Fur Rondy 2009 - Cordova Hill
This weekend marks the start of the 2009 Fur Rendezvous - Anchorage’s annual winter carnival featuring the World Championship Sprint Dog Sled Races. The races start and end in downtown Anchorage. It’s great fun and I actually prefer it to the Iditarod start (which is next weekend). The Iditarod start is purely ceremonial but the Fur Rondy races are for real.
This afternoon, I camped out on Cordova Hill - a very steep downhill that’s the last bit of urban racing before the racers hit the wooded trails. Cordova Hill is known for wipeouts going down and perilous passing on the return leg. Today was a perfect winter day, snowing and about 20 degrees F. A very nifty winter ambience and excellent race viewing.
Buddy Streeper’s Team
The Viewing Slat Rat:
Lickety Split Dogs!!!
Very nice parky!
Fellow spectators. They were totally prepared!
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Why did I expect to see teams of Alaskan Malamutes?
Is there a certain number of dogs per team or is it as many as they want?
Malamutes haven’t been used as racing dogs for over 50 years - they’re really big and heavy. They’re using more for freighting - and not even that much. In terms of team size, I think there is a limit. Maybe 25? I’ve seen teams of 22. But there is sort of a diminishing return thing. This year’s teams number around 16-18.