OK, we’re all going on a little trip, say 2,000 miles. That would be like driving from Philadelphia to Santa Fe. Or Seattle to Dallas. Butte to New Orleans. Quite a haul. But we’ll be comfy in the car, out of the elements, stopping regularly at convenience stores along the way for refreshments and potty […]
OK, we’re all going on a little trip, say 2,000 miles.
That would be like driving from Philadelphia to Santa Fe. Or Seattle to Dallas. Butte to New Orleans. Quite a haul.
But we’ll be comfy in the car, out of the elements, stopping regularly at convenience stores along the way for refreshments and potty breaks.
Doesn’t sound bad, does it?
But in Alaska, their version of a 2,000-mile trip is slightly different, very “Alaska through and through,” says Brad Hillwig, marketing director for KTUU, the NBC affiliate in Anchorage owned by Northern Lights Media.
So forget the car. We’re going on snowmobiles, from Anchorage to Nome, then to Fairbanks.
Through some of the most remote, desolate country in the country.
We’re not comfy, we’re sitting out in the elements, and I doubt we’re stopping at any convenience stores along the way.
Dress accordingly. We’ll be going as fast as 100 mph. And it will be cold, down to minus 50 degrees below zero at times. Potty breaks? Don’t ask.
And the last time I looked, there are no doors or windows on a snowmobile. And really, what would be the point of a heater?
It’s billed as the world’s longest, toughest snowmobile race, the Iron Dog.
And we can all watch it from the comfort of our couches tomorrow night on the NBC Sports Network at 11 p.m. ET.
The one-hour documentary was produced by KTUU.
“KTUU has covered the event for years,” says Hillwig, “but we wanted to show the event to an even larger audience. All the production was done by KTUU.”
There are 37 teams of two competing this year, including one all-female team going up against a 7-time winner, a 55-year-old rider seeking his 8th win.
Each team brings two snowmobiles, as I imagine a 2,000-mile trip through the Alaskan wilderness going 100 mph in minus 50 degrees could take a toll on a snowmobile, not to mention the drivers.
To read an earlier Market Share post all about how KTUU’s covers news in Alaska, click here.
Here’s a video from the 2010 Iron Dog race.
Comments (0)
Reader Interactions