Things to do in Fairbanks in Winter with Morgan Clay from Borealis Sparks

Morgan Clay of Borealis Kicksleds joins Jennie to talk about all the fun things to do in Fairbanks during the winter while you’re waiting for the Northern Lights to come out

Music credits: Largo Montebello, by Domenico Mannelli, CC.

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Welcome to the Alaska uncovered podcast with me, your host, Jennie flaming, I bring you accurate, helpful and entertaining information about Alaska travel and life and Alaska. My occasional co host and full time husband Jay and I are committed to keeping the Alaska uncovered podcast ad free. To do that we need your help. If you're enjoying the podcast, we invite you to contribute toward tip jar, which is the first link in the show notes. We are so grateful for our listeners and we wouldn't be here without you. Thank you and enjoy the show. Are you looking for things to do in Fairbanks while you're waiting for the northern lights to come out? That's what we're talking about today. My guest today is Morgan clay. Morgan lives in Fairbanks, Alaska and is the owner of Borealis sparks and kick sled rentals. She is passionate about getting Alaskan families and visitors alike outside to enjoy the great outdoors and all the beauty that Fairbanks has to offer during the winter months. Morgan, welcome to Alaska uncovered. Thank you for being here. Thank you. I'm so excited to join you. Yeah, I'm really glad to have you here. So before we get into kind of details about winter in Fairbanks and all that fun stuff. Tell me how did you get to Alaska? Well, actually, I'm born and raised in Fairbanks. So I consider myself a lifer. I venture forever I've left to go travel but it just something about home is deep rooted inside and I will always forever call this place home and can't imagine myself living somewhere else. Really? Yeah. That's awesome. Um, okay, so can you tell us what is a kick sled? And why is it cool? So I know. We're gonna talk about more than just that, but just Yeah. Told me what is kick sledding, like how did you get into it? Okay, yeah. And then towards the end, we'll talk about how people can find you if they want to try it out. Great. So, Kix loving is actually a Scandinavian pastime winter pastime. In Scandinavian countries. kickstands have been around for a couple 100 years. And actually the brand that we sell it called epsa. And the family that makes our sleds has been doing it for 100 years now. So and they, they're they're in Finland. So yeah, it is very cool. Their kick clubs are actually quite new to Alaska, and not even just Alaska. Qixels are quite new to the United States. Yeah, my cousin Val. She owns kick picks at Alaska. And they're based out of Anchorage. And yep, so she's the one who got me roped into this and to be quite honest, like we stumbled upon will not stumbled, she introduced them to us. During the pandemic, it was actually right before the pandemic that she started. And then during the pandemic, we got some tech sleds for my kids and myself. And we love them. I mean, they were honestly just such a godsend for us, because they got us outside every day, trying new trails, exploring new places. And I quickly discovered it was like every five minutes on a trail someone's like, what is that? What Where did you get that? How did you make that? And I was like, Okay, this is something, there's something to these. They're very user friendly. It's like a chair on skis is what I tell people. So it's, you know, like a dining room chair. And then you've got two skis, one on each side, and they're about six and a half feet long. And they just offer such good stability on the snow and ice. My kids cross country ski, and they're amazing at it and they're really fast at it. I used to ski and now that I'm in my 40s it is not so easy for me to keep up with them anymore. And kick sledding this thing that I was like, Oh, we can all these do this and we can all keep pace. Yeah. And so it's just been it's been super fun in that aspect. I love it. I have never done it but when I met you I in Fairbanks that I saw your slides but it wasn't winter enough to like to you know actually use it but I was like, Oh, I gotta try this next time I come into like winter winter. Definitely. Absolutely. And I get so many people don't do this. When I do this trade shows I always get people asking me like well, can you put wheels on these? Haven't tried it and the makers at Esla haven't done it yet. So I'm assuming no. So for right now you're sticking with winter? Yeah, yeah, my husband, he still is like, Oh, I gotta try one of those. He was like, super into trying it. So that'll be Franklin, we get the chance. Cool, I can't wait to come back to how people can do that with you if they want to. But before we do that, I would love to talk a little bit more about winter in Fairbanks. So, of course, like folks who