The World Ice Art Championships, 2009 Fairbanks

As may be becoming apparent from many of these blog posts, Fairbanks hosts a large number of competitive events in the winter -- many of which I haven't even mentioned (like the outhouse races and the cross-country ski world championships).  

There are common elements to many of these competitions unique to Alaska.  The Alaskan author, Sherry Simpson, characterized this well in the following quote:  They call the race "The Spirit of Adventure" [this is a sailboat race in Southeastern Alaska], and it's true it offers most elements of the best Alaskan contests:  potential disaster, a test of skills undervalued by society, the chance to be pummeled by awful weather, a certain grandeur of vision, and relative pointlessness.  It is practically irresistible. (The Accidental Explorer:  Wayfinding in Alaska, pg 98)  Think Iditarod!

The Ice Park was open from February 24 to March 22nd (extended for an additional week due to the unusual persistence of cold weather).  Harvesting the ice for this competition and other uses began the week before Christmas when they were able to obtain 180 blocks of 4' x 6'x 2' in size, weighing about 3000 lbs each.  They also provide this ice to Anchorage and for the sculptures you will find all over Fairbanks during the winter.  I guess Fairbanks has excellent quality ice for this sort of thing.  The January 2009 issue of the Tip of the Iceberg newsletter has a lot of information -- probably more than you need to know -- but the article on Ice Operations 2008-2009 is quite interesting (http://www.icealaska.com).

The photos below are of some of my favorite pieces -- which just happened to have won most of the awards.  The photos are not brilliant, but I hope they are intriguing enough for you to check out the website (they do look better if you click to enlarge them).  The photos on the website have been taken by professionals.

Title:  50th Celebration by the Sourdough Band

Place:  4th, multi-block, realistic category and Artist's Choice Award

Artists:  Harbin, China (4)

Ice blocks used in multi-block sculptures

Poster for photo below (if you click on it you can read the information)

Title:  The Invitation

Place:  3rd, single-block, realistic and Artist's Choice for this category

Artists:  China (2)

Title:  Pandora's Box

Place:  1st, multi-block, abstract category

Artist's:  Russia (2), US (1), Korean (1)

Title:  Finders Keepers

Category:  single-block, realistic category

Artist's:  US (2)

This sculpture did not place in the judging, but I thought it was quite graceful.

Poster for 1st prize, multi-block, realistic category

Title:  White Fang

Place:  1st, multi-block, realistic category

Artists:  Japanese  (4)

Close-up of wolves

... and the stag

Poster for  1st prize single-block, realistic category

Title:  Surfacing Kingfisher

Place:  1st, single-block, realistic

Artists:  Japanese (1), Canadian (1)

Title:  Spring

Place:  1st, single-block, abstract category

Artists:  1 (US), 1 (UK) 




Title:  Subsistence

Place:  6th, multi-block, realistic category

Artists:  Mongolia (3), US (1)

Title:  The Three Graces

Place:  2nd, multi-block, abstract category

Artists:  Russians (3), US (1)

Title:  Leafy Lunch

Place:  2nd, single block, realistic category

Artists:  US (2)

This piece was entered in the Olympic Arts Trials and these artists will represent the US at the Winter Olympics Arts Festival.  This photo is not very good but the lighting was magnificent.

I found it difficult to photograph these ice sculptures in either daylight or under lights.  It is also hard to provide perspective on exactly how large they are.  I would encourage you to check out the World Ice Art Championships website at http://www.icealaska.com.  If you click on the 2009 links for single- and multi-block photos you can see them as they develop.  Under multi-block 2009, click on #12 daily photos to see very good photos of the winner, White Fang.  It is truly an awesome piece of art.  

Moose alert

The weather this "spring" was beginning to wear on me as the wind has been brutal -- and I have had problems shaking this cough.  When I woke up this morning I thought of how nice it would be to be able to lie on a beach in the sun.  In any case, I got up and put on clothes to head for the outhouse in what has now become an automatic set of actions.  As I opened the door, I was confronted by THIS...

Yes, a female moose lying directly in front of my door (you can see the shadow of the door frame on the right side of the photo).

The moose was between the front door and the outhouse (which you can see in the back).

Needless to say, I wasn't going anywhere...

... but I did forget all about the beach. 

She got up when Ann's dogs approached barking frantically.

First, she wandered over toward my little greenhouse 

(which is obviously not operational now)

Then she took off after the dogs.  Moose can sprint at 35 mph and can trot at 20.  

You wouldn't want to try to outrun one.

Here she is nibbling at the willows.  

They are herbivores and eat grasses and twigs 

(mostly twigs in the winter).

How cool is this?

It does seem that every time my enthusiasm for the great white north even hints of waning, something absolutely magical happens -- like the moose, or the northern light show on night of March 13th.  Amazing!

North American Championship Sled Dog Race

This is the last sled dog race this year (for me, at least).  It is the longest continually held race, I think, in the world -- but at least in North America.  A Swede won by a 4.5-second margin.  This was the ninth win for Egil Ellis in eleven years.  With this win he beat George Attla's (an Alaskan icon) record of eight wins.  His dogs are a cross between huskies and short-haired pointers he brought to Alaska from Sweden.  He is currently living in Willow, AK.

