Klondike Dog Derby canceled for second consecutive year due to lack of snow
Organizers have called off this year's Klondike Dog Derby due to a lack of snow.
The cancellation marks the second consecutive year the event, which features a 40-mile sled dog race on Lake Minnetonka, has been unable to take place to due weather conditions.
"We so appreciate everyone on our team and the hundreds of volunteers who have helped to make this event happen," organizers shared in an announcement Thursday. "Thanks to them, and after a year’s worth of work, every element is in place for another world-class sled dog race… except one: SNOW."
Bill Damberg, the event's co-founder and president, said every element, with the exception of snow, is in place to produce a world-class, professional race.
The lake is currently an "ice rink", the organization wrote, and mushers require hard-packed, dense snow to compete safely.
“For our organization, our sponsors and our volunteers, it’s sad to have to pull the reins at this point, but we must," Damberg stated. “But as we do, we also begin planning for the next race in 2026, when we hope to come back stronger and better than ever.”
In northern Minnesota, organizers of the 300-mile John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon are facing similar challenges.
The 40th running of the marathon was originally scheduled to take place nearly one year ago, but organizers postponed the 2024 event until early 2025 due to unfavorable weather and dangerous trail conditions.
In the Twin Cities, the Klondike Dog Derby organizers still will host other community events this winter.
On January 25, the Cutest Puppy Contest will take place at Back Channel Brewing Co.
The first-ever Maynard’s Klondike Dog Derby Concert Series will follow on what would have been race weekend, Friday, Jan. 31, and Saturday, Feb. 1.
BMTN Note: Weather events in isolation can't always be pinned on climate change, but the broader trend of increasingly severe weather and record-breaking extremes seen in Minnesota and across the globe can be attributed directly to the rapidly warming climate caused by human activity. The IPCC has warned that Earth is "firmly on track toward an unlivable world," and says greenhouse gas emissions must be halved by 2030 in order to limit warming to 1.5C, which would prevent the most catastrophic effects on humankind. You can read more here.
