Story49: The Kobuk Comes to Ambler
The village of Ambler, 45 miles above the Arctic Circle, is the main stop on the Kobuk 440 dogsled race. Volunteers at the checkpoint say it takes the whole village to make it happen.
Nicolas Petit Claims Decisive Win in 2018 Kobuk 440
There was still pale orange light in the western sky as the French-born Girdwood musher rode into Kotzebue at 12:08 Sunday morning. He had seven energetic dogs in harness.
Making Ambler’s Checkpoint Run Takes a Village
People like Lolo Johnson, who’s been a race cook in Ambler for 12 years, make the busy checkpoint run smoothly as mushers come and go and come again.
Browning, King Race for Second as Petit Pushes On
Veteran Tony Browning is the musher with the most Kobuk 440s under his belt, while relative newbie Ellen King is only racing her second.
Petit Extends Lead; Jessie Holmes Scratches
Petit checked in to Ambler for the second time after completing the turnaround leg to Kobuk and back in a swift 7 hours. Holmes says he “way too hard, way too fast” at the beginning.
Two Generations of Kings Racing Kobuk 440: One By Dog Sled, One By Snowmachine
Both Jeff King and Ellen King arrived into Ambler on Friday morning. The elder King isn’t competing this year, but he’s been following his daughter on snowmachine. Ellen was the fourth out of 16 mushers to reach the 2018 Kobuk 440 checkpoint.
Nic Petit First to Ambler
The sun was just creeping over Bornite Mountain when Nicolas Petit rode into Ambler in first position. It’s the third checkpoint in the Kobuk 440 and where mushers tend to take longer rests.
17 Mushers Registered for 2018 Kobuk 440 (Updated)
Out of the 17 teams currently registered to race the 2018 Kobuk 440 — from Kotzebue to Kobuk and back, starting April 12 — about half are women. With fewer than 20 mushers on the roster, the funds remaining after the champion’s prize will be doled out among the total number of finishers at the end of the race.
2017 Kobuk 440 Starts Today
Kobuk 440 race coordinator Carmen Daggett says the first teams are expected to cross the finish line in Kotzebue sometime late Sunday or early Monday.
Francesca on the Trail
It was an adventure that she describes as one of the most incredible highlights of her year of service. In April, news volunteer Francesca Fenzi hit the trail for a sled dog race that offers a unique look of what makes rural Alaska so special.