Roster for Yukon Quest settles at 28 as trail is set

The 1,600-kilometreYukon Quest International Sled Dog Race trail from Whitehorse to Fairbanks, Alaska, has been put in, and 28 teams are ready for the race beginningFeb. 10.

Thirty-three teams had signed up but five dropped out before the final deadline, organizers say.

The Yukon portion of therugged wilderness trail was put in by the Canadian Rangers, whilecontractors were hired to do the work on the Alaska section.

Assistant race manager Melanie Bedard said the conditions are much better than last year when snow was scarce.

"We have a lot of snow," she said in an interview Wednesday. "It might have some bad effect as we have some overflow and we have jumble ice on some rivers, but there is snow everywhere."

Alaskan side suffers snow shortage

However, race managerAlex Olesen, who is based inFairbanks, told CBC News on Wednesday it's a different story in Alaska with less than a foot (about 30 centimetres) of snow.

The lack of snow on the treacherous Eagle Summitis particularly worrying, he said.

"It's incredibly steep," Olesen said. "Coming from a Whitehorse start, like this year is, they have to side-hill and then climb up. It's crazy terrain out there. Every little bump that was there, terrain wise, comes through, but it's doable. You can sink a hook in our trail all the way down."

During last year's race, a number of teams had to be airlifted off Eagle Summit after they were stranded in a bad storm.

This year's organizers have erected 16 permanent trail markers with reflectors to guide mushers across the summit.

"I'm really confident if there's a whiteout, as there may be this year, as there may be every year, there's these tripods, and each one is visible from the last and, in a whiteout I know that doesn't matter, but you can always connect the dots."

The teams are racing for a total purse of $200,000 US paidto the first 15 places.