Sports

Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area will be open at a limited capacity again this weekend, with only the Porcupine chair running. That lift services the mountain’s easiest trails. 

Staff members were hoping to open more of the mountain going into this weekend, but the ski report this morning confirmed that Hooter, Ptarmigan and Blackbear lifts will remain closed. That means no access to the upper mountain. 

“It was 35 degrees at the base Wednesday morning. And it was raining all the way to the top of Hooter,” said Marketing and Events manager Kristen Strom. “That kind of set us back for a bigger opening this weekend.”

Temperatures this week were warmer than expected, with several days above freezing.

Eaglecrest hosted a soft opening last weekend. Strom said a steady flow of visitors came out to enjoy the easier trails.

“It was kind of a nice, slower opening for us. And then this week, we were predicted to have a lot of snow,” she said.

Strom said safety considerations guided the decision to keep some trails closed. The base of the mountain has a relatively thin snowpack, which exposes skiers to early-season hazards. 

The other consideration is snowmaking. Eaglecrest relies on a durable snow base that can last throughout the season. In recent seasons, they’ve relied more and more on man-made snow. This year, temperatures have not stayed cold enough for snowmakers to cover the base of the mountain.

Strom said that a slow rollout is not uncommon for Eaglecrest, and they’re hopeful that the whole mountain will be accessible by Thursday, Dec. 15. 

The National Weather Service forecasts clear skies with below-normal temperatures this weekend.

The 34 dog mushers signed up to run the next Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race are the fewest in the race’s 50-year-old history.

In the beginning, one of the main goals of starting the 1,000-mile race was to keep alive a traditional form of Bush travel and the sled dogs that power it.

But as Iditarod has become more competitive and the non-contenders who make it more of a cultural event have struggled — many pointing at the rising cost of living and maintaining a dog team — some are left wondering: Is dog mushing dying?

Longtime dog musher and past Yukon Quest champion John Schandelmeier, who’s also a columnist, has been pondering that question. And Schandelmeier says there are many factors contributing to fewer dog mushers with race-worthy kennels.

Listen:

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

John Schandelmeier: The time is a crucial factor and the fact that, you know, costs are going up, which means they have to make more money to support those dogs. And, the mushers, if you look at the musher list, a lot of the mushers that have been racing for 15 years are no longer there. They’re moved on, maybe some of them have families, some of them are older and are doing other things. You know, there’s just a lot of different factors, and I don’t think it’s any one thing. And then, go back years ago, ’80s and ’90s, a big part of the mushers were coming out of the Bush and coming into town and racing dogs, because they had dogs. Now, there’s nobody coming out of the villages, either Iditarod or Quest.

Casey Grove: And it seems like a lot of folks point to the costs. I wonder, what does that take? And what are the things that have really gone up? I mean, I’m thinking about gas for running ATVs and things like that.

John Schandelmeier: I keep a pretty close handle on costs, and I always, in the past, I figured that you could race a dog team for $750 a year per dog. So if I had 40 dogs, that was, you know, a little over 30,000 bucks. But those costs have changed considerably, because just the feed costs have probably, over the last 10 years, have almost doubled because of, not just the cost of the food itself, but the cost of getting the food to you. And then veterinary costs have increased. There used to be a few vets around who did sled dog care a little cheaper than you could get house dog care. Now, those costs have more than doubled. They’ve probably tripled. And the vets who are doing that kind of work in the villages and out are less and less and less and now there’s only maybe one. And so, fuel is a huge factor, because the ATV runs around and you got to train in the summer. August, September, October is pretty much all on wheels. And then traveling to train, because there’s quite a few mushers who can’t travel out of their home. And yeah, that’s a factor.

Casey Grove: Is there also less money in it? I mean, I feel like we hear about Iditarod itself losing sponsors, and that’s happened over the last few years, but for individual mushers, is there less money in sponsorship dollars?

John Schandelmeier: Yes, I think so. Because mushing is sideline, it’s not a well-known sport. I mean, we’ve had sponsors over the years, and we couldn’t give anything in return, really. Like for instance, we were sponsored by Eukanuba for a few years, and I felt like, OK, so, is that gonna sell them enough dog food to cover the cost of sponsoring me? Which was, you know, valuable for us, but was it valuable for them? It never felt like it was. And then there’s, you know, how many people even go outside anymore? I mean, that’s what we see here. I think that’s a factor in a lot of things, because to be a musher you’re gonna have to get out there and be out there and be OK with being cold and all that. And I think that’s becoming less attractive in our society. I don’t think it’s there anymore.

Casey Grove: Do you think that’s a generational shift?

