Jan. 10, 2024 – Iron Dog board members and supporters had their throttles full over the weekend as they worked to cut in trail to a new checkpoint on the Iron Dog course. But Mother Nature didn’t make the work easy.

The new Whiskey Bravo checkpoint, supported by Nova Minerals at its employee base camp, is roughly 143 miles into the racecourse and just a few miles from Puntilla, where many racers and race fans will continue to stay at longtime favorite Rainy Pass Lodge. But a trail connector needed to happen, said board member Johnny Dean, who with fellow director Stan Brown, Team 7’s Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad, and friend Russ Seipert worked an unplanned long weekend Jan. 5-8 to do the work.   

 “There is a lot of snow up there,” said Dean on Tuesday, after returning after a day’s delay due to new snow. “At Whiskey Bravo, there is like 176 inches this year. … Our goal was originally to put the trail in from Whiskey Bravo over to Puntilla and that’s what we were set up to do.”

 Meanwhile, the folks at Whiskey Bravo were going to use their snowcat to clear a trail from the checkpoint out to an area known as the steps, for its graded terrain that winds into the mountains.

 However, that section of trail was riddled with overflow and the snowcat got stuck, he said. After using another vehicle to get it out, and countless man hours of work, it became clear by Sunday morning that that section of trail wouldn’t be cleared.

 That left the group with a choice to make: “We were out there anyway, so we just decided to do it,” he said.

After that work was done – “It’s tough, real mountainous and steep with tight woods over there,” Dean said – the group cleared the trail to Puntilla, which had at least a foot of snow and more coming down.

 They finally made it home on Monday, after being delayed by the weather.

 “Our choice was to fly out of there or just pick our way back, so that’s what we did,” he added.

 So far this year, warm weather is hampering the river’s ability to freeze up more solidly. The heavy snowpack works as an insulator, keeping the water from freezing, which means more overflow and sketchy sections of trail.

 Iron Dog Executive Director Mike Vasser said the same thing has happened on Big Lake, which had roughly 20 inches of ice the last time it was measured but needs more for Iron Dog officials to feel confident of launching the race from there.

 “We just plowed big Lake on Sunday, trying to get it exposed to build more ice,” he said. “We just need some colder weather and I’d like the ice to be at about 32 inches to feel safe.”

 Dean said the same of the racecourse – or what he has seen of it thus far.

 “There’s a lot of snow and the weather is going to play a major factor in the race this year,” he said. “If it snows a foot right before the race, it’s going to be challenge.”

 Still, more teams are training each week, helping to establish the route.

 “Right now, the trail is clear from Big Lake to Nikolai because Team 26 (Tim Gossett and Joseph Gugel) went to Nikolai on Saturday,” Dean said. “And Team 7 (Aklestad and Olstad) went to Rohn. I think it will definitely help if it gets colder, with more teams riding it out.”

 Whatever happens, Ion Dog officials will be ready, no matter what Mother Nature throws at them. It’s not called the World’s Longest Toughest Snowmobile Race for nothing, and the racers and riders who enter the race know what they will be facing.