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.
Musher Profile: Emily Maxwell
Emily Maxwell ran her first Iditarod this March. She stopped by the KNOM studios to share stories from the Iditarod trail — and how she got there.
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.
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.
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.
16 Teams Depart Kobuk 440 Start in Kotzebue
Sixteen dog teams took off from Kotzebue this afternoon at the start of the 2018 Kobuk 440. Leading the pack across the sea ice was this year’s Iditarod Rookie of the Year, Jessie Holmes. Absent was Kotzebue musher Katherine Keith, although some of her kennel’s dogs will be on the trail.
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.
Norway’s Ulsom Wins Iditarod
Last month marked another running of Alaska’s epic, 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. 2018 brought a fresh face to the roster of race champions — and saw KNOM volunteer alumni on the trail, both as reporters and even as a competitor.
Ulsom Wins Iditarod 2018
Joar Leifseth Ulsom is the champion of Iditarod 2018. The Norwegian musher claimed his first Iditarod win at 3:01am Wednesday, arriving under the Burled Arch with 8 dogs.