John Schandelmeier: I do. I think it’s something that we we’ve lost in our society, and I don’t think we’re going to get it back. I think we’ve lost that generation in the middle. And it’s because of electronics. And that’s, I’m totally convinced, and I have no qualms in advocating that thought, because I think that’s the case with our world. We’re dependent on things that are not of us. We’re not dependent on ourselves anymore.

Casey Grove: I feel like, too, when you talk about technology, it’s kind of like more than just, “Did you take a GPS on your race?” It’s like, “Are you comfortable enough stepping outside of that safety bubble to even be a dog musher?”

John Schandelmeier: Yes, and that’s what I was getting at. It doesn’t come back. Because it’s just what you just said, it’s a comfort level. It’s like, “I’m OK to be where I am, wherever that is.” It’s not about where in the world I am, it’s where I am in my head. You know, am I comfortable where I am?

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is dropping its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for mushers, staff and volunteers in the 2023 race.

The announcement comes as mushers have been slow to sign up for the 51st running of Iditarod, with only 26 listed as of Tuesday. Past years have seen as many as 80 or 90 teams start the 1,000-mile race from Anchorage to Nome.

But Iditarod spokeswoman Shannon Noonan said having fewer mushers signed up did not affect the decision to drop the vaccination requirement.

“You know, dropping this policy may change that, but that was not a deciding factor of dropping the vaccination policy,” Noonan said.

Last year, the Iditarod said requiring proof of vaccination was necessary to protect everyone along the trail. That included residents of remote communities serving as checkpoints, where medical care is limited and an influx of people during the race could lead to an outbreak. The village of Takotna, a favorite stop for some mushers to take their mandatory 24-hour break, opted out of being a checkpoint altogether in 2022, out of concern for residents’ health.

What’s different now, Noonan said, is COVID’s declining trajectory in Alaska. State and federal guidelines aren’t recommending vaccination requirements for big events like the Iditarod.

“We in no way are dropping the vaccine requirement, you know, saying that COVID is over, in any way,” Noonan said. “We are, absolutely still have, our villages and our mushers and our volunteers as our number one concern, and we’re going to continue asking and looking for input from our villages as we move forward to the race.”

It’s unclear if dropping the vaccination requirement will bring back mushers who cited the policy when they decided not to race the Iditarod in 2022. That includes Wade Marrs, who had mushed the previous 10 races and placed 4th in 2021, matching his previous best finish, but said he wouldn’t race in 2022 because of the vaccination requirement.

Five-time Iditarod finisher Monica Zappa, of Kasilof, has been skeptical of the vaccines and opposed the Iditarod’s requirement. And while she said her decision not to race the past two years also involved the age of her dogs and the cost of maintaining a race kennel, Zappa said she’s glad the race is dropping the requirement.

“I mean, I’m not like begrudging the race, but sometimes just in life in general, you have to let people be the controllers of themselves a little bit, too,” Zappa said.

State health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to get updated COVID boosters. In June 2022, unvaccinated adults were more than four times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID compared to those who’d had at least one booster.

Noonan, with the Iditarod, said race officials are still discussing protocols for COVID-19 testing during the race. In 2021 and 2022, a positive test meant mushers or staff had to leave the race.

Meantime, Noonan said the Iditarod is hoping more mushers — some wrapping up their first busy tourism season since before the pandemic — will sign up for the 2023 race.

If the start were today, the 26 teams currently listed would be, by far, the fewest in Iditarod history. Mushers can still sign up, but the entry fee increases at the end of November.

The Iditarod is set to start March 4, 2023.

U.S. curling is in a crisis, with multiple controversies raging in public view. One centers on whether USA Curling should fire its CEO over his handling of sexual abuse allegations when he formerly led a different organization, the NWSL — the women’s pro soccer league.

That conflict is playing out amid an inner schism: USA Curling’s board plans to cut ties with a large regional association comprising more than 6,000 curlers.

Tensions ramped up this week, when several current and former members of USA Curling’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force issued an open letter calling for the governing body to fire Chief Executive Officer Jeff Plush, or for board members to resign en masse. An online petition based on the letter drew more than 1,000 signatures, as curling clubs around the country voiced their support on social media.

“We’re asking for the immediate removal of Jeff Plush as CEO,” Monica Walker, a former U.S. Curling national team member who signed the diversity panel’s letter, told NPR.

The letter reflects simmering distrust in the national governing body that boiled over on Oct. 3, when it emerged that Plush refused to take part in former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates’s investigation that found systemic sexual misconduct and abusive behavior by authority figures in the NWSL — the women’s pro soccer league formerly led by Plush.

USA Curling and its board of directors say that athletes’ safety and well-being is their main priority. They also say they’re sticking with Plush, saying they’re confident he can still be effective as CEO, including his responsibility to protect players.

