Current:Home > MyLack of snow cancels longest sled dog race in eastern United States -LegacyBuild Academy
Lack of snow cancels longest sled dog race in eastern United States
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:27:15
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The organizers of the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States said Monday they are canceling the event due to a lack of snow on the ground.
The Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races have taken place in northern Maine for more than three decades, including a 250-mile event that is the marquee sled dog race in New England. But this year, snowfall has been well below average in Maine, and it’s not safe to run the races, organizers said.
A forecasted heavy rainstorm and period of unseasonably warm weather also bode poorly for trail conditions, said Can-Am president Dennis Cyr.
“The unique challenges presented by the lack of snow have led us to conclude that moving forward with this year’s race could compromise the well-being of all involved,” Cyr said. “It is a decision made with heavy hearts but necessary caution.”
The races are held in Fort Kent, more than 300 miles north of Portland near the border with Canada. The town has had 46.8 inches (119 cm) of snow this year and normally would have had more than 80 inches (203 cm) by now, the National Weather Service said.
The races were founded in 1992 and they’ve had to occasionally reroute over the years because of conditions. The race was halted early in 1994 due to thinning ice and a cold snap on race day resulted in last-minute changes in 2017. The 2021 races were also canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event normally brings thousands of spectators and valuable tourism dollars to one of the most rural parts of the Northeast. It’s one of many cold weather events that has been jeopardized in recent years by increasingly warm winter temperatures in northern parts of the country. This month’s Pond Hockey Classic in New Hampshire was moved from Lake Winnipesaukee because of a lack of thick ice.
Organizers said plans are underway to bring back the races next year.
The race is “not just an event; it’s a tradition that celebrates the remarkable bond between the mushers and their sled dogs, as well as the rugged beauty of Maine’s winter landscape,” said event vice president Sarah Brooks.
veryGood! (633)
Related
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion target bank and block part of highway around Amsterdam
- Knicks getting OG Anunoby in trade with Raptors for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley
- Australians and New Zealanders preparing to be among first nations to ring in 2024 with fireworks
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- John Pilger, Australia-born journalist and filmmaker known for covering Cambodia, dies at 84
- NFL Week 18 schedule set with game times for final Saturday, Sunday of regular season
- Actor Tom Wilkinson, known for 'The Full Monty,' dies at 75
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Nick Saban knew what these Alabama players needed most this year: His belief in them
Ranking
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- UFL (the XFL-USFL merger) aims to not join long line of failed start-up pro football leagues
- LeBron James fumes over officials' ruling on apparent game-tying 3-pointer
- Zac Brown, Kelly Yazdi to divorce after marrying earlier this year: 'Wish each other the best'
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Meet the New York woman bringing Iranian-inspired beer to the United States
- Orcas sunk ships, a famed whale was almost freed, and more amazing whale stories from 2023
- Horoscopes Today, December 29, 2023
Recommendation
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
Dave Chappelle goes after disabled community in 'The Dreamer': 'I love punching down'
Oregon newspaper forced to lay off entire staff after discovering that an employee embezzled funds
Ex-Florida QB Jalen Kitna is headed to UAB after serving probation
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Resolved: To keep making New Year's resolutions
Dolphins' Raheem Mostert out against Ravens as injuries mount for Miami
Gloria Trevi says she was a 'prisoner' of former manager Sergio Andrade in new lawsuit