Not Good
At 10:30PM CST my local temperature is 38°F; Nome, Alaska is 36°F; and Anchorage is 45°F.
Since they decided not to switch to Fairbanks, the weather has been making the trail a little more friendly, but now things are back in the warming trend as the Arctic Vortex has dropped to the South again.
This is really bad news for the Siberian teams [Ellis, Ramstead, Norris, and Dabakk] and for John Baker’s team. These teams really need temperatures of near 0°F to be comfortable. They will be very slow for the first third of the race below the Alaskan Range.
Four-time winner Jeff King is taking a helmet with him, specifically for the descent into the Dalzell Gorge, and Jim Lanier, the oldest musher at 73, is training in hockey pads.
Ed Stielstra of Michigan has decided not to race. There was no reason given.
They should assign the bib numbers tonight, so I can post the list tomorrow.
February 27, 2014 6 Comments
