Fast Sleds on the Sea Ice

A Nome-Golovin racer speeds from the starting line on his snowmachine

A blisteringly fast and frenzied snowmachine race captures the interest of Western Alaska listeners each March. Through your support, KNOM’s live radio broadcasts rally the region, enlivening the race for remote listeners cheering on loved ones.

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Let the Races Begin

Sled dog team in Bethel, Alaska

It’s the beginning of “race season” in Western Alaska: the sled dog and snowmachine races that traverse, and fascinate, our state. In January, we covered the Kuskokwim 300.

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The Iron Dogs

Iron Dog racers coming into Nome during the race in 2014. Photo: KNOM file.

It’s the world’s longest race of snowmachines – Alaskan parlance for snowmobiles – and last month, it passed through our region. The Iron Dog Snowmachine Race is an annual focal point for our listeners. The 1,000-mile-plus competition traverses some of Alaska’s most isolated terrain, with a course stretching from Anchorage to Nome to Fairbanks. Racers…

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Back at the microphone

Western Alaska’s listeners – and KNOM’s crew – recently delighted in hearing a familiar voice on our airwaves: staff alumnus Paul Korchin, who volunteered a week at our station in mid-March. Paul, a longtime news director who now serves on our board of directors, generously contributed many hours to KNOM’s coverage of winter “race season”…

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March 2008: The All-Alaska Sweepstakes returns

March 26, 2008 Paul Korchin and Amy Flaherty hop onto borrowed snowmobiles to follow the 100th anniversary running of the All Alaska Sweepstakes, a 408-mile sled dog race through the wilderness. They report using a satellite telephone lent by Nome police chief Paul Burke.

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The difference weather can make

What a difference the weather can make: especially in Western Alaska, and especially at this time of year. On cloudy days, the dull light blurs the snowy landscape, and depth perception, over long distances, is more difficult. This “flat light” is a challenge for all who travel on land and the frozen sea. On sunny…

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