Okay all this Fairbanks bashing is coming from coastal ninnies 😉 It ain’t so bad!

The truth:

Yes, Anchorage has access to tons of fantastic terrain, consistently good snow, etc. and the best stuff is about 1-1.5 hours away. You’ve got Turnagain Pass which is really 1-1.5 hours to the goods. The mountains right up on Anchorage within 20 minutes drive are definitely ride-able and can be epic but are drier and windier and are not as consistent as Turnagain Pass. You’ve also got Hatcher Pass with a slightly more continental climate, an equally sick area to play in, 1.5 hours away. Both passes have some crowds, but it’s manageable.

Fairbanks: You will indeed only ride local “hills” from November to January, there’s no light and it’s too cold. But…………. from February to May it is absolutely epic if you are willing to work for it… The mountains here are actually bigger than the coast, but getting to the really big ones usually involves a 3+ day glacier trip with a 10 mile approach. That said, there is fantastic terrain that is very accessible within 3 hours drive. In February it seems you’ve got to get a bit lucky since the wind can be brutal, but later in the spring you are guaranteed long sunlight hours, chill camping spots with no regulations and no crowds, and yes I’ve seen deep pow in May here on the North-easterly aspects. The riding areas are basically focused on the “Deltas” between the towns of Delta Junction and Paxson, and some around Cantwell. Judging by your name, you may want to know that there are many “First Descent” opportunities around such as the west face of White Princess. You’ll see that “snowsavage” has some trip reports in the interior, specifically an epic run called “Rainbow Ridge”. In his TR he claims that the snow is rarely as good as he got it, but when I went up there in May it was at least as good and probably better, although we didn’t get to ride it due to some whumphing and then falling in a frozen gravel crevasse which the cornice was pulling off the ridge… So if you’re coming up you’ll have to join us on a redemption lap in bottomless pow.

If you look on a topo the “White Mountains” North-East of town look promising since they’re closer but it’s bare-bones there. Plus there’s wolves 😉 The Cantwell area and “broad pass” have some downright epic shit but you basically need a snowmachine (sled) since the valley is, well, like the name it’s broad, the approaches are long.

You’re also 7 hours from Valdez in Fairbanks. Last time we went to Valdez, it rained and the coastalites didn’t know that up the road 5 hours towards Fairbanks was epic dry pow, served in 3000ft laps with only a 4 hour approach+climb.

Here’s some local photos

Now I have to insert a rant about Fairbanks vs. Anchorage lifestyle as I’m a recent convert… Up here people have space, they have nice little cabins in the woods with gardens, they hunt moose in their backyards. In Anchorage you’ll have mega-malls and 5 lane wide roads at your driveway in comparison.

Well, I’m living in Fairbanks for the long haul, so if you’re still around we can meet for lunch or something. Otherwise we can meet when you get back up. There’s a sizeable ski touring community here, although of course many are more into it for the mountaineering than the pow. There is a little splitboard community though… small enough to be able to guess who’s tracks are who’s if you see them from the highway hehe 😉

Cool yah, you can send me an e-mail at matthewgruber (at) gi . alaska . edu

I guess a remote start would be nice, but I think the best recommendation for regular car use in winter in Fairbanks is: limit it by using a fat-bike. There are trails all over town that become packed and it’s easy to get around with a snow-bike. Bikes are trouble free with a little mag-1 grease, literally you just keep them outside all winter, mine still looks brand new. That way you can use your car just on the weekends and warmer days to pick up some water, it’ll have a much longer life.

Well since you pulled the trigger and are headed up there is not much sense in beating up on FAI but I do want to clarify one thing. There are big mountains and no crowds there but the snowpak is not good. There is a reason most of the heli ops you see in videos is coastal. Coastal area’s get more snow and its wet. Wet snow means that what looks like sheer cliffs actually become rideable. The bright side is that compared to some people in the states you not that bad off. You do have local access and if you wanted to head south for the weekend that can be worked out. Sounds like you’re working instead of/in addition to going to school, but when I want to school there I eventually worked out a Tuesday Thursday only schedule. So a lot of weekends I’d head to Anchorage to ride for the weekend and come back on Monday. You also have something almost no one else has realistic access to “the Brooks Range”. The road to Proudue Bay goes right through there and in terms of late season riding that will kick ass. The end of May is still winter there so that’s pretty cool.
I will back stomp pow up on the scene difference between ANC and FAI. ANC is Alaska’s only real city (everything else people from the states would call a town). I hang my, oil skin, hat in Juneau where we have coastal conditions, low crowds (especially in the back country), super easy access, small town feel (by Nation Standards), and a University.
Good luck with your adventure. Fairbanks is a cool place and your time there will defiantly build character. If your looking at a fat bike I would encourage you also to check out arctic cycles http://www.arcticcycles.com/ . He’s based out of ANC but don’t hold that against him. He does bike rentals so if the custom build is too expensive you might be able to pick up a lightly used and well loved fat bike from him. I’ll leave you with two saying that were common when I lived in Fairbanks.
“in Fairbanks you don’t loose your girlfriend you just lose your turn”
“Fairbanks, where men are men and so are the women”

anyone from Southeast? I am born and raised in Anchorage, now living in Juneau.