ALASKA'S NEWSPAPER

| Updated: 12:21 PM

Fur Rendezvous

Saturday's Rondy Schedule

Find out what's going on at Rondy

Rondy Photo Contest Results

Brian Wise:  First Place and Best in Show Junior Color Creative

Results are in for the 77th Annual Fur Rendezvous Juried Amateur Photography Contest, held in the Mall at Sears.

READER-SUBMITTED: FUR RONDY 2012

The ups and downs of Fur Rondy

Blanket toss at the 2012 Fur Rondy Festival

View reader submitted photos of the many events celebrating the traditions of life in Alaska. The 2012 Fur Rondy continues through Sunday.

PHOTOS: 2012 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SLED DOG RACES

A sprint to the finish line in Fur Rondy racing

Rookie Marie-Anick Alie of Inukvik, Canada, rounds a corner near Goose Lake on the final day of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race on Sunday.

Rookie Marie-Anick Alie of Inuvik, Canada, rounds a corner near Goose Lake on Sunday, the final day of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race. Alie ended the competition in 10th place.

Chezik dominates Rondy sled dog race

John Erhart leads three other teams down Fourth Avenue on Sunday, the final day of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race.

Ken Chezik of Fife Lake, Mich., decisively won the 2012 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race on Sunday.

2012 FUR RENDEZVOUS NOTEBOOK

'Occupy Sesame Street' wins Rondy costume contest

Reba Nelson encourages Trapper in the Alaska Saint Bernard Club's dog weight pull competition Saturday at Northway Mall during Rondy. Trapper is trying to pull 1,370 pounds. Trapper won the middleweight class with a pull of 1,280 pounds.

The "Occupy Town Square" outpost near City Hall was missing from downtown as the 2012 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous rolled along on Saturday. But "Occupy Sesame Street" -- the name of a group entry in the Frostbite Fun Run -- was on hand.

Chezik extends his lead on Day 2 of Rondy World Championship

Sunday's Rondy schedule

2012 FUR RENDEZVOUS

Chezik extends his lead on Day 2 of Rondy World Championship

Ken Chezik maintained his lead on the second day of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race on Saturday, beating second-place finisher Kevin Cook by two seconds.

Sunday's Rondy schedule

2012 Fur Rondy day by day guide

Clear the calendar, Anchorage. The 77th annual edition of the Fur Rendezvous is under way. Alaska's biggest winter festival runs through March 4.

2012 FUR RENDEZVOUS

Great Alaska Bed Races draw festive crowd

A team competing in the Great Alaska Bed Races collides with hay bales at the finish line.

Four-person teams raced mattresses down the slopes at Hilltop Ski Area on Saturday for the Great Alaska Bed Races, one of the many events of the Fur Rendezvous winter festival.

Chezik extends his lead on Day 2 of Rondy World Championship

Rondy fun continues with fireworks display tonight

2012 FUR RONDY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SLED DOG RACE

Fast times mark first day of Rondy races

The lead dogs of rookie Danny Beck run south on Cordova Street on Day One of the 2012 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Ken Chezik started Day One of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race in second position on Friday and finished in first -- by a significant time.

Mushing, fireworks highlight Rondy's opening weekend

Mushing, fireworks highlight Rondy's opening weekend

George Reandeau employs an antique saw as he begins to shape a lighthouse design at the GCI Snow Sculpture Competition site Wednesday Feb. 22, 2012 at Ship Creek Avenue downtown. I may have bit off more than I can chew, he said, but Ill try it. Sculptures will be judged 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, with awards presented at 11 a.m.

The 2012 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous starts this weekend with mushing, fireworks and more and continues at locations around town through March 4.

Canadians, rookie mushers eager to hit Fur Rondy trails

The field of 24 teams in the 2012 World Championship Sled Dog Race, which starts Friday in downtown Anchorage, includes eight mushers competing in the race for the first time.

Mushing, fireworks highlight Rondy's opening weekend

Rondy kicks off with new events, old favorites

Teams faced off for the Rondy Yukigassen tournament on the Delaney Park Strip last year. Teams try to capture each other's flag in Yukigassen, a snowball fight competition that originated in Japan.

Now a 77-year-old winter tradition, another Fur Rendezvous is on the horizon. Nothing says Alaska quite like a below-freezing whirl on the Ferris wheel at the Rondy Carnival. Those sorts of only-in-Alaska events have come to define Fur Rondy. Old favorites like the carnival, fur auction, blanket toss, World Championship Sled Dog Race, snowshoe softball and the snow sculpture competition are still popular cornerstones of the 10-day festival, but for me, it's the additions made in recent years that keep things exciting.

24 mushers will compete in Rondy

Bib numbers for the 2012 Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Races were drawn Tuesday evening. Poor snow conditions in the Lower 48 and Canada have increased the field this year with eight rookies joining the competition.

Artistry in Wood

Ron Ginter's brook trout carving earned a best in show award at the Artistry in Wood exhibition Thursday March 1, 2012 at Northway Mall. The Last Frontier Woodcarvers, the Alaska Creative Woodworkers, the Alaska Creative Scrollers and the Alaska Woodturners Association are represented at the display.

The Last Frontier Woodcarvers, the Alaska Creative Woodworkers, the Alaska Creative Scrollers and the Alaska Woodturners Association are represented at the Artistry in Wood exhibition during 2012 Fur Rondy Thursday March 1, 2012 at Northway Mall.

