Warm Weather Ruins a Maine Favorite Event: Sled Dog Race

The winter of 2023-2024 had been mild, leading some to celebrate an early spring, and others to hold onto winter for dear life.

Unfortunately, it is the latter half for many folks in the state of Maine.

The 2024 Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races, scheduled for this week in Fort Kent, have been canceled, according to an ABC News article.

The Can-Am Crown normally brings thousands of spectators and valuable tourism dollars to one of the most rural parts of the Northeast, according to an ABC News affiliate:

It’s one of many cold weather events that has been jeopardized in recent years by increasingly warm winter temperatures in northern parts of the country.

This news has left hundreds of Mainers disappointed. The 250-mile event has been taking place in northern Maine for over three decades. However, this year, the snow cooperation has been minimal.

Although the races are held more than 300 miles north of Portland and near the border with Canada, the snowfall has been a fraction of what it has been in the past. "The town has had 46.8 inches (119 cm) of snow this year and normally would have had more than 80 inches (203 cm) by now, the National Weather Service said.," according to an AP News article.

Although the news is disappointing, the event organizers want everyone to know that the cancellation is for the best.

"The health and safety of our mushers and their incredible dogs is our priority. The warmth and lack of snow have led us to conclude that moving forward with this year’s race could compromise the well-being of all involved," organizers wrote according to an ABC News affiliate.

The Can-Am Crown Planning Committee said they are already making plans for the 2025 race.