Traveling for Spring Break?
Most people think of going somewhere tropical, with beaches and tiny umbrellas in drinks. We went to Fairbanks, AK and had a great time.
We visited our son who had the week off from the U of A/Fairbanks. He assured us that the worst of winter is usually over by March, with temperatures mostly around zero degrees Fahrenheit and about 8 hours of daylight. Much better than visiting in December when temps can reach -40 degrees F and there is only one or two hours of daylight.
It turns out that the World Ice Art Championships** have been held in Fairbanks during the first two weeks of March.
It was really cool (no pun intended) to see gigantic blocks of crystal clear ice (cut from a nearby pond) turned into fantastic sculptures. Some are made of many blocks of ice and get to over 20 feet tall. There are competition divisions for professionals and amateurs, also for teams and individuals. The city park/fairgrounds are turned into an icy wonderland for the duration of the competition and exhibition. We went to the park in the afternoon to see the sculptures in daylight. Then we went back in the evening to see the sculptures lit up. It’s good to go both times to get the full effect of the dazzling work.
There are also fun things to do in the park: sliding down icy slides, skating on the rink, climbing through ice castles and on frozen animal sculptures. There was food and drink available, as well as exhibits on the local area ecology.We wore ski clothes and warm boots and we felt perfectly comfortable.
Fairbanks is a small city, but the University of Alaska/Fairbanks branch gives it a young, vibrant vibe. We enjoyed good restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores and antiques shops. There is an excellent museum at the University with history, ecology, culture and art exhibits.
We saw plenty of people taking advantage of the great outdoors: snowshoeing, cross country skiing, dog sledding, biking. There is a small ski area just outside of Fairbanks with about 3 runs. There is no lift, but the ski bus picks you up at the base area and drives you to the top of the mountain. The snow was great when we were there.
Bring your Bathing Suit
We headed out of Fairbanks for 2 nights at the Chena Hot Springs Resort, about an hour east of town.
The main draw here is the natural hot springs pool, which is large and inviting, surrounded by rock walls. There is a covered walkway to get to pool. The pool is open all year, but most fun in the winter, especially if it is snowing. Clothing tip: wear a beanie while luxuriating in the hot springs: your head and ears will stay warm!
Chena Hot Springs Pool in the summer
We also did a Northern Lights Tour, which is another big draw for this resort during the winter months.
Our tour started at 11:00 pm and we got in a “snow coach” -basically a covered sled pulled by a snow cat. The coach took us about a mile up a mountain and let us out near a set of yurts with a clear view of the night sky.
We waited in relative comfort for the lights to “come out.” The yurt had a big stove for warmth, folding chairs for seats and huge pots of hot water. The water was for refreshments: you could get hot chocolate, hot coffee, hot tea, instant ramen. When someone came inside to say “the lights are out” we all trooped outside hoping to be dazzled by wavy, sparkly curtains of colored lights. Although we did see some waves of whitish light and a little bit of pale green wavy lines, the lights were pretty disappointing. After 3 hours, they loaded up the coaches and headed back to the resort. We got back to bed around 3 am.
Another fun thing at the resort is the Aurora Ice Museum
This is a permanently frozen space where you get your drink at the Ice Bar in a glass made of ice, walk through several rooms with more ice sculptures and icy decorations on the ice walls. They give you giant coats and gloves and keep the temperatures around 25 degrees F.
If you are looking for someplace a little different for spring break, Fairbanks, AK could be the answer!
Very nice to read that elsewhere than in Finland ice and snow art is known.
This one example from Finland:
Best Snow Castle photos
Happy weekend!
Thanks for sharing the link! Beautiful and amazing ice art!