are listening, who are interested in this topic are probably going to see the northern lights. And of course, that's amazing. But we're going to be talking about like some of the other things that you can do while you're waiting for the lights to come out or during the day or whatever. So yeah, what are some of your favorite things? Or in your opinion, the best things about winter in flat rates? Oh, my goodness, okay, the list is long. I know that as being born and raised here, I think I have a very different appreciation for it. And I've been raised very differently than I think most people we call it the lower 48. So you know, the lower 48 states in America. I grew up outside at I remember my parents kicking me outside at 30 below and being like, go play with the neighbors. Like, okay, fine. So whether it was like tunneling snow tunneling in the banks and things like that, like that. A lot of imaginative play for us when we were kids. But as an adult, what I love about it are the things like getting outside in nature. And not just being inside. Yes, there. I mean, when it's really cold, because we just had a massive cold snap here in Derby. Yeah. Yeah, at 40 below for two weeks. You don't go outside much, right. And so when I'm referring to getting outside and doing stuff, I don't go out at 30 below anymore. When I was a kid, that was one thing. But now as an adult, I have like a 15 Blow cut off. Yeah. But and getting outside of Team below when and being active. Whether you're cross country skiing or kick sledding, or snowshoeing, that's all activities, that you're exerting energy. And you're it's a surprise workout, a lot of them. And so being outside that cold is actually quite easy. As long as you have the right layers on. Yeah. And that's one of the biggest. What's the word? I'm looking for? The biggest PSAs I guess I want to give to our incoming visitors. Yeah. dressed appropriately. Yeah. I cannot tell you how many times I've had people come to the kick sled shop, wearing rain boots, like just rain boots, like you would have in Seattle or something. And yeah, there's no insulation. They are. Like they're frozen. As soon as you're outside, they freeze and your feet are frozen, no matter what kind of socks you have inside of them. So if you're going to come to this climate, be prepared and buy invest in those good pieces, because that's going to make such a world of difference for you when you're visiting us. So get good Arctic gear, get good boots. And then here's the best part. When you leave Fairbanks, you could probably get on marketplace and sell that stuff for half of what you paid for it and still get some money back from it. Right. Yeah. And sell it within a day. Like that's how easy it is. So totally. Yeah. Yeah, I think I was just thinking about that too. And like that key beam, like being prepared like that with things that are really warm, it makes such a big difference and being able to get outside, especially, I think this is less of an issue for visitors. But when you live in a place like Fairbanks, being able to do things that are fun that get you outside in the winter is just so important for yeah, getting through it, you know? Yeah, absolutely. And that's why you're here. You're here to experience something, unlike anything you you're used to. And that's I mean, I always encourage people to just fully immerse yourself in our culture, and whether it's getting out and building a snowman at your Airbnb, or whatever it is, like, just do it. It's so much fun. And just get a taste of what life is like for us here. Now, 40 below, things are a little bit different. Yeah. And we have to get creative. So there's all these really cool trends that are happening right now. Like freezing your clothes and taking boiling water and throwing it up in the air and taking some really cool images of watching that boiling water turn into dust, you know, yeah, there's some really cool stuff that you could do even at 40 below. So yeah, you know, it's funny, Morgan because I'm from I am a born and raised theodolite and when I first moved to Fairbanks, I was so like intimidated by the winter because I'd never experienced a real winter. I mean, we don't we have winter here but it's not Cool, you know, we don't have snow consistently like things like that. And I was like, so excited to have a real winter and I was a little intimidated. But I was so ready for it to be 40 below so I could like do the boiling water thing. The first time that that happened, which I think was in like mid to late December, I went out and did it. And then I was like, Okay, I've done that now. I'm 30 below. And then I was like, check. There's still several months left. Yeah, yeah, definitely. But it was really fun. And real. There are so many just unusual novel things you can experience there. It's really cool. Oh, definitely, definitely. You know, we have some great museums. Our