Staying active in the winter months

 The long winters here in Fairbanks give you ample time to get out and discover the season’s numerous activities. Whether you prefer skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, snowshoeing, or just wandering around, Fairbanks is one of the best places for it.

Here at UAF not only do we have on-campus ski and snowshoe trails to spend the day exploring with friends, but we also have a brand new Terrain Park (the first on-campus park in the US!), an Ice Tower, and are in close proximity to a few downhill skiing and snowboarding destinations.

One of the more unique features of UAF is our Outdoor Adventure program.  OA allows you to go on trips all year long and explore Alaska. Examples from this past month of March are the Tanana River Skate Ski, the White Mountains Cabin Overnight trip, and the Skate Skiing Weekend Clinic series. All events are staffed by capable OA employees and are always guaranteed to be fun! Costs vary from trip to trip, but it is always a bargain for the amount that you can get out of it! Their website typically has a list of the whole semester’s activities to help you plan for the overnight trips in advance. In addition to hosting the trips, they also have equipment to rent out to students at an affordable price so you are able to explore the campus or other trails all on your own!                       

In addition to all of the opportunities OA offers, there is always a choice to remain active without going out into the cold! The SRC is open from 5:30am-10pm Monday through Friday, 9am-10pm Saturday’s, and 12-7pm on Sundays, and throughout the week we have a lot of classes offered to keep you active and moving! In addition to that you can work out on your own, or climb on the rockwall. Students are known to gather their friends and play pick-up basketball and volleyball games on the weekends, as well as participating in Intramurals during the week! As a student, you also have the ability to go swimming at the pool to burn off some extra energy!

Whether your preference for staying active during the long winters keeps you inside or takes you to the great outdoors, there are a lot of opportunities at UAF!