How to Survive an Alaska Winter

Even for those of us who generally love the winter months, getting through your first Alaska winter can be trying on even the hardiest of souls. Following these tips from someone who has survived several Alaskan winters of his own, I'll help give advice to any first timers who are about to face their first arctic winter.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sun lamp
• Uplifting movies/CDs
• Vitamins
• Very warm clothes
• A support plan

1. 
   My outhouse during a rough Alaska winter.

   Know what you're getting into. Alaskan winters are rough on everyone, and even if you are a winter person and night owl, you're still going to get hit with some form of Seasonal Associative Disorder (SAD). Knowing this ahead of time makes it much easier to deal with when the sun disappears for weeks on end.

2. Get a sun lamp. These are often referred to as "happy lights" up in Fairbanks, and are essential to many people for making it through a Fairbanks Alaska winter. These lights simulate sun light, and sitting in front of one twice a day for twenty minutes can really up lift you emotionally.

3. Maximize positive influences, minimize the negative. Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, and Braveheart are all great movies...and not the kind I want to watch during a Alaska winter. Same with music. Be very careful not to get into a funk, since the lack of light and the extreme cold can exacerbate any negative or sad feelings.

4. 
   It's not much light during a Fairbanks Alaska winter, but every little bit helps.

   Get out when there is light. Unless you're north of Fairbanks during winter in Alaska, you get at least 45 minutes of a dawn/dusk type of light. Get out for it. Every little bit helps.

5. Company. Hang out with others, find excuses for social get togethers, visit an author reading at the local university or book store just to get out and around people. If you're not much of a people person but love animals, dogs make great companions during an Alaskan winter, and during the rest of the year, as well.

6. 
   I love happy endings to Alaska winters.

   Figure out what works for you. For me it was going out to eat whenever I could afford it and there were some songs that didn't make me happy, but they leveled me out when I was down. Take the advice of any long time natives of the area, and you might even find your first Alaska winter really isn't so bad after all.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid the bars if you have any drinking problems at all. In winter alcoholism runs rampant, and some areas get pretty rough as a result.
• Find excuses to be around people. Even just being surrounded by people in a restaurant was a huge pick up for me.
• Remember that spring does come eventually, and there are always help lines to call if you really need it.
• Don't assume because you're a night person or winter person that you're fine. I was both, and winter hit like a ton of bricks...it just took three weeks longer in my case.
• Even if one winter barely affected you, the second could wreak havoc, so always go in with the right mind set.
• Be careful. When it's 40 degrees below zero, a lack of preparedness can be deadly.

Resources

• A Day in the Life of an Alaskan

[Monteath]

on 4/5/2009 Glad you liked the article. It's funny you mention Florida, because I'm at the point where I'm trying to get the writing/business to the point where I spend summers in Alaska and falls in Tampa, Florida, lol. Yeah, the Alaska winters are definitely rough, and they bring out a really dark sense of humor, but the experience was still worth it. Yeah, the "know what you're getting into" is the funny 'cause it's true, and funny because most of us always blow that off before the first winter, lol. Well the world needs more fools for entertainment, I suppose. Thanks again for your comments.

[writedesign]

on 2/13/2009 Whew, that must have been tough. My way of getting through an Alaskan winter is to go to Florida for the whole year. This article is funny, especially the "know what you're getting into" part. Ha!

[Devero]

on 12/26/2008 Thanks for the good tips.