Outside the Beltway

Yukon Quest Racers Missing

Kate McMillan · Monday, February 13, 2006 · 4 comments

Trouble on the trail. Several teams are long overdue at their checkpoint on the Yukon Quest 1,600 km sled dog race.

Rookie Whitehorse musher Saul Turner and Alaskan mushers Phil Joy, Jennifer Cochran and Yuka Honda have yet to reach the checkpoint at Central after leaving the Mile 101 dog drop Sunday evening. Some have taken more than 15 hours to complete what should be a five-hour leg.

They’ve been bogged down on the Eagle Summit by a white-out and blizzard-like conditions.

Officials sent out snow machines and planned to send out spotter planes Monday morning to look for the teams. However, the planes were grounded and at least one snowmobile was forced to turn back because of poor weather conditions on the summit.

[…]

“I can’ t remember last time I was that scared or out of control, it was absolutely insane,” said Lance Mackey, who won the Quest last year.

“I would not be surprised if someone wasn’t killed out there today,” said veteran champion Hans Gatt.

Update – They’ve been found and at least some have been airlifted out – the report adds that Randy Chappel’s missing team has also been located.