Declining Snow and the Iditarod Race

By Ethan Lee

The Iditarod trail sled dog race is an annual, roughly 1000 mile endurance race located in Alaska, running from Anchorage to Nome in early March. Every year, mushers would have to lead teams of 12-16 dogs for about 8-15 rigorous days. The overall terrain of Alaska is incredibly dangerous, as teams must cross frozen seas and huge mountain ranges with extreme temperatures ranging around 10°F to -10°F. However, in recent years, the impact of climate change is slowly showing visible signs of warming temperature, and as a result, snow is melting at a rapid pace. The Iditarod race, once smoothly managed from the abundace of snow, now faces difficulties maintaining huge amounts of snow throughout the extreme terrains of warming Alaska.

The terrains of the overall course not only consists of pure land and mountains, but takes advantage of the cold weather to implement frozen waters in the race. But in this recent decade, the severity of global warming is only increasing, and the once thick ice slowly turns unstable. Since the only way to cross a body of water safely is when the ice is fully solid, both mushers and dogs experience difficulty traversing through seas and rivers. For example, during the 2019 race, a massive mid-winter melt occured, destroying the sea ice in the Bering Sea and Norton Sound.

Even on land terrain, the trail is filled with far less snow, causing rocky, muddy, or ice-covered grounds to cover the whole course. These types of paths tend to cause damage to sleds and bruise dogs' feet. The Alaskan Huskies, the primary dog breed in the race, often feel more comfortable in colder weather, as they have adapted to it in the Alaskan climate. Thus, in warmer weathers, the huskies may possibly overheat, which reduces their energy levels and appetite.

As less snow covers the terrain every following year, the Iditarod Trail Committee is forced to reroute the course towards a new set of paths that are abundant in snow. This process often increases the total distance of the race, since racers have to prioritize snow availability over any complaints about the longer distance of the race. With fewer options left, racers do not know when the race will eventually run out of paths with enough snow. To preserve a tradition of Alaska that lasted over 50 years, we citizens must rethink our everyday actions and contribute to the reduced impact of global warming.

Works Cited

Sarnoff, Leah. “Dogsledding Terrain Is Turning to Mush: How Climate Change Forces Iditarod to Adapt.” ABC News, 15 Mar. 2024, abcnews.com/US/dogsledding-terrain-turning-mush-climate-change-forces-iditarod/story?id=108048712.
Strochlic, Nina, and Katie Orlinsky. “Climate Change Is Rerouting World-Famous Sled Dog Race.” Photography, 16 Mar. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/iditarod-alaska-sled-dog-race.
Press, Associated. “Climate Shift Makes Alaska’s Iconic Sled Dog Race Longer than Ever.” Daily Sabah, 2 Mar. 2025, www.dailysabah.com/life/environment/climate-shift-makes-alaskas-iconic-sled-dog-race-longer-than-ever.

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