Photos: 11th annual Merry Marmot Festival

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Arctic Valley Ski Patrol director Andy Sullivan skis past the rising moon during the 11th annual Merry Marmot Festival on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at Arctic Valley. The festival is held each spring and features wacky events like the downhill kayak races and an uphill-downhill relay race.

With Southcentral Alaska's snow-sparse winter coming to a close, volunteers and skiers at Arctic Valley made the most of what little snow they had to celebrate the 11th annual Merry Marmot Festival.

Temperatures flirted with freezing all day, so the first event of the ski area's festival seemed oddly appropriate -- a fat-tire bike race, which Chris Jung won handily.

As the day went on, more people made the trek up the very muddy Arctic Valley Road and the competition heated up.

A mechanical issue delayed the start of the uphill/downhill race, but spirits weren't dampened by the change of plans. Ski patrol offered their snowmachines to move competitors to the new start area.

Similarly, after the adult tube races ended with every competitor flying head over heels into a strand of willows, the volunteer official, Alan Heckart, said, as a way to cheer them up, "Everyone is walking away and the beer is still cold."

The day's festivities concluded with live music, a taco bar and elaborate dummies, which were lit on fire and sent flying off a jump in front of the clubhouse.