World Ice Art Championships
March 10, 2008 | Tags: Ice Alaska
Over 70 international teams have completed their sculptures and put them on display at one of the largest annual ice art competitions and exhibitions in the world. Fairbanks is host to the annual World Ice Art Championships running from February 26th to March 23rd. Artists compete in single block and multi block events, sculpting both realistic and abstract pieces made completely of ice. Awards for this year have already been handed out, and all the final works are now on display either at the Ice Park or online.
The Amateur Open and Junior Championships are underway through the 23rd, and the park is open from 10am to 10pm daily; check the schedule of events for more information. You may also want to browse the photo archives for competition winners all the way back to 1999. The photos above were taken at the beginning of the single block competition.
Four in a Row for Mackey
February 20, 2008 | Tags: Dog Mushing, Lance Mackey, Yukon Quest
Lance Mackey cruised across the finish line in Whitehorse to win his fourth Yukon Quest in a row this morning. The Fairbanks musher was trailed by only fifteen minutes, as his nearest competitor, and next-door neighbor Ken Anderson made a remarkable finish to his rookie Quest in second place. The Fairbanks duo left much of the competition hours behind, making it a two-man race through the last few checkpoints. Both men will go on to race in the Iditarod, which begins in just nine days. Mackey was last year’s Iditarod winner, while Anderson finished seventh.
Read the official Quest site for more finish line details. You may also want to catch the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner story or the CBC piece on the Quest.
Keeping up with the Quest
February 13, 2008 | Tags: Dog Mushing, Yukon Quest
The 2008 Yukon Quest is underway now, and mushers are at this very moment traversing the 1,000 mile trail from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon. You can keep up with the action by checking the current standings at the official Yukon Quest site. News from the trail is also regularly appearing on both the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Yukon News.
Some other great stories have been published on the race in the past few days including this update from APRN, and a story about photography on the trail by Patrick Endres.
25th Annual Yukon Quest
January 25, 2008 | Tags: Dog Mushing, Yukon Quest
The 1,000 mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is being run for the 25th time this year. The race begins on February 9th, and will take 29 mushers from their Fairbanks starting point through 15 checkpoints on their way to the finish line in Whitehorse, Yukon. One of the major story lines for this year is the return of Fairbanks musher Lance Mackey. He is a three-time Quest winner, and the only musher ever to win both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same year.
The 2008 Yukon Quest festivities begin with their Start & Draw Banquet on February 7th. The race begins on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, just two days later. Come early to find a good spot, and dress warm!
Winter’s Unsurpassed Display of Northern Lights
January 11, 2008 | Tags: Northern Lights, Video
The residents of Fairbanks, Alaska are accustomed to spectacular views of the aurora borealis or northern lights. Most people view from their homes, but many travel out of town, away from the city lights for the most spectacular views. A dynamic aurora covers the entire sky, dancing wildly while flashing brilliant colors of green, whitish-blue, or even red.
The above aurora video was taken in Fairbanks last February. As well as a magnificent (mostly green) display, it shows chemical trails in the ionosphere; a result of test rocket fire from Poker Flat Research Range. Thank you Paul Jensen!
When is the best time of the year to view the aurora?
In Fairbanks, observations of the aurora may be made from middle to late August to middle April. The spring months of January, February, March and April are often the best time to view the aurora because of better weather, however, Fall can be just as cooperative weather-wise. The truth of the matter is, the northern lights can occur almost anytime.
What time of the day is the best time to see the aurora?
The time for viewing is between evening and morning civil twilights on clear or partly cloudy nights. Major storms can occur anytime, and local intensification is most common between 10 pm and 2 am.
Why Fairbanks?
Fairbanks sits under what is called the auroral oval, a ring shaped region around the North Pole where auroras occur. Statistically, Fairbanks averages 243 nights per year when it is possible to see the aurora.
More information?
Download additional aurora information, get answers to some frequently asked northern lights questions, or check the aurora forecast when planning your visit.
Photographing the Aurora
January 10, 2008 | Tags: Northern Lights, Photos
Fairbanks’ Winter visitors should come prepared with a good camera and a little knowledge about Alaska’s photography challenges. Top on the list of difficult images to capture are the Northern Lights. While everyone wants to leave with at least a few memorable shots, we don’t always have the knowledge to get us there. Thankfully, Fairbanks has some top-notch pros to help us out! Patrick Endres gives us a lesson in quality aurora photography today on his Alaska Photo Graphics blog. Take some notes, check the aurora forecast, then get out there and take some great Northern Lights photos.
By the way, when you have those stunning images and want to show them off, please enter our Photo Contest. We’d love to share your Alaska Winter adventure with Fairbanks visitors from around the world.
Drawing Contest Winners
January 8, 2008 | Tags: Art
We handed out prizes for our annual drawing contest recently during Holidays at the Cabin. Kindergarten through sixth grade students from around the Fairbanks area participated, showing their enthusiasm for Winter in Fairbanks.
The grand prize went to a second grade student, Elena.
In category 1, second graders Connor and Lars were winners, along with first grader Elias.
Juliana, third grade, and fourth graders Clara and Sadie took home prizes for category 2.
Sixth graders, Ciarra and Chris won in category 3. Fifth grader Blessing was also a winner.
The winning drawings are on display at our Log Cabin Visitor Information Center, located at 550 First Avenue in downtown Fairbanks. Our champions were from local schools including Woodriver, Joy, Denali, Badger Road and Fairhill Christian. Congratulations to everyone! Make sure you drop by the cabin for extensive information about Fairbanks and Interior Alaska. While you’re there, take a closer look at these drawings, and perhaps be inspired to have your own Alaska winter adventure!
Review Our Interactive Winter Guide
December 31, 2007 | Tags: New Features
The FCVB is very excited to have a new online Winter Guide. The feature gives visitors the added advantage of searching for specific items, bookmarking pages, sending articles of interest to a friend by e-mail, and quick one-page printing, among other things. We’re anxious to see what you think about this feature. Please leave a comment and let us know.
