 Poster: A snowHead
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This year's trip is Europe, a last minute deal, next years lads trip is Japan (hopefully) and then a few years saving should see me up for the next major trip, I know it's way off but i just want to know if it's a worthwhile plan.
I chatting with the OH and she mentioned wanted to see the northern lights and was in favour of Finland/Lapland. I mentioned Alyeska having read another thread about skiing/the northern lights and she seemed quite keen on the trip. Fly into Anchorage for a few days, maybe 11 days in Girdwood, then home maybe stopping for a day at the changeover. I don't know much about Alyeska (can't be 100% sure I'm even pronouncing it correctly), I've looked online and they seem have good snow depths, looks like a fun hill to snowboard, and there must be some Heli/cat activity locally, so......... tell me about Alyeska/Anchorage.
Is three days enough for Anchorage? Any 'don't miss' experiences?
What's the best month/time for the trip?
Is the snow generally good, It's pretty coastal, but a loooong way north, do they suffer from rain as whistler might, or is it light and dry (it seems average temp in feb is pretty darned cool)?
The hill looks good to me - anyone been?
Girdwood looks a little 'rustic', which I don't mind, but herself might not b on the hill every day, is there much to do in town.
All a bit nebulous and vague I know, but I'd just like a bit of a clue, so I can feel out if it's the trip for us.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, I grew up in Alaska. And Alyeska was my home mountian for quite a number of years. Late February is a good time to go. The days start to slowly get longer, and there is generally a good base by then. Also, if you go in late Feb. they have a Fur Rendevous event that takes place every year in Anchorage. All sorts of really fun activities. And for those who have never seen sled dog races, well it's a blast. Even if you are not a dog lover. (My uncle used to race sled dogs, and it is a very prominent sport in Alaska, not withstanding the Iditarod race every year.) So 3 days should be plenty of time to take in the sites and some activity. The Anchorage Museum is good for a few hours visit as well to absorb the culture of the many native Alaskan tribes, and get a sense of the history too. My favorite restaurant in Anchorage is Simon and Seaforts downtown with views looking out over Cook Inlet and Mt. Susitna, aka, the "Sleeping Lady".
http://www.furrondy.net/
Alyeska is a fun mtn. The North Face has serious steeps, as does Max's mtn area. It's not a huge ski resort with lots of miles of groomers but for a long weekend, and good snow, you will be well entertained. As for the Northern Lights, if it's not cloudy, then you will see them. There is a Heli Op that operates out of Alyeska, so there's that option as well. I would consider the snow pack to be your typical maritime snow. I don't recall too many powder days, where it was blower pow, but it's not heavy mank either. It tends to stick to things, with a velvet feel, so that's not all bad.
For lodging, the Hotel Alyeska is the place to stay in Girdwood. I believe you can get package deals for lodging and ski passes. The town of Girdwood is very small, and it's more "old school" than anything else. Kind of like ski areas were like back in the 70's and early 80's. There really isn't much to do in Girdwood. There are a few native Alaskan jewelry/artwork stores, and your typical sporting goods, and tourists shops, but nothing to write home about. The best restaurant hands down is the Double Musky. Quite possibly the best restaurant in all Alaska, IMHO. I never miss it when I go visit family. Heck, I'm actually hoping to go visit the family around that time frame myself!
http://doublemuskyinn.com/ 
There's also the 7 Glaciers Restaurants on mtn at the top of the tram station.
Alyeska is about an hour to hour 15 minutes drive South on Anchorage Hwy 1, of course depending on conditions. Really only Hwy in the state!
And yes, unfortunately, SE Alaska can suffer from the dreaded "Pineapple Express" of warm tropical moisture flowing up from Hawaii. So, there always remains possibility of some rain event during the winter. Last year was a bad year for Alyeska, so hopefully this year they bounce back.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hmmmm, I was in Revelstoke this year and got a bit stuffed by the pineapple express. Might be a case of booking when we know what the general weather pattern is.
Thanks for the info chaps. Any other comments welcome.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Well El Nino can make things interesting for the North American West Coast, that is for sure. The weather will be getting cooler going into November, so it is not unusual to start seeing snow in the Chugach Mtn range around Anchorage this time of year. This weekend forecast is for temps dropping below 0C and some light precip., which should fall as snow at higher elevations.
Obviously the longer you can wait to book anything to see how El Nino shapes up the better. I would think a lot of folks are keeping their powder dry before booking anything this year.
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I've only been to Alaska (twice) in the summer. Both times flying into Anchorage as a first stop. I found Anchorage not too interesting as a "city". So 3 days IN Anchorage might be stretching it.
There're, however, many other activities besides skiing that I think would be rather fun and unique that can easily take more than 3 days. I bet anchorage would be a good base for many of such activities.
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First thing I'd say is that there is no guarantee of seeing the Northern Lights. We have been to Alaska twice, both times were the end of Feb / early March and we never saw them once, even on clear nights and we did go out of town to look away from artificial lights. We were based in Anchorage but also spent time up near Willow and in Fairbanks. You are more likely to see them in Lapland as the main ski places are well inside the Arctic Circle, Anchorage is not. That said, we have also been to Lapland twice and only saw them once (we are obviously very unlucky but I have seen an amazing display from my own house!). Obviously the further north you go the higher the chance! We were there for the sled dog races but did some cross country skiing around Anchorage and also up at Hatcher Pass which is absolutely stunning and well worth the trip up (about an hour from Anchorage I recall). The Iditarod next year starts on 5th March and the Rondy is from 26th Feb to 6th March. It's worth going then as there's loads on.
Anchorage itself is nothing special although it does have a stunning backdrop. There's plenty budget hotels and also lots of good places to eat. There's a lot of fur shops and lots of places dedicated to selling serious hunting gear. They have a great selection of ski gear and around Anchorage there are numerous cross country ski trails which are free to use and very well maintained. We had a car the whole time we were there and this is something I would highly recommend. Three days is more than enough for Anchorage. In fact I'd allow less as there's so much more to see and do over there but you really do need a car.
We never went skiing at Alyeska but we did drive down that way and it looked pretty decent. I hadn't discovered the joys of downhill skiing yet when we were there. Of course the major other factor is that it's significantly more expensive to travel to than Lapland, and, it obviously takes a lot longer. Both times we flew from Aberdeen to Heathrow, then to Seattle (both with BA) and then up to Anchorage with Alaska Airlines. The flight over the pond is not far off 10 hours and then you are another 4 1/2hrs up to Anchorage. I recall the time difference being 9 hours and I know a few people who have really struggled with the jet lag when they have gone there. I didn't find it too bad, mainly just wanting to go to bed really early for the first few nights. I didn't notice it at all on the way back. I would highly recommend the Seattle route. You can get cheaper flights, mostly via Amsterdam, but, if you are delayed you can easily end up stuck somewhere overnight and I know people this has happened to. We did get delayed pretty significantly one time but because Alaska Airlines have very regular flights it was no problem at all. Both times I booked the whole lot including car hire via Expedia and this was much cheaper than anywhere else I looked. Interestingly, the first time we went we were offered a very generous amount of cash from BA to delay overnight in Seattle. We jumped at this offer and used the money to go back again the following year!!
I found a couple of pictures. The first is a frozen waterfall at the side of the road on the way down to where Alyeska is, the other is the view from Hatcher Pass. We did see some people hiking up the mountain there with snowboards on their backs! I'd say both are amazing places to go to but if I had to choose it would be Lapland - I've added a picture of that at the end as well!
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