visitor center is so rich with culture and information. And I mean, when you say information, I mean, like they have an entire island of brochures of the things that you can do and experience here. Yeah. And so that's always my first recommendation people come to see us is goes, go visit the Morris Thompson cultural Visitor Center, dock up on all the brochures, even if you're not going to do them all just have them because when it gets old and you need something else to do, then you can go back to home. Yeah. And if you're it's a must do for map nerds also, because there are so many like, in addition to all the other cool stuff there, there are just so many maps, which is really fun. Cool. So what are some of the other things that you like to do you ever like to encourage visitors to do when they come to you in the winter? So we have so many really cool just like Artisan shops and things like that. There are some really cool places to go visit and get gifts from or, you know, just trinkets for your travels and things like that, which is always fun. And you're supporting our local economy, which is so important. Because winter tourism yes is on the upswing. It's gotten a lot more in the last probably 10 years or so. Yeah. But there are a lot of places that stay open all year long. And so just encouraging people to go visit those little like, I mean, I'm a little shop. And when I you know when someone stumbles upon me I just get really excited because one I want to share Fairbanks so much yeah. And to like I love hearing where people are from and what they're experiencing. And I always ask like, what Where are you going next? What are you going to do next and Fairbanks. And so one of those is like traveling, you know a little bit out of your comfort zone whether you're going to to Hot Springs Resort and going to soak in the hot springs. And one little another PSA, I guess I have is people don't realize that there's no cell phone service at a certain mileage when driving to Hot Springs Road. And when it's wintertime and it's dark, and you have a tourist who's driving themselves. It can be a little bit intimidating. When you're on that road. You're like, why don't I have cell phone service? No one told me, you know, so I always try to let people know I'm like it's just a straight road and the last place like the last place on the road. It's you know, Hot Springs, so just right driving. Yes. You can't really get lost. Nope, can't get lost. Don't. Don't panic with GPS doesn't work, but just know that you don't have any cell phone service. Yes. That's so it's so important. Yeah, like a giant sign on the road that says like, end of cell phone service. Yes. Yes. It's okay. It's not you. There's just lesser rows here. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, um, other things to do like I don't know. I love the train that goes between Fairbanks and knowledge nally Anchorage. That train ride is spectacular. It's just, it's so scenic and beautiful. And a lot of times there's I mean, there is a ton of wildlife and I can't, you know, we can't guarantee you're going to see it, but I mean, there's your chances are pretty good. It is it's just a beautiful train ride. Oh, my goodness, what else? There's? I don't know. Do you know this is getting a little bit away from Fairbanks. So it's okay. If you're like, ah, that's too far afield. I'm curious what advice you would have for people about going to Denali during the winter. You know, given that like you could go there but not a lot of stuff is open. Yeah. What thoughts do you have about that for visitors? Sir? So we call Denali ghost town in the winter. Yeah. All the hotels, all of the like, there's a very short area of the Denali village, right. I don't, I think it's maybe two and a half three miles long. Yeah. And they're all boarded up in the wintertime. So nothing is open. But if you're gonna go if there is something in particular because I think there are some kind of tours that they do out of there. I'm not 100% sure whether an Alaska tour company offers Some tourists that go to Denali. Okay, um, I mean, I usually tell people like to do it as a day trip from Fairbanks, rather that because there there are a couple of hotels in hilly, but like, most stuff just isn't open, like you were saying. And also, like you were saying you have to speak, you know, cell phone service, like you have to be very self sufficient to do that. But like you were saying, it's so cool. When it's like a complete, there's nobody there. And you could just Yeah, walk around. That's really cool. And so it really just depends on if it was January like, December, January, I would just err, so much caution to the wind because we have such limited daylight. So if you're saying a day trip, like, oh, you can go there, what one we have, you can go one way and have some daylight, but then on your way home, it's going to be much dark. So I know