Despite low snow levels across the state, local musher Paul Gebhardt said the dog sled races are still going to happen.
Gebhardt recently placed third in the Gin Gin 200 and plans to race in the Kuskokwim 300 on January 16 even if the trail has to be adjusted.
Gebhardt: “They’re having trail problems too, they have just glare ice and jumbled ice and no snow but it got cold so obviously it froze back up. They’re looking at different alternatives and they like to ask different mushers who have been there quit a few times what their opinion is so that everyone is okay with what they do.”
He is also the musher representative board member for the Iditarod which begins in March.
Gebhardt: “Then we have an alternative plan if we don’t get a lot of snow. In the books now we actually have a route that starts in Fairbanks and ends up in Nome that we would take if it was conditions like last year.”
The 2014 Iditarod saw unusually warm temperatures just beforehand mixed with temperature drops at night which led the trail to be icy and miserable according to many mushers.