US Nationals Temperature Debacle

With the World Cup on a two-week hiatus we can now turn our attention to the second attraction for many an English-language nordic fan: US Nationals.

Of course, there's not much to see -- only one race in three days, and it's not looking good for tomorrow, either.

A lot of people paid a lot of money to head to Alaska, and it could end up all being for one race. They are, understandably, upset. A common sentiment I've heard in the tropics of Boston is "why the hell did they decide to hold Nationals in such a goddamn cold place??"

The answer might be complicated, but the simple part is that Anchorage isn't a goddamn cold place.

Here's the average January high for the last 3 Nationals Sites:
Rumford, ME: 27 F
Houghton, MI: 22 F
Anchorage, AK: 22 F

You'd be hard-pressed to look at those numbers and say "we should have known this would happen."

(I would not recommend having nationals in Fairbanks, with its average January high of 2 degrees, anytime soon.)

And, if you'd like to complain about a race site that requires some pricey air travel from probably 75% of the competitors -- we won't stop you.