  

The race begins and ends in Fairbanks, and although there are not as many spectators as for Iditarod, downtown is quite festive.  Below I have focused on the diversity of dogs with photos of  team-mates and portraits.  Since I did not "work" this race I had more time to take photos.  It was a difficult job to make the selection.

Who wouldn't love this dog?

Just out of the chute...

Waiting for the signal...

We can do this...

Getting ready to go...

We are happy to be running side by side...

Let's go already!

I don't know, what do you think?

You want me to do what?

We've done this before, it's no big deal...

Another pair of twins

These dogs belong to Al Stead of Duluth, Minnesota.  His whole team is made up of pure-bred Siberian Huskies.  Even the announcer said they should win the prize for the most beautiful dog team.  Unfortunately, he came in last the first day and had to scratch.  It is strange to think of Siberians as sprinters -- they are slow even in long-distance racing.

This dog really needs no comment except, perhaps, that he would be at home in a Disney movie.

A close-up of dogs coming in after a 20-mile sprint

A near photo-finish for these two teams

Now for a couple of news items.  You have probably heard by now that Mount Redoubt has erupted.  Although the wind is to the north, they say that Fairbanks is not likely to be affected.  They did say, however, that the last time this happened the eruptions continued for 3 to 4 months.  Several flights into and out of Anchorage have already been canceled and it is not clear what this will mean for air travel over the next few months.

Finally, Lance Mackey, in addition to winning the Iditarod, received the award for excellence in dog care.  This award, coveted by mushers, is decided by the vote of all of the veterinarians from the start and finish of the race as well as from all of the checkpoints on the trail.  Mackey also won this award two years ago following the Yukon Quest (which he also won that year).  Lance has said, himself, that he thinks he is part dog.

Topics to be covered in future posts include the International Ice Carving Championships, wildlife outside my window, and more...

Mackey wins the Iditarod

For those unfortunate of you that do not yet know -- Lance Mackey won the Iditarod at 11:38 AM Wednesday March 18.  He is one of only 3 mushers to have won 3 in a row.  He is the first musher ever to finish in first with 15 dogs.  Lance said he could have coaxed the 16th dog along but noticed that he was not enthusiastic after a section of rough trail.  Since the dog is only a 2-year-old, Mackey said he was afraid keeping him on the team might compromise his future development.  

Lance said he was extremely proud of his dogs.  His leader on the first part of the trail, Maple, was not even 2 years old -- but it was good old Larry that carried him across the Bering Sea. Mackey said that he will retire Larry (who is 9 years old) this year.  Although he can still count on him in difficult situations, Larry has been pulling some "boners" of late which Lance feels indicate that he has had enough.  We will miss him!

For those of you less interested in mushing I will be moving on to other topics in the near future, but there is one more big competition for sprinters (ADMA) this weekend in Fairbanks -- so bear with me.

Iditarod 37 -- Restart at Willow

This is the real thing!  Mushers, dogs, and spectators are more serious.  Willow is about an hour and a half north of Anchorage by car.  The volunteers arrived at about 10:00 AM for a 2:00 PM start. 

This gave us a chance to see the dog trucks arrive.  Here you see a pretty typical vehicle -- some are fancier, some are pretty basic.

Here you can see that these dogs are really not very big.  They weigh an average of 50 pounds, but they are focused and tough -- truly amazing animals.  Scientists have discovered that sled dogs are capable of greater endurance than previously thought.  Research conducted by Michael Davis, a vet at Oklahoma State's Center for Veterinary Health Sciences has demonstrated that sled dog physiology is superior to other mamals in three key areas.  They have a huge aerobic capacity, adapt well to exercise, and are highly efficient in their use of food -- particularly fat -- as fuel.  

After a few days on the trail, the dogs develop an enhanced ability to pull nutrients out of the blood stream so that exercise that was energy depleting on the first day is sustainable on day 4.  To quote Davis, "at that exercise level, with proper nutrition, it renders the dogs (almost) fatigue-proof."  They can only make this adaptation if they get sufficient calories  ''... upward of 12,000 calories a day"  (compare that with Michael Phelps at three times the weight of a sled dog and consuming 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day when training).  This research was presented at the American Physiological Society last year and is accessible on the web for anyone interested.

We CAN be patient

...but now we're ready to GO!

Nothing will stop us now...

... and they're off.

Here is Dee Dee Jonrowe heading for Nome (this is her 27th Iditarod)

... and Jeff King

... and Lance Mackey

 So far this has been Lance Mackey's race.  He is at least 5 hours out in front of the pack with 15 dogs.  He commented to one of the interviewers that he really doesn't need all 15 to get to Nome, and that it is more work for him to feed, bootie, and prepare beds for so many dogs. However, he feels that as long as his dogs are in good shape they deserve to stay with him to the finish.  He also noted that in the "vet checks" that all dogs go though at checkpoints, the only deficiency a vet pointed out was that one of his dog's toenails were slightly too long.  Mackey said he "... laughed hysterically".

Of course this is a sled dog race and anything could happen.  I heard on the news report this morning that a musher fell asleep on his sled and was picked up on the trail by another musher who returned him to his team which had continued on down the trail.  As Cowboy Jim says in the Iditarod Trail Song Its a gruelin' race with a lightnin' pace ...