your surroundings. Do your research, right? Like, look at Google Maps, look at things that are on the road, there's rest stops along the road, but most of them are closed. Like, you know, the Porta Potti rest stops. A lot of them are are completely closed in the wintertime. So do your research beforehand before you go making that track. If you're looking towards more springtime, so like February, March, April, you know, you'll have a lot more daylight so you could easily make a day trip out of it. Hit the road early go out there. I mean, just driving into like, like you said, like looking at all those shops that are all closed up, you can still walk right up to them and walk along their boardwalks and stuff. Yeah, take your pictures and say you did it. Yeah, then you can head home and know that it's daylight. So pack your lunch, have all of you know, have it make sure you have appropriate gear in your car. So having all of your cold weather gear, having extra food and just you know, being a Smart Traveler in the aspect of okay, if I break down and it's 10 o'clock at night. What should I have? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. No I mean even have like the Roadside Service places like in your phone or on on a post it in your car. So you know who to call should something happen? Yeah. I, you know, I had so many travelers this winter already come from like a why in the Philippines. And I was so proud of them for renting cars and driving in our winter. Yeah, no, I was like, good for you. And they're like, Yeah, but I'm not gonna drive in the dark. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I guess like weather is terrible. And that's the nice thing about doing a day trip, is you can just decide in the morning. Oh, it's like snowing like mad. This is not going to be fun. You know, and just not do it or be like, it's a beautiful day. Let's drive to Denali. You know, you can kind of in the summer in the winter, you can kind of wing it like that, which you can't do very easily in the summer. Yeah, yep. Yeah. And check the weather reports to like, I think it's 511 is the road weather I think. Yeah. Alaska. I want Yeah. Yeah. 511 has all the road stuff. Yeah, because it could be cleared Fairbanks. But then it could be complete iceberg on the Parks Highway. So just not doing. Yeah, doing your research and being being as smart as you possibly can. Because, yeah, Fairbanks is can be a very dangerous place. Yeah. You know, this past week, I had to pick somebody up at the airport. And it was 40 below. And they came

in on that 12: 18:30

30am flight. Terrible flight. And there's no cabs. So that's the other thing. So like, No, you don't want to do Yeah, well, the cats don't want to be out like an Uber is such a hit and miss here. It really is. Yeah. So don't think you're gonna land in Fairbanks and can easily get an Uber because No, chances are, you can't. Because I mean, people are dealing with their own frozen cars and things like that. So it was this 1230 flight and I see a group of tourists and bless their hearts, they came running out a baggage claim with their giant suitcases, and like their little jackets, and maybe a hat on no gloves. And it was complete ice fog, and they just want to experience it like right off the bat. And I'm sitting there waiting for my people to come out. And I knew my people were going to be like, way late. So I'm sitting there watching and I wish I would have taken a video because they came in and out and they're all excited. And then they're like, Oh, God, it's really cold. Well, it was wasn't even 30 seconds and they're like, let's go back inside. So they go the airport. I'm watching them open these giant suitcases and their snow gear like pooping out of it, you know? And they're putting on their snow pants and the boots, their gloves, everything and then they come back out with probably empty suitcase. And they're like because themselves. Like good for you. You did it. Yeah, it was so funny. Oh, that is so funny. But then I was like, where's their ride? Oh, Like who's picking them up? I go into Mama Bear mode. I'm like, did they plan this too? They know that there's no cabs in the line back there. And they have to probably wait for a cab to come back. And yeah, so yeah, yep. Oh, that's a lot at 1230. And you're probably also jet lagged and Oh, totally. Yeah, totally. But these guys were very excited to experience that cold that ice fog. And then they were like, Oh, this is real. Yes, yes. Oh, love it. Yeah. Okay. What other what other things are places I do recommend for people when they're visiting Fairbanks in the winter. So there are some really cool guides that do snow machine tours. Yeah. And there's so many of them now. I mean, it used to be there was like two and now there's like 50, probably. So again, go to the visitor center and get your brochures and figure out who does those tours, and their