WILLOW, Alaska — How bad a winter has it been for training sled dogs in Alaska?
New Orleans has gotten more snow in 2025 than Anchorage.
With the nearly 1,000-mile 2025 Iditarod Sled Dog Race coming up in little more than a month, the unusually warm and mild Alaskan winter continues to throw curveballs at Mansfield native Matthew Failor and his two Alaskan Husky Adventure teams.
The original training plan called for Failor to race a team in the Copper Basin 300, which he completed Jan. 14.
The Mansfield St. Peter’s Class of 2000 graduate was next scheduled to compete in the Kuskokwim 300 on Jan. 24, which has now been delayed until Feb. 7 due to a lack of snow.
(Below are Alaskan Husky Adventures sled dog teams training for the 2025 Iditarod.)
Dane Baker, who works for Failor and is scheduled to race a team of younger dogs in his first Iditarod this year, was scheduled to race in the SuDog 300 on Jan. 25. With the delay in the Kuskokwim, Failor was also going to run his team in the event.
Those plans were dashed on Friday when SuDog organizers announced its 2025 event was cancelled with this Facebook post:
“RACE UPDATE – Well, here is the moment no one wanted to happen, but the Su Dog 300 is going to cancel for 2025. We have 300 miles of trail that is solid and holding up, but the negativity we’ve received from both the mushers and non-mushers of our community has disheartened us. The Su Dog 300 has been a community-focused initiative since it’s inception in late 2023 – and if the community doesn’t want the race, then we will cancel the race. We wish the best to everyone this winter in hopes that other events this year like the Willow Carnival, Jr. Willow 100, and Iditarod have better weather! Our sincerest apologies go out to our mushers, volunteers, sponsors, and fans who were excited to come out this weekend – we will see you all in 2026!”
Even before the race was cancelled, Failor went on Facebook to alert fans of his 17th-Dog team that Alaskan weather conditions remained unsettled.
“This winter has been challenging on many fronts. Warm wind and rain are deteriorating our trails and forcing us to travel to find better conditions,” Failor posted.
“Currently, Dane and I are signed up for the SuDog 300. … Unfortunately if this rain continues like it’s forecasted to do, we might withdraw both teams to find more favorable trails. Let’s hope the rain subsides and snowflakes return!” Failor said.
Weather may also impact the Iditarod itself, according to an email from Shannon Noonan, director of marketing and communications for “The Last Great Race.”
Our team is working diligently to gather data points, with trail flyovers, input from checkpoint communities and engaging weather experts to assess any potential impacts,” she said in an email Jan. 13.
“We are doing everything in our power to run the traditional Southern route. But if adjustments to the racecourse or schedule become necessary, we are prepared to act swiftly to ensure a safe and fair competition for everyone involved,” Noonan said.
The Iditarod has never cancelled due to a lack of snow.
Since its inception in 1973, low snow conditions have prompted organizers to switch the start of the Iditarod to Fairbanks on three occasions, sending teams westward until it hits the traditional route at the Yukon community of Ruby, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
The most recent switch to the Fairbanks route was in 2017. Normally, the race begins in Anchorage and finishes in Nome.
Mushers in south and central Alaska have been hunting for better snow conditions to put miles on their teams.
Failor, an Iditarod veteran training for this year’s race, has been traveling north to train.
“I think a lot of the neighbors around here are trucking and going to other places,” he said.
Like many others in recent years, Failor has been going to the Denali Highway, a 135-mile stretch of mostly flat road the state stops maintaining during winter. The stretch has grown increasingly popular for recreational winter travel on both dog sleds and snowmachines, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Failor explained the effort to Richland Source on Jan. 16.
“We have logged easily over 1,000 miles on the dog truck over the last 10 days just trying to find good snow to train on. I’m staying (in Willow) to spend time with Liz and Theo while Dane, Kaci and Jaren go train those two teams on the Denali highway.
“It’s been a crazy year, but we just keep adapting and doing our best.”
