BRIDGTON – The 2013 Musher’s Bowl set for this weekend in Bridgton has been canceled due to unsafe track conditions at the host site, Five Fields Farm in South Bridgton.

The Jan. 26-27 sled-dog racing event, in its 14th year, requires certain snow depths so the teams can operate safely, and due to inadequate snow, organizers called the races off on Tuesday.

Members of the Down East Sled Dog Club assessed the track this weekend, according to organizer Jim Mains of the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. With snow forecasted for Monday night, organizers decided to wait until Tuesday to make the official announcement. But that storm blew out to sea.

“They came out this weekend and went all over the track and determined without more snow it would not be suitable,” Mains said Tuesday afternoon. “And so, we met [Monday] night with the idea that we’d get a big snowstorm and we’d reassess it today, but without the snow last night it’s kind of a moot decision.”

Mains said the Five Fields Farm track is “very hilly and curvy; it’s what they call a fast track for the sled dog racing.” However, because teams can reach high speeds on the course, several inches of firm snow is required to use the braking system, which digs into the snow.

“And because that track is so fast they fear for the safety of the sled dog racers because they can’t slow down on some of the corners,” Mains said, adding that organizers “hate to cancel because it’s a big part of the Winter Carnival weekend, but all other events in Bridgton on Saturday will be going on as scheduled.”

Events include a Meltdown Dance on Friday night, the Freezin’ for a Reason Polar Plunge, horse-drawn carriage rides, snowmobile rides and an ice fishing derby for kids on Saturday.

He expects the loss of the racing will likely impact attendance at the other events.

“I think it will cut down some of our crowd. We’re hoping not too much, of course. A lot of people like to come and enjoy a little bit of everything,” Mains said. “They’ll go between the races and the rides and the downtown events. So we expect it will have some type of impact but not a huge one.”

Due to similar snow conditions, last year’s Musher’s Bowl was postponed until later in the season. This year’s event cancellation was due to a lack of available weekends later in the Down East Sled Dog Club’s race calendar. Mains said organizers are discussing the addition of a rescheduling clause in the contract between organizers and the club.

“Next year, we hope to have a cancellation date right in the contract so we’ll be able to publicize it and have a plan,” Mains said. “We’ve kind of learned our lesson here.”