snowshoeing guides that do tours, whether it's like in North Pole, which is a fun place to go visit or going up towards, like circle area, like they go way out. So and they take care of everything from your gear, to the snow machines to everything. So I mean, there's a price tag with it, but it's an experience of a lifetime. So things like that dog mashing, super duper to do and there are so many dog mushers that have started their own businesses, which is so great because these privately owned kennels like its families do own dog kennels. And they want to share their passion with people. And so they've gone out of their business licenses, and give tours on their dog sleds. And you can go in like feed the dogs and mean, which is kind of funny. I have a friend who does it. And she's like, we have people who want to come help us shovel poop. And I'm like, that's amazing. That is amazing. So you can go, where was it when it's frozen to? Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And by the way, for those of you listening, we do have an episode from last July that is about dog sledding in Fairbanks, with Ryan Olson, who's an identified musher. And so if you're interested in dog sledding or planning a winter trip to Fairbanks that is a great episode to go back and listen to. Yeah. Oh, good. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Even there's like even trips out to the Arctic or, yeah, the Arctic Circle. So you, I don't know what to or companies, because I think there's a couple of them now. Yeah, you can drive up to the Arctic Circle, they take care of everything, they do all the scary driving. And you just sit back and you know that your trusted hands up and do that. And that's like a day day trip. You know, I'm glad that you brought that up, Morgan. Because one thing that people you know, when I talk to clients, or listeners or people who are wanting to go in the winter, some people really want to go and just be there. And other people want to do it, but are feeling kind of anxious about things like winter driving, and gear and keeping track of things. And so I'm glad that you brought up tours, because that's a really great way to have some of these experiences with a lot of safety from people who are really experts in that. And so there's totally, I love that you brought that up, because that's a great way to do it. And also, if you do feel comfortable with that, you know, you can just rent a car and just hang out and go skiing or kick sledding or for a walk or all these different places. So you can really do it either way, or some kind of combination, which Yeah, I think is really wonderful. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, for sure. And, I mean, a lot of these guides who are doing it, they you know, I have a cousin who does guiding out of Anchorage. And she does a lot of backpacking type tours. And she, you know, she's so experienced. And, for me, I'm not a backpacker. But if I wanted to go on a trip, like she's the first person I'm calling because she has just such a wealth of knowledge. And that's what I mean, you want to go with somebody who's passionate about something, because that's they're going to have all the tricks and tools for when and if, you know, needed something happens and yep, you know, so yeah, yeah. And you talk a little bit about um, like some of the other trails around Fairbanks where you could either just go for a walk or ski or do you can get a quick kick sleds away. We will come back to that later about Pioneer Park. But can Peter take them to other places if they rent them from you? Absolutely. And actually, I Nothing could but I couldn't remember for sure. Okay, and I highly recommend it. So yeah, so what are some of the places that are fun to go? Yeah, I love UHF Yeah, they they have such amazing trails at UHF yeah and anywhere you can take a dog. You can take a kick sled so multi use trails, that's where you can take kick sleds, you cannot go on Nordic trails because skiers hate us. Right? We live in Messy leave a limit. Yeah, we leave a divot and where we kick and yeah, it really makes them mad, which, you know, I get it. Yeah, but UHF has lots of multi use trails. So I mean, really, there's all kinds of places I loved hanging out lakes. Because in the wintertime, they actually keep a maintained ice rink on Tana lakes. It kickstands are so much fun to take on the ice. Oh, I bet they are. They're I mean, they're a blast. They mean snow, ice, you name it. We're going. So in our kickflip fold down almost flat. So they fold the mean they'll fold down and you can easily transport them in your vehicle. Oh no, I have. Yep, I have a Ford Expedition and I can fit it out 12 In my expedition. It's and then we have kickstands with shorter runners. So if you are renting a little car, we have kick sleds that are four feet long, and they fold down and they'll actually fit right in the front seat of a vehicle. So really handy. They are amazing. Those Those finish. They know what they're doing. They do right. Yep. Field is another place that I think is just such a gem in general there multi use trails there. