AK questions

[SLCFreshies]

Hey all,

Well in a few months I'll likely be moving out from Salt Lake City for job related reasons. Although I've enjoyed SLC immensely, the jobs for what I do aren't that great here.

One of the places that I'm looking at is Anchorage. My GF is from there, and she is quite positive about it, BUT she's not a rabid skier like I am. I'm looking for a place similar to SLC where there is easy access to outdoorsy stuff, like mountain biking and skiing. I don't need real "big city" stuff (I'm in SLC, remember), especially with the internet (such a godsend).

So I was wondering, how is living in Anchorage? Is the weather tolerable during the year? Too cold to ski in the winter? Too wet to bike in the summer? How is it adjusting to so little daylight during the winter? Depressing as hell or not too bad? How's the skiing at Alyeska compared to SLC? (I was shocked at the fact that Alyeska's peak is only around 3000', but I guess it's cold enough!) Is it a pain to live so far from the continental US? Any other issues or regrets?

I was just looking for some other opinions that might help my decision. Especially since it'll be a little bit of a chore to schlep all my crap up there, heh.

Thanks!

[Karl Stall]

Alaska is the best place on earth!

If my wife would move there, I would go!

There are others here who live there, but it's certainly a special place IMO, and there are even a couple of mountains scattered throughout the state

[AKPogue]

This place fuckin rocks!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't let anybody else know that because I wouldn't want a mass migration of people.
I personally don't have a problem with the winters. When the northern lights are out it more than makes up for the lack of sunshine. It is very rarely too cold in anchorage to ski. I ski patrolled at Alyeska last winter and it is a pretty decent
mountain. It got 700 plus inches last year at the top. Not as much on the bottom. The only thing that sucks about skiing
there is that it is all alpine terrain on top and whiteout skiing is a bitch. Not having the altitude rules though. It kinda sucks to get to the lower 48. It is expensive and the flights can be long. So if you like to visit family a lot it sucks. There probably isn't a better place in the world to go to the backcountry. You have your choice go a little north for a continental
climate or go south for maritime. Can't think of anything else feel free to ask more questions.

[ak_powder_monkey]

I live in Eagle River Just North of Anchorage, ALaska is the best place on earth, period

The powder isn't as dry as Utah, and never as deep, however, Christmas and New Years chutes are probably the best in bound lines in the U.S.A. Alpenglow is a nice ski area when it snows in town. oh and it snows in town and stays, we ahve hundreds of kilometers of free XC trails wich are bike trails in the summer. And the fishing is great

Former TR:
The morning started with a jet boat ride up the talkeetna river to the mouth of clear creek we then proceeded to walk upstream a ways to a nice spot for kings I got one to net but it snapped the line just at the net, Nicholai and Erik Each got one in though
Nicholai
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25836.jpg
Erik
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25844.jpg
Nicholai and I started fishing for grayling and got about 30 between us
Nicholai and the fish of the day 17"
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25838.jpg
Nicholai Catching one Sequence
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25840.jpg
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25841.jpg
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25842.jpg
More
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25837.jpg
I'm super ugly but the fish is very pretty
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25839.jpg
The cherry on top was catching 2 nice bows on a dry fly, a rareity in South Central AK i wasn't able to get a pic of the 18 incher but I got one of the 16 incher
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic25843.jpg

What a good freaking day, sore and tired from walking wading and fighting kings, kinda feels like I've been skiing all day, except it is now 11:45 and light as day...

[seldon]

If you can stand the rampaging ugly 17 year olds, I've heard its a good place.

[ak_powder_monkey]

Originally posted by seldon
If you can stand the rampaging ugly 17 year olds, I've heard its a good place.

Actully theres only one