How to Thrive + Enjoy Your First Alaskan Winter

Ask any of my friends for one word to describe me and I promise you the most common answer you will get is chill. But I was anything but that heading into my first Alaskan winter after we PCS’d to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in August of 2021.

If you are reading this, you are likely already living in Alaska or debating on moving here so you probably have a lot of the same questions I had when we arrived. Which dramatically revolved around “how will I survive??”. If you have ever lived anywhere remote, you know that it’s not as simple as going to try stuff on at the store or getting 1-day Amazon shipping. It’s more like, “oh you need that yesterday? Well, it’ll either get to you in about a month or it’s sold out, or actually, we don’t ship to you at all.” Woah, I’m clearly holding on to emotions from last year, haha!

I am here today to make sure that doesn’t happen to you in your first Alaskan winter, or really any winter where it snows or gets frigid because if it works in Alaska, it’ll work for you!

Find community

Dark winters can be LONG. But if you have friends to make memories with during this time when you are inside constantly, it’s so worth it! Be proactive with your squadron spouse group. If you aren’t seeing a lot of events offered in the winter, be the one to set something up!

Winter tires are a must

You need them. Periodt. But seriously, I chat with so many WAFs interested in moving up here and they are mostly terrified about driving in the winters. But if you don’t want to drive in the snow you will never drive! Thankfully they do a pretty good job (at least on the main roads) of clearing out here. You can actually see the asphalt on the highway all winter long! (aside from while it’s actively snowing). But you are still driving on a few inches of compact ice and while I drove daily all winter after not driving in snow maybe…ever…I couldn’t imagine not having my AWD and my winter tires. Quite literally had them on my car from October 1st-May 1st last year.

Plan a trip

It doesn’t have to be Hawaii! Seriously, if you have ever been stationed in Alaska, all you hear people talk about is that January Hawaiian vacation. Last year I went to Arkansas (home) in December and Washington State in April and felt like those trips really filled me up so much. Everyone is different. Give yourself room to find when you need to get out and get some sunlight, and maybe save up a few extra dollars for that last-minute flight!

Look into your makeup

Listen, I only share the most important tips here and when I saw my nice foundation actually lifting off of my face, I was shook. Powder is no good here from about November-April…not even kidding. I switched all of my makeup to creams and whatever moisturizing products I could get my hands on. Life changing. Check out my winter favorites HERE.

Get Outside

My biggest tip is to get outside. “Wait, does she actually mean when it’s only 5 degrees out?” YES. And colder! It’s amazing what fresh air can do for your mood in the middle of a long, dark, Alaskan winter. But to do that, and enjoy it, you need to have the right gear. Here are my recommendations:

Heavy Winter Coats

When I tell people that I was going on walks when it was -15, they thought I was insane but “no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear” is our main motto out here! My main criteria are that a coat needs to be long, hooded, and bonus if it’s waterproof. You just never know what kind of day tomorrow will be in the winter and staying warm and DRY is everything! HERE are some coats that I am loving this year.

Layers

No, I am not saying that you need to feel like Ralphie’s brother from The Christmas Story. But appropriate, effective layers will be a game-changer for how you view getting outside in the winter! THESE are the ones that got me through last winter.

Shoes

I once heard to spend smart money on anything that comes between you and the ground. So your bed, your car, and…your shoes. But especially when dealing with dramatic weather, quality shoes are so important! In addition to needing YakTrax for basically any parking lot, THESE are some of my go-to boots for winter that won’t leave you feeling like a newborn deer on ice.

Be positive!

Alaska may or not have been your dream assignment, but thinking positively heading into the winter months will do wonders for your experience! I was very pregnant and solo parented a toddler a lot during my first winter so my experience included absolutely zero outdoor activities aside from some nervous walks in my neighborhood and I still really loved it…until March of course when I was ready to see dirt again, lol. It truly is what you make it!