Winter in Anchorage?

[Sweden]

My personal opinion is to get studded tires - they help to get a grip on ice much better than un-studded, and if you are not used to ice, it can give you a little boost.
Just make sure that you understand the phenomena of "black ice" - especially when there is no obvious snow cover on the road. You'll think the road is bare, but it will get you.

Something to have in your car that might not seem obvious but that at times is a "lifesaver" is to have a few blankets in your car.


And, especially in Anchorage - when the snow falls, don't trust the traffic lights! Always count to 3 before going on green, and make sure no one is "blowing through" a red light because "they can't stop". (I'm still hurting on a daily basis because of a teenager who ran several lights Midtown a few winters ago.)

And be prepared - on the first day of snow, everyone and their mother seems to forget how to drive. If you can - stay home.

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by Sweden

My personal opinion is to get studded tires - they help to get a grip on ice much better than un-studded, and if you are not used to ice, it can give you a little boost.
Just make sure that you understand the phenomena of "black ice" - especially when there is no obvious snow cover on the road. You'll think the road is bare, but it will get you.

Something to have in your car that might not seem obvious but that at times is a "lifesaver" is to have a few blankets in your car.


And, especially in Anchorage - when the snow falls, don't trust the traffic lights! Always count to 3 before going on green, and make sure no one is "blowing through" a red light because "they can't stop". (I'm still hurting on a daily basis because of a teenager who ran several lights Midtown a few winters ago.)

And be prepared - on the first day of snow, everyone and their mother seems to forget how to drive. If you can - stay home.

Some good advice there - especially the last part. The first day of snow is utterly ridiculous on the roads. I usually leave extra early and plan to stay late at work. It's like the long days of summer just wipes any memory of how to drive in the snow from a big portion of the population.

[heathen]

Other folks have tackled the technical stuff, so I'll just give two suggestions:

- Though it's good to prepare the car and home before winter hits, don't sweat the clothing too much. As you get cold, buy more.

- Winters are long and psychologically draining. If you have family to stay with in California, take every opportunity to visit in January and February. There are often good flight deals down the west coast. Also, find ways to stay active. A gym membership is good, but bundling up for outdoor activities is better (once you have enough clothes of course). Anchorage has a very active winter outdoor community and this helps keep trails packed down. You'll see everyone from skiers, snowshoers, fat bikers, to walkers and hikers out on many of the trails behind Anchorage. The simplest piece of gear to get is these: https://kahtoola.com/product/microspikes/ They sell them at REI and probably other places.

[phlinak]

I think you have received some very good advice from the posters, so the only thing I would add is get a remote starter installed on your vehicle.

When winter comes, you will be so glad you have it.

P.S. - Personally, I favor all weather tires because you wear them year round, they provide the traction you'll need in winter without the excessive road noise caused when you run with studs, and you don't have to bother with the time and expense of changing your tires twice a year.i

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by heathen

Other folks have tackled the technical stuff, so I'll just give two suggestions:

You'll see everyone from skiers, snowshoers, fat bikers, to walkers and hikers out on many of the trails behind Anchorage. The simplest piece of gear to get is these: https://kahtoola.com/product/microspikes/ They sell them at REI and probably other places.

Personally I find these overkill and a hassle to shuck off at every single entrance door you need to go through. If your shoes are not something you can slip on or off easily, you will spend moments multiple times a day getting rid of the shoe-spike assembly at every store, workplace, home every time you go in or out. Sure, these have wonderful traction for unpacked unplowed areas but much of the time when walking in developed areas you can get away with something like this:

https://www.stabilgear.com/shop/outd...bilicers-lite/

I have both but find I reach for the Stabilicers most often as they are a lot simpler and easier to get on and off most of my shoes. For a brief errand you can get away with them on many types of flooring too as long as you are careful on hard slick surfaces. As with most things, YMMV.

[bmw335xi]

When I lived in Alaska, I had a BMW (all wheel drive). I never had to get studded tires. The only issue I had was the battery going dead because I had to park it outdoors, so I got a battery charger thing for extra cold nights.