...AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM MST
FRIDAY...
* WHAT...An extended period of stagnant air, with light winds
and little vertical mixing.
* WHERE...Portions of south central, southwest and west central
Idaho and northeast and southeast Oregon.
* WHEN...Until 1 PM MST Friday, and this time may be extended.
* IMPACTS...Periods of air stagnation can lead to the buildup of
pollutants near the surface.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds will be strong enough today,
Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons in portions of the Upper
Treasure Valley and Western Magic Valley to limit stagnation.
However, parts of the zones will experience stagnant air and
were therefore included in this advisory.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
An Air Stagnation Advisory concerns itself with meteorological
conditions only. For more information on air pollution in Idaho,
visit website www.deq.idaho.gov. For Oregon, visit website
www.oregon.gov/deq.
If possible, reduce or eliminate activities that contribute to
air pollution, such as outdoor burning, and the use of
residential wood burning devices. Reduce vehicle trips and
vehicle idling as much as possible.
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The 2023 McCall Winter Carnival runs through Sunday, Feb. 5.
Courtesy of the McCall Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau
Scott White, from Snohomish, Wash., nears the 100-mile race finish at the Wye Checkpoint on Feb. 2, 2022. His team captured second place in the 100-mile race last year, and he is registered to compete in the event this year.
Pictured here on Feb. 1, 2022, musher Nicole Lombardi, left, from Lincoln, Mont., won the 2022 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s 100-mile race. She is registered to compete in the 2023 100-mile race.
The 2023 McCall Winter Carnival runs through Sunday, Feb. 5.
Courtesy of the McCall Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau
The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is returning to the West Central Mountains of Idaho Jan. 21-Feb. 2 for its fifth year.
Melissa Shelby
The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown.
Melissa Shelby
Pictured here on Feb. 2, 2022, a sled dog team approaches the finish line of the 300-mile race.
Melissa Shelby
Scott White, from Snohomish, Wash., nears the 100-mile race finish at the Wye Checkpoint on Feb. 2, 2022. His team captured second place in the 100-mile race last year, and he is registered to compete in the event this year.
Melissa Shelby
Pictured here on Feb. 1, 2022, musher Nicole Lombardi, left, from Lincoln, Mont., won the 2022 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s 100-mile race. She is registered to compete in the 2023 100-mile race.
Fireworks, snow sculptures and live music? Get ready for the 2023 McCall Winter Carnival! It will kick off on Friday, Jan. 27 and continues until Sunday, Feb. 5. This year’s theme: ‘Fairy tales, folk tales and tall tales.’ Way back when in 1924 is when the original winter carnival events began, and throughout the past 99 years it has evolved into the 10-day extravaganza it is today.
A number of events happen during the carnival, and one of the main events is the Idaho Dog Sled Challenge that features world-class mushers. According to a press release about the event, it is the only 300-mile Yukon Quest qualifier in the lower 48 and one of only three such events for the Iditarod in the contiguous continental U.S. The Iditarod and the Yukon Quest are considered the longest and the toughest sled dog races in the world.
The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is also part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown, which includes the Eagle Cap Extreme Jan. 18-21 near Joseph, Oregon, and the Race to the Sky Feb. 10-14 near Helena, Mont.
According to Idaho Sled Dog Challenge co-founder and trail coordinator Dave Looney, the Idaho race is considered one of the most grueling mushing competitions in the world due to its topography.
“Mushers will tell you this is a very, very atypical race,” Looney said. “Our elevation change is 36,000 feet, which is greater than the Iditarod. They call it a 500-mile race packed into 300 miles. So the dog care and the pacing and the attention they have to pay to the terrain is really important, because there’s a lot of up and down. One musher said the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is like climbing Mt. Everest — twice.”
This year, the challenge includes three races ranging in distance/miles. The two longer races are clocked at 100 and 300 miles. The shortest and newest race, called the Warm Lake Stage race, is only 51 miles and is meant for mushers who are newer to the sport.
Organizers are also auctioning off what’s billed as “the adventure of a lifetime” — a private 2023 Iditarod tour package for two. Bidding starts at $4,500 and ends Feb. 1 at midnight. The winning bidder and one guest will experience the finish of the 2023 Iditarod, dubbed the “Last Great Race on Earth.”
Rick Katucki, a retired musher with 20 years of experience, is this year’s race marshal. In a phone interview, he said that sled dog racing “is a passion, not a source of profit.” Most mushers are not in it for the money; they have careers outside of the sport. That being said, there is prize money to be won, up to $2,500, for the two longer races.
Katucki said he has worked with several “amazing dogs” in his career and has felt a strong connection to them, making it impossible to choose a favorite. There are usually 12-14 dogs used to pull the sleds. Although the dogs may look cute and fluffy, they are hard-working, athletic dogs, mostly of Northern breed Alaskan Huskies. These dogs are “bred for function, not appearance,” Katucki said, the “dogs are highly conditioned.” They mostly have upright ears, a double coat, large feet, and come in mixed colors.
In order to prepare for the grueling Idaho Race, mushers and their dogs start training early in September on dry land using ATVs. Katucki’s dogs would often do 3- to 5-mile runs to get into better shape and eventually work up to 40- to 50-mile pulls on the snow. He would compare their training “to a person training for a marathon.” The gradual process works dogs and mushers up to the level of the daunting 300-mile race. But every musher and team have a different program and follow a different process, he said.
Along with an intense training program, mushers also must think about their team’s meals during the races. Depending on the weather and temperature, the dogs eat a combination of meat and kibble. When it is colder, the meat will have a higher fat content and when it is warmer, it will be leaner meat. As a special treat for his dogs in races, Katucki gives them small pieces of frozen meat to keep spirits high in the tough conditions.
As for mushers themselves, they usually enjoy food that is easy to eat while in the heat of the competition. For example, Katucki said some examples include trail mix, Go-Gurt, candy bars, and anything else that might be high in calories. He also emphasized that water is extremely important. At the checkpoints during the race, they serve hot food such as pasta and mac and cheese — real comfort foods. They also often used sealed food from a bag that can be heated with boiled water gathered from melted snow. Making sure that you are just as fueled as the dogs is a key component in being successful as a musher, Katucki said.
Six Idahoans are on the roster. Jed Stephensen from Sandpoint took third place in the 300-mile race last year and is returning for the event, as well as competing as a rookie in the Iditarod this year. Preston-based Bryce Mumford, who won the Eagle Cap Extreme’s 200-mile race in 2017, is advancing to the 300-mile race after having vied in the 100-mile event last year. Thomas Blackham from Terreton, Kevin Daugherty from McCall, and Trevor Warren from Council are running the 100-mile race. And Liz Nevills from Middleton is participating in the Warm Lake stage race.
A musher to look out for in the 300-mile is Jessie Boyer. She is a 300-mile race champion is considered one of the mushing world’s top contenders. Boyer has placed in the Iditarod’s top 10 for the past eight years, and she will be competing again this year. Katucki said he would not be surprised if she came in first or second place this year in the Idaho Race.
Katucki encourages people to come out and experience the Idaho Dog Sled Challenge. “The enthusiasm of the dogs at the start is just infectious,” he said. “You have got to come see it.”
For more details on the Idaho Dog Sled Challenge, including spectator checkpoints, staging areas and where to park, go to the website: idahosleddogchallenge.com.
