Alaska

In a tenuous time for distance mushing, Yukon Quest Alaska takes a new path

Published

3 weeks ago

February 4, 2026

In a tenuous time for distance mushing, Yukon Quest Alaska takes a new path

Allen Moore, of Two Rivers, climbs toward Eagle Summit with his team during the 2019 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. (Marc Lester / ADN)

The popularity of long-distance mushing has been waning in recent years, a trend propelled by rising costs and a fading appetite for racing long, unsupported stretches through Alaska wilderness.

But the Yukon Quest Alaska is taking a new path, both literally and figuratively.

The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race was traditionally among the toughest in mushing, a 1,000-mile trek between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon. But the race splintered in 2022, with two shorter races being operated separately in Alaska and Canada. Last month, the Canadian Yukon Quest announced it isn’t running this year.

Yukon Quest Alaska race marshal John Schandelmeier, himself a notable distance musher with two wins at the Quest, has developed an approximately 800-mile route for the 2026 race that starts and ends in Fairbanks.

“I’ve been pushing this route for several years, knowing that we were never going to get back with the Whitehorse operation and making a thousand-mile race,” Schandelmeier said. “Plus the thought that there’s not that many people capable of doing a thousand-mile race anymore. There used to be, but there’s not anymore.”

The race starts at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center in Fairbanks.

While centering the race around Fairbanks is not novel, the trail passes through a number of communities that have never hosted checkpoints at a major race.

After heading northeast from Fairbanks, the race wheels north out of Circle to Fort Yukon before bending down southwest along the Yukon River.

It passes through Beaver, Stevens Village and Rampart before heading east at Tanana. Mushers will head to Nenana before a final sprint north back to Fairbanks.

Before the route was solidified, Schandelmeier made some initial outreaches to the villages to gauge interest.

“They’re all very excited about having a race come through,” he said. “Fort Yukon, Beaver, Rampart have never had a race come through there.”

After weeks of work breaking and prepping the trail, Schandelmeier said, the route is ready. And after billing the race at 750 miles in the lead-up, he said the actual distance is 803 miles.

On top of the distance and typical frigid Interior conditions, the race is expected to add layers of difficulty with changes of elevation and some tough runs between checkpoints.

“It’s considerably different than running the Iditarod,” Schandelmeier said. “We cross two summits, two that are wind-blown and need tripods (as markers), not just stakes. That run from Tanana to Manley is not flat. Even the Yukon (River) will be challenging.”

In total, there are seven mushers taking on the longer distance, but Schandelmeier believes it could be maintained as the standard going forward.

“I think the race we’re doing is the Quest of the future,” he said. “And I think we’ll get more participation after this year. The first year is always a little tough.”

With no signs of the Whitehorse race returning, it’s possible that Yukon Quest Alaska could draw more Canadian mushers in the near future.

And with a guaranteed purse of $35,000 for this year’s race, Schandelmeier expects it to continue to grow in popularity with Interior mushers, especially those with smaller dog yards.

“With a start and finish in Fairbanks, the city has really come on board and will continue to as it grows,” he said. “We have a ton of local sponsors jumping in and doing what they can.”

The 800-mile race will be the closest to the original distance that has existed since the 2022 split. But Schandelmeier doesn’t believe it’ll grow to its previous distance.

“I don’t know how much interest there is in a thousand-mile race anymore,” he said. “There’s a couple long runs in the Quest. And the last time I was a trail coordinator on that race, I talked to mushers, and they said, ‘Man, too long of runs, cold and dark, you never see anybody.’ ”

Jeff Deeter, Jason Mackey and Keaton Loebrich, all out of Fairbanks, are registered for the distance race. All three were 2025 Iditarod mushers with experience in longer distances.

The same is true for Two Rivers musher Josi Shelley, who raced the Iditarod in 2024.

Schandelmeier said the enthusiasm among the villages that haven’t hosted a checkpoint is high. And while races have not run through those areas, there is a deep history of running dogs in the area.

“All these villages have their own little races in the spring,” he said. “So this is just another race.”

There is also an 80-mile fun run included under the Yukon Quest Alaska banner. While Schandelmeier doesn’t have much involvement, he said it’s vital for musher development.

“It’s a very important race, and it’s a good thing,” he said. “It costs little to nothing to get in it and it’s very well-supported.”