The disputes are poised to be front and center Friday night, when athletes and curling clubs attend the national body’s annual meeting. Anyone following the sessions online via YouTube will likely see a different side of a sport that has become a darling of fans during recent Winter Olympics, where competition is marked by intense focus and flamboyant team uniforms.

Curling is gripped by an unexpected twist

The revelation that Plush did not aid the Yates inquiry came a year after some in curling pushed for Plush to be placed on administrative leave while Yates’ and any other investigations took place. USA Curling’s board refused to take that step.

Responding to the Yates report, USA Curling’s board said that it is reassured in Plush’s ability to lead the organization, citing the results of its own investigation, along with “Jeff’s candor during interviews with the Board, and his actions during his time as USA Curling CEO.”

The board has not released findings or other details from its inquiry — a step the diversity panel and others are asking it to take.

Walker, who previously served on the sport’s diversity task force, also notes that USA Curling’s current SafeSport protocols for handling abuse and misconduct claims calls for sending reports directly to Plush and Chief Financial Officer Eric Gleason — another former NWSL executive, who joined USA Curling a year after Plush.

“We believe that the Yates report indicates his inability to act appropriately with issues of this nature, and we don’t want to see that repeated at USA Curling,” Walker said of Plush.

Plush’s critics want him taken out of the reporting chain for abuse complaints; they’re also calling for a review of how USA Curling has handled such reports during his tenure.

What the Yates report says about Plush

Plush, who was the NWSL’s commissioner from 2015 to 2017, is a prominent figure in the Yates report. His name appears 39 times, but he declined to speak with investigators led by Yates and the law firm King & Spalding: “Jeff Plush did not respond to our request for an interview,” the report states.

Instead, Plush’s words appear through emails and other documents from his time at NWSL. The records show that former Portland Thorns player Mana Shim emailed Plush directly in 2015, “reporting [Thorns coach Paul] Riley’s persistent and unwanted advances and his retaliation against her when she asked him to stop,” the report states.

Plush shared Shim’s email with others, but after Riley was fired by the Thorns, Plush did not block him from returning to the NWSL to coach another team, the North Carolina Courage — which fired Riley in September 2021, when players publicly made allegations against him in The Athletic.

“They chose to ignore us and silence us, allowing the abuse to continue,” Shim and two fellow athletes said after Yates’ report was released. “It is time for action, accountability, and change.”

In the wake of revelations about the NWSL’s handling of the Riley case, Lisa Baird, who succeeded Plush as the league’s commissioner, resigned.

Plush stepped down from leading the NWSL in 2017 — but not before drawing the ire of some of the biggest stars in U.S. soccer, who had recently won the women’s World Cup. The athletes’ complaints centered on subpar facilities.

Megan Rapinoe called Plush out by name in July 2016 when the Seattle Reign and Western New York Flash were relegated to playing on an undersized field in a baseball stadium. Rapinoe was quickly echoed by fellow star Alex Morgan; months later, Morgan signed to play for France’s Olympique Lyonnais, prioritizing that team over Plush’s NWSL.

When USA Curling hired Plush in 2020, it touted his experience dealing with sponsors and TV networks — revenue streams crucial to a sport’s growth. But the deal Plush made at NWSL was with A+E Networks, and it resulted in putting women’s soccer teams on the Lifetime channel rather than on sports networks. The partnership died ahead of schedule, just two years later.

USA Curling moves against its largest association

Curling has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, thanks to its popularity at the Winter Olympics and unprecedented success by U.S. athletes. In normal times, this year’s membership meeting would focus on ways to keep people involved with the sport in the three years between the Games.

Instead, sessions could be overshadowed by the fight over Plush’s leadership. And USA Curling has scheduled a vote to ratify its decision to oust the Grand National Curling Club, or GNCC, one of its most influential regional associations, after years of conflicts over dues and other policies.

Last year, the GNCC was a vocal proponent for placing Plush on leave; it recently issued a call for his removal, condemning the board’s decision to support the embattled CEO.

The GNCC’s roots date to 1867; it became a regional body in 1958. Today, its clubs range from Maine to Florida, and its curlers account for about 25% of USA Curling’s membership, GNCC Vice Chairperson Kristen Conrad told NPR.

USA Curling’s board voted in July to revoke the GNCC’s standing, saying the GNCC had refused to fulfill a requirement that regional associations make sure at least 95% of their clubs are paying dues to the national body.

Conrad says the GNCC and USA Curling clashed over how dues should be handled even before the pandemic hit — arguments that included what she calls “personal conflicts and power struggles.” It grew worse, she said, when some of GNCC’s clubs looked to resign from the national body while retaining ties with the regional body, so they could still rent equipment and get other help. The association voted to maintain its relationship with the clubs, despite the potential for punishment at the national level.

