ITI Ski Finishers

Here is a look at historical ITI ski finishers.  The bottom line is that there have not been very many and in many years there were none.

But the question is:  why so few?  Here are some possible reasons:

1. There are a lot of downhills that are too narrow to safely ski down, so the skis have to come on and off a lot; 
2. There are a lot of situations where you can only classic ski, but it's so much slower to classic that some skiers have brought two pairs of skis--adding to the complexity and transition effort; 
3. For classic skiing, consistent grip is an issue given the extremely varied terrain and conditions; and
4. Limited availability of breathable NNN ski boots--most NNN boots are "waterproof" creating soggy foot issues for many racers.  

Similarly in a Facebook post, Sean Grady, pointed out that:  "Skiing presents all sorts of issues on the Iditarod trail. It's a rough trail that can break light skis, but there's so much flat River that it's difficult to justify heavier Nordic backcountry skis. Likewise with possibility of ice and metal edges. Snowmachine trails are really hard on wax. Grip wax can wear off in a few miles if the trail is abrasive and the huge variety of temps justifies a bunch of different waxes and knowledge of how to use them. The first hundred miles are better skate skiing, the next hundred would be better on touring or the lightest Nordic bc skus, and the next hundred to McGrath could be either skating or classic striding."  Bottom line:  "There's a lot more to it than riding/pushing or the relative consistency of foot travel."

Chet Fehrmann, the second fastest skier to finish the ITI, had an interesting perspective on the challenges of skiing here. 

Cory Smith who skied in 2009 had a detailed race report which also makes great reading here.

With that preamble, here is a list of the 23 individuals who have successfully skied the ITI:  

2020	Mathieu Bonner	France	350	7:21:28:00
2020	Greg Mills	USA - Alaska	350	8:14:19:00
2020 2020	Asbjorn Skjoth Bruun Lars Danner	Denmark USA - Alaska	750* 350	19:05:33:00 9:03:28:00
2019	Asbjorn Skjoth Bruun	Denmark	350	7:11:27:00
2018	Lindsay Cameron	USA - Alaska	350	7:00:37:00
2018	Chet Fehrmann	USA - Alaska	350	5:04:58:00
2017	Daniel Powers	USA - Alaska	350	8:17:22:00
2016	Russ DeVries	USA - Alaska	350	6:06:45:00
2016	Daniel Powers	USA - Alaska	350	5:07:23:00
2011	Andy Sterns	USA - Alaska	350	8:22:05:00
2009	Peter Basinger	USA - Alaska	350	6:06:15:00
2009	Ed Plumb	USA - Alaska	350	6:09:53:00
2009	Cory Smith	USA - Alaska	350	6:06:55:00
2008	Andrea Cavagnet	Italy	350	6:04:45:00
2006	Ned Rozell	USA - Alaska	350	8:07:30:00
2006	Andy Sterns	USA - Alaska	350	6:07:30:00
2005	Gail Koepf	USA - Alaska	350	7:06:18:00
2004	Rajko Podgornik	Slovenia	350	7:02:56:00
2004	Eric Wilmot	France	350	5:11:54:00
2004	Brent Veltcamp	USA - Alaska	350	8:14:24:00
2004	Brane Kozinc	Slovenia	350	10:15:00:00
2003	Pat Norwil	USA - Washington	350	6:21:00:00
2003	Christian Sterr	Germany	800	30:00:00:00
2003	Barbara Schwarzmann	Germany	800	30:00:00:00
2002	Jim Jager	USA - Alaska	350	4:08:00:00
2002	Andy Sterns	USA - Alaska	350	7:09:50:00

Note: Several people went to Nome during the Iditasport in 2000: Dave Norona (33:04:30), Kevin Vallely (33:04:30), and Andy Sterns (44 days), but there were all over the current 30-day time limit. The record for skiing to Nome was set by Bob Baker and Tim Kelley in what was arguably the first Iditasport in 1990. Bob and Tim managed to get there in 23 days 5 hours 4 min. No one has skied from Knik to Nome in the ITI. 
*Asborn made it to Unalakleet in 2020 as part of an attempt to go to Nome that was thwarted by impassable conditions in Norton Sound.