Alaska is the new spring break
Heading north in February or March may be ahead of schedule for the migratory birds, but travelers will find an array of advantages to an early spring break in Alaska. The increasing daylight and favorable weather make it easy to spend extra hours on the slopes, trails, under the glow of the northern lights or enjoying one of many festivals taking place around the state.
Depending on the region of Alaska, visitors can expect moderate temperatures and increasing daylight in February and March. Anchorage basks in 9-10 hours of daylight, with average high temperatures from 20-35 degrees. The Nordic ski trails are ripe with activity and nearby Alyeska Resort boasts more hours of spring daylight than any other major ski area in North America. Head to Juneau and enjoy leisurely beachcombing or check out the local museums at temperatures between 20-40 degrees with 9-12 hours of daylight. Fairbanks welcomes average temperatures between 7 and 22 degrees, creating the perfect conditions to catch a final glimpse of the northern lights before summer or enjoy a relaxing soak in a local hot springs.
Call it cabin fever or just plain enthusiasm, but when the days get longer, Alaskans let loose. In February, friends, sisters, daughters, mothers and grandmothers don wild costumes along Anchorage ski trails for the Alaska Ski for Women, the largest women-only ski event to raise funds for domestic abuse prevention. Towards the end of the month, the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks attract more than 100 ice artists and 45,000 visitors from all over the world for the annual ice sculpting competition. Also in February, Sitka kicks off its annual Jazz Festival and the Sitka Music Festival: Alaska Airlines Winter Classics. Winter carnivals across the state — in Homer, Wrangell, Denali, Anchor Point, Wasilla and Anchorage to name a few — offer up family fun with carnivals, snow sculpting, snowshoe softball and even a Polar Bear Plunge where participants brave the waters of an icy pond. In March, don’t miss the festivities surrounding the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and its sprint-racing counterpart, the GCI Open North American Championship sled dog race. Skiers take to the trails for the Buckwheat Ski Classic in Skagway and Tour of Anchorage and a zany weekend in Fairbanks features outhouse races, snowmobile tug-of-war, human bowling and long-john contest for the Chatanika Days festival, just to name a few.
For more information on events occurring in February and March, visit http://www.travelalaska.com/Events/index.aspx.