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's a ton of them. And I've mostly for you go from there. But yeah, yeah. And the deeper you go into Kramer's field, you get some hills like further in. And that's the best kickstands are great when you have a good ratio of hills to flats. Oh, that's the thing about it. Yeah. So if because you're, it's human powered, you're doing the work, right. So if it's icy conditions, you're gonna get some really good glide, and it will be as much work, but it looks like a like a fresh snow and a little bit sticky. That's gonna be a lot of work for you ticket because you're the one who's constantly propelling yourself forward. Yeah. So if you have a hilled area, then you can enjoy you know, kind of running up a hill and then gliding down. So this I always like to say good ratio, hills to flats. That's why I like UAS so much. Because there is just a little bit of everything there. Yeah. And as well as it's not just the trails that you can stay on, you can take accidents on the roads, on sidewalks. I mean, everywhere. I love UHF at night. So I have one of my kids skis, Virginia Nordic. And so when he goes to New Nordic skiing with his team, I usually take kick sleds and I just go kick sled on the roads, all over UHF around campus because there's such fun Hills Yeah, campus and roomed everything's grouped, everything is plowed and nicely taken care of. Yeah. And it's really well lit. So especially at Christmas time, because all the Christmas lights are on. Or even, you know, December, January, is when they have all these lights on it just so scenic and beautiful. And you get a view of town and it's it's a blast. And I mean, it's it's fun. Like what was last time you did something that you were like, Wow. Yes. So when you're on a kick sled, I guarantee you you're gonna be like weighing down the road. Yes, that is really fun. Yep. Unless of course they decide that they want to sand or gravel, the roads and then kick sleds. Yeah, do not like that at all. Yes, it's a major buzzkill for us. But so our Qixels have these plastic runners on them. And they're held on with zip ties, so we can clip those zip ties off and peel off the plastic runners. And then there's exposed steel, which is the actual runner. And so you can probably make better if there does better like it'll still kind of catch on gravel if it's like a heavily gravelled area. Yep. But if it's gravel that's like embedded in the ice. You're gonna just glide right over it with the just the steel runners. Yeah. So the kickstands are pretty versatile. And you know, if you were to come to write one from me, I would say okay, where are you going to take it? Okay, well, if you need to then remember you can clip off the runners and put them in your car and just take them on the steel. Love it. Yeah. And Pioneer Park or we read them at Pioneer Park is very flat. Yes, there's not a one hill Yeah, it's a driveway Hill. It's not even a big hill. It's teeny tiny. But it's fun. So yes, so for my adventure seekers, I'm always like yes, calm, you know, try them out. But if you really want to like get up, get these things out and see what they do then go find some hills go to UHF take them for two hours. Yes, it's so quick it's so easy to get from my shop to you if it's like a 10 minute drive, right so you can take it for two hour rental and be back in no time. Yeah. Yeah, love it. Okay, are there any other things other than before we got like into a little more about like where people can find you and all that any other things that people really need to do while they're visiting fair rates in the winter? Oh, man. So I wouldn't say Fairbanks is pretty big the borough of Fairbanks is a very large area. Yeah. So there's a lot on the outskirts so I it just depends on what like if you want to go skiing like we have some really good hills. We've got moose mountain we've got oh, gosh, now I can't remember the name of it. Oh my gosh, ski land up the spokes or the Steese highway. Yeah. And then a hidden gem that I really love is Fort Wainwright. So at Fort Wainwright, they have Birch Hill. It's not by all means like this is a very little ski hill. Birch Hill. Yeah. Yeah. But they haven't enter to the hill. And it is so last week, you know? Yeah. Yep. Yep. It's good. So I think they're only open on the weekends, though. So a plan accordingly, and anybody can get on the Fort Wayne right now. So you just have to, you know, have your ID and a license or license and registration for the car. So if you're renting a car and some form of insurance, I think which most people use their own. Yeah. And so take that into the Visitor Center at Fort Wainwright. And then they give you a day pