The Latest Victim of a Snowless West: Dog Sledding

The Idaho Dog Sled Challenge will shut down permanently after three straight years of cancellations caused by low snow or avalanche risk. The multiday event, one of the few Lower 48 qualifiers for the Iditarod, had already pared back to a 52-mile Warm Lake Stage Race — the only part not canceled the last three years.

Held about 75 miles north of Boise, the challenge this year lost its 300-mile and 100-mile races. The event was part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown; races in Oregon and Montana were also called off, with Race to the Sky citing “bare ground, icy and rock‑hard sections, unseasonably warm temperatures, and no measurable snow in the forecast.” Tony Harrison, a spokesman, said the cancellations were “heartbreaking to the organizers and the volunteers and the mushing community.” Rick Katucki, a 72-year-old race marshal with three decades in the sport, called the end “a big disappointment” but said he was not surprised.

United States, Idaho

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