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Alaska

Musician performs under the aurora in Nenana — without gloves, in 17 degrees

Published

4 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Musician performs under the aurora in Nenana — without gloves, in 17 degrees

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A musician with Alaska Native roots recorded an hour-long live set in Interior Alaska beneath the aurora.

Chastity Ashley, a drummer, vocalist and DJ who performs under the name Neon Pony, celebrated a year since she traveled to Nenana to record a live music set beneath the northern lights for her series Beats and Hidden Retreats.

Ashley, who has Indigenous roots in New Mexico, said she was drawn to Alaska in part because of the role drums play in Alaska Native culture. A handmade Alaskan hand drum, brought to her by a man from just outside Anchorage, was incorporated into the performance in February 2025.

Recording in the cold

The team spent eight days in Nenana waiting for the aurora to appear. Ashley said the lights did not come out until around 4 a.m., and she performed a continuous, uninterrupted hour-long set in 17-degree weather without gloves.

“It was freezing. I couldn’t wear gloves because I’m actually playing, yeah, hand drums and holding drumsticks. And there was ice underneath my feet,” Ashley said.

“So, I had to really utilize my balance and my willpower and my ability to just really immerse in the music and let go and make it about the celebration of what I was doing as opposed to worrying about all the other elements or what could go wrong.”

She said she performed in a leotard to allow full range of motion while drumming, DJing and singing.

Filming on Nenana tribal land

Ashley said she did not initially know the filming location was on indigenous land. After local authorities told her the decision was not theirs to make, she contacted the Nenana tribe directly for permission.

“I went into it kind of starting to tell them who I was and that I too was a part of a native background,” Ashley said. “And they just did not even care. They’re like, listen, we’re about to have a party for one of our friends here. Go and do what you like.”

Ashley said the tribe gave her full permission to film on the reservation, and that the aurora footage seen in the episode was captured there.

Seeing the aurora for the first time

Ashley said the Nenana performance marked her first time seeing the northern lights in person.

“It felt as if I were awake in a dream,” she said. “It really doesn’t seem real.”

She said she felt humbled and blessed to perform beneath the aurora and to celebrate its beauty and grandeur through her music.

“I feel incredibly humbled and blessed that not only did I get to take part in seeing something like that, but to play underneath it and celebrate its beauty and its grandeur.”

The Alaska episode is the second installment of Beats and Hidden Retreats, which is available on YouTube at @NeonPony. Ashley said two additional episodes are in production and she hopes to make it back up to Alaska in the future.

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Alaska

Over $150K worth of drugs seized from man in Juneau, police say

Published

16 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Over 0K worth of drugs seized from man in Juneau, police say

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – An Alaska drug task force seized roughly $162,000 worth of controlled substances during an operation in Juneau Thursday, according to the Juneau Police Department.

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, investigators with the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) approached 50-year-old Juneau resident Jermiah Pond in the Nugget Mall parking lot while he was sitting in his car, according to JPD.

A probation search of the car revealed a container holding about 7.3 gross grams of a substance that tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine, as well as about 1.21 gross grams of a substance that tested presumptively positive for fentanyl.

As part of the investigation, investigators executed a search warrant at Pond’s residence, during which they found about 46.63 gross grams of ketamine, 293.56 gross grams of fentanyl, 25.84 gross grams of methamphetamine and 25.5 gross grams of MDMA.

In all, it amounted to just less than a pound of drugs worth $162,500.

Investigators also seized $102,640 in cash and multiple recreational vehicles believed to be associated with the investigation.

Pond was lodged on charges of second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, two counts of third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, five counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a substance and an outstanding felony probation warrant.

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Alaska

Sand Point teen found 3 days after going missing in lake

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Sand Point teen found 3 days after going missing in lake

SAND POINT, Alaska (KTUU) – A teenage boy who was last seen Monday when the canoe he was in tipped over has been found by a dive team in a lake near Sand Point, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Alaska’s News Source confirmed with the person, who is close to the search efforts, that the dive team found 15-year-old Kaipo Kaminanga deceased Thursday in Red Cove Lake, located a short drive from the town of Sand Point on the Aleutian Island chain.

Kaminanga was last seen canoeing with three other friends on Monday when the boat tipped over.

A search and rescue operation ensued shortly after.

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team posted on Facebook Thursday night that they were able to “locate and recover” Kaminanga at around 5 p.m. Thursday.

“We are glad we could bring closure to his family, friends and community,” the post said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more details become available.

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