The Iditarod Trail Invitational 350: Reflections of a Rookie by Sunny Stroeer

I’m not a skier. Actually, that’s not true: I AM a skier; a semi-competent downhill skier to be precise. I know next to nothing about cross-country skiing. And yet, a year ago, I toed the line at Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) 350 Mile race, on cross-country skis. I didn’t acquire proper cross-country skis until a month before the race — and I certainly had no business trying to ski 350 miles through from Anchorage through the Alaska range and back.

After 200 miles and seven days into this 10 day race, my binding broke. Rather than scratching I decided to strap my defunct skis to my pack and hike it in for the final 150 miles — because while I’m not a skier… I do know how to walk long distances. And, thankfully, I had chosen the unconventional approach of using ultra-warm and beautifully soft  LOWA Renegade EVO Ice boots in combination with universal ski bindings; had I been wearing stiff cross-country boots, there is no way I could have put down an unexpected 150 miles on foot to eek out a finish.

I did finish the race, albeit barely. (If you’d like to read the full story, head over to my blog.) After 350 miles on the Iditarod Trail I still don’t consider myself a proficient skier — but that doesn’t mean that I can’t become one.

At the end of February 2022, I’m headed back to Alaska to do the whole thing all over again. While my skiing technique hasn’t improved much over the course of a hot, dry summer in the Utah desert where I am at home, I am making changes to my strategy that have me hoping for a less desperate race this time around.

From afar, it may seem like there wouldn’t be much strategy to such an extreme physical pursuit - but the exact opposite is true. Aside from training and trying to come up with a good pace & sleep schedule, these are the key gear questions that can make or break this type of race:

Backpack or sled. In a race like the ITI, you have to carry all your survival gear from start to finish. Add food and water, and most competitors are looking at about a forty pound load — which, as a skier, you can either carry on your back, or pull behind you in a sled. Sleds are wonderfully efficient to ski with on the flats but easily turn into a royal mess on even the slightest inclines, up and down. In my rookie year I chose the backpack method, which was wonderful on all the hills but painfully exhausting in the flats. This year, I’ve got a better plan.

Skis. With the help of Fischer I found a ski that I absolutely love: the TransNordic 66 Crown Extralite, with metal edges and amazing climbing ability. I was in awe of the performance of this ski on the Iditarod Trail. No changes here!

Tent. To bring a tent or not? I’m used to open bivies (“cowboy camping”) even in the bitter cold, so last year I went without the tent. When you’re trying to cover 350 miles, every ounce in saved weight is an advantage. I thought a tarp would surely be enough to keep me dry in the event of snow — but far from it. I got drenched in a warm blizzard on Day 10, and had no way to get out of the wet snow. This year, I’ll be accepting the three pound weight penalty that comes with bringing a free-standing tent.


Stove. Do you need a stove out there? Opinions differ. For big parts of the race, there are roadhouses every 20-35 miles; that is, until there aren’t any. Last year I carried a stove and never used it once. This year, I’m making a calculated bet to shed that weight.

Footwear & bindings. Yes, my binding may have broken last year — but that was due to operator error. Strategically, I was beyond pleased with the combination of those Fischer TransNordic skis, universal bindings, and my LOWA Renegade EVO Ice Boots. Warm, soft, comfortable…. that’s not how most endurance skiers will describe their footwear. You can bet that I’m not going to change a thing.

I won’t lie - last year, when I first signed up to test my mettle in the ITI, I was a bit dismissive of the race. It was meant to be a preparatory mission; a simple gear and skiing test run, for bigger things to come. I wasn’t expecting all that much; a cold, long cross country ski through a snowy landscape. I was going to do it once and then move on to other things.

Turns out that learning how to ski on a 350 mile jaunt through the Alaska Range is a much bigger adventure than I had wanted to admit. I learned a thing or two during that rookie year of mine, for sure, but there are countless other lessons here that I have yet to learn. Summer break is almost over - and I can’t wait for school to start.

Images and content courtesy of LOWA Ambassador Sunny Stroeer.