilsa Schwarzburg, Wasilla