“Many clubs feel that they get very little for the $34 per person that they pay” to USA Curling, Conrad said. Some clubs resigned, she added, because of their own financial problems, disagreements or lack of confidence in the national group, “or a combination of those reasons.”

The GNCC is scheduled to have a hearing with USA Curling’s judiciary committee on Friday, hours ahead of a vote that would remove the group. If the GNCC is ousted, its member clubs would be left to join USA Curling on their own if they want to be part of the national body.

This week, the rancor played out as a four-person team affiliated with the Grand National Curling Club represented the U.S. at the World Mixed Curling Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Those close to the sport worry that the off-ice distractions could hinder curling’s expansion, after expanding its reach in recent years.

“It’s definitely a weird time to have this going on,” said diversity committee member Natalie Rose, citing the twin controversies. “There is concern for sure that there would be a chilling effect to that growth if people don’t feel like there is a solid place to get involved with curling.”

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Juneau’s public use cabin system is beloved — and often booked far in advance. Now, more cabins may be available soon for overnight stays.

The U.S. Forest Service just received $20 million for public cabins, said Regional Director of Recreation, Land and Minerals James King. 

“Alaska did very, very well,” he said. “We’ve got $14.4 million of that $20 million to go towards either repairing, restoring or constructing new cabins. 

The money is part of the federal infrastructure bill that passed last year. 

There are currently about a dozen public cabins accessible from Juneau’s road system. Some are owned and maintained by the state, some by the Forest Service and others by the City and Borough of Juneau.

Now, the Forest Service is proposing several new cabins in Juneau, out of 50 proposed cabins statewide. 

Most of the existing cabins are found along trails that take several miles to hike to, and King said a goal is to build cabins that are more accessible for people who can’t necessarily hike out to one. 

“A big emphasis of this money for us with the new ones is to put these cabins where the demand exists,” King said. “For a lot of that, it’s near communities.”

The new proposals vary in purpose: some are right by the Mendenhall Glacier and would be accessible by car; another along Montana Creek creates a cabin “thru-hike” opportunity, where folks can hike from cabin to cabin to traverse a longer trail in Juneau.

These ideas are getting a lot of feedback.

“We’re really happy with the response,” he said said. “We’ve received over 500 comments on cabin locations.”

Ryan O’Shaughnessy leads Juneau’s trail maintenance nonprofit, Trail Mix, Inc. He says that part of their partnership with the city is to support new cabin projects. 

“We really like to think of ourselves as a tool in the toolbox for land managers for recreation projects, so we’re super happy to help build cabins or happy to help build trails to cabins, clearing land for cabins, any and all,” O’Shaughnessy said. “We’re very supportive of these projects.”

Proposition 2 on Juneau’s local ballot will also help fund more cabins, O’Shaughnessy said. That measure is poised to pass once the city certifies election results later this week.

All the cabin proposal projects can be explored on an interactive map, and comments for the new Forest Service cabins can be made until Oct. 31. King said some plans were already in the works prior to the new federal funding, which means new cabins could be available as soon as next summer. He hopes others will be constructed in the next four years. 

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated that the U.S. Forest Service Alaska Region had received $20 million for new public use cabins. In fact, the U.S. Forest Service as a whole received that money. 

Alaska sled dog mushing icon Lance Mackey has died at the age of 52.

Mackey’s Comeback Kennel announced on its Facebook page that he passed away Wednesday evening after a long battle with cancer. Despite surviving a bout with throat cancer 20 years ago, Mackey announced last year that he had been re-diagnosed with the disease.

Mackey, who lived in the Fairbanks area, has been a fixture in long-distance sled dog racing for many years. He won the Yukon Quest four years in a row, starting in 2005. He’s also the only musher to win the Iditarod four straight years. The 1,000-mile races are held just a month apart. He became the only musher to win both races in the same year in 2007. And then he did it again the next year.

In a Facebook post on Aug. 5, Mackey wrote that he had been going through cancer treatments, and the past several months were the worst part. He said he was in the hospital, with 24-hour care. He said he wanted to thank his friends and family, and tell them how much he loved them.

“Fully believe it is not my time yet,” he wrote, “and I’m still doing pretty good but I’m going to have a lot of things to get done in my life.”

The mushing world mourned Mackey’s passing overnight on social media, with Iñupiaq musher Apayauq Reitan sharing a memory of Mackey helping her during the 2019 Iditarod.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Iditarod said Mackey “embodied the Spirit of the Race, the tenacity of an Alaskan musher, displayed the ultimate show of perseverance and was loved by his fans.”

Mackey lost his partner, Jennifer Smith, in 2020. She died in an ATV accident. Mackey had been raising the couple’s two young children alone after surviving a serious car crash last year.