Fur Rondy 2012

The Ferris wheel at the Golden Wheel Amusement's Fur Rondy Carnival against the Chugach Mountains on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. David Green's FUR sign sits atop their 4th Avenues store.

Anchorage Fur Rendezvous celebrates its 77th year with a variety of events and activities Friday Feb. 24, 2012 through Sunday March 4, 2012.

Final day of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race

Rookie Marie-Anick Alie of Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada, rounds a corner near Goose Lake on the final day of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

Final day of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

2012 Rondy Sled Dog Races

John Erhart transitions from Fourth Avenue to Cordova Street on day one of the 2012 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race Friday Feb. 24, 2012.

The 2012 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Races take place Friday Feb. 24, 2012 through Sunday Feb. 26, 2012 in Anchorage.

Reader submitted: Fur Rondy 2012

Location: Bed Races Hilltop Ski Area Anchorage, AK, 02/25/12 Tequila Team Photo - love the color

Reader-submitted photos for Fur Rondy 2012

Fur Rondy Dogs final day

Egil Ellis with leader Ruby on the final day of the Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race in Anchorage on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011.

Final day of the Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race in Anchorage on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011.

READER-SUBMITTED PHOTOS

2011 Fur Rondy

The Running of the Reindeer is one event the Reindeer Farm may need help with.

Dog races, carnivals, running with reindeer and even the fur bikini contest. Nothing says "take a picture" like Fur Rendezvous. Share yours.

Fur Rondy Fur Bikini Contest

The three finalists in the Anchorage Fur Rondy Fur Bikini Contest pose in the Russian Room at Chilkoot Charlie's on Saturday night February 25, 2011. Megan Winters, standing, came in first place, Dorthy Fredenberg, left, was 2nd and Carolyn Laurion was third.

Fur Rondy Fur Bikini Contest at Chilkoot Charlie's on Friday February 225, 2011.

Rondy Dogs 2011

Ryan Housler's dog team sprints down Cordova Street. Fur Rendezvous continued with many events around Anchorage on Saturday, February 26, 2011, including the Grand Parade and the World Championship Sled Dog Race.

The 2011 Rondy World Championship Sled Dog Races take place February 25-27, 2011 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Rondy Yukigassen snowball fights

An Amish Assassin throws a snowball. Teams faced off for the Rondy Yukigassen tournament on the Delaney Park Strip on Saturday afternoon, February 26, 2011. Teams seek to capture each other's flag in Yukigassen, a snowball fight competition that originated in Japan.

Yukigassen, a new event at Fur Rendezvous this year, is a competitive snowball sport in which teams try to capture each other's flag. The tournament took place on the Delaney Park Strip on Saturday, February 26, 2011.

Fur Rondy 2011

People walk past a giant phoenix snow sculpture on Tuesday night, Mar. 1, 2011, that was carved by Team AK Awesome who won first place in the 3-member team competition at Fur Rondy.

The 2011 Anchorage Fur Rondy.

Historic Fur Rondy

Jane Cosgrove helps her dogs out with a good push at the beginning of a race February 9, 1985 in Anchorage.

Fur Rondy through the years

Rondy Carnival

People took advantage of the mild winter temperatures on Tuesday, March 2, 2010, to enjoy the Golden Wheel Amusement rides at the Rondy Carinval in downtown Anchorage.

People took advantage of the mild winter temperatures on Tuesday night, March 2, 2010, to enjoy the Golden Wheel Amusement rides at the Rondy Carinval in downtown Anchorage.

Snow Sculptures

Qasida, the Aleut word for go fish, is one of the more dramatic entries in this year's Fur Rondy Snow Sculpture Competition on Ship Creek Avenue March 1, 2010.

Fur Rondy Snow Sculpture Competition on Ship Creek Avenue on Monday, March 1, 2010.

Fur Rondy events

The Fur Rendezvous Grand Parade marched around downtown Anchorage on Saturday, February 27, 2010.

Anchorage Fur Rondy 2010

Rondy Fireworks

The Anchorage Fur Rendezvous fireworks display lights up Anchorage and Cook Inlet Saturday evening February 27, 2010 in a view from Port MacKenzie.

The Anchorage Fur Rendezvous fireworks display viewed from Port MacKenzie.

Running of the Reindeer

Third annual Running of the Reindeer in downtown Anchorage during Fur Rondy on Sunday, Feb 28, 2010.

Third annual Running of the Reindeer in downtown Anchorage during Fur Rondy on Sunday, Feb 28, 2010.

Sled dog races: Day 3

Fur Rendezvous World Sled Dog Championship on Sunday, Feb 28, 2010.

Day 3 of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Sled Dog Championship on Sunday, Feb 28, 2010.

2010 Rondy Dogs

Gary Markley and his team charge up Cordova Street as two other teams follow closely behind in the second day of racing at the Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race on Saturday, February 27, 2010.

Mushers and dogs compete in the 2010 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Open World Championship Sled Dog Race.

2009 Running of the Reindeer

Hundreds turned out for the second-annual reindeer run, in what's becoming one of the more popular events in Anchorage. [enlarge video].


MORE VIDEO:

- Downtown fireworks, Feb. 28

- First day of heats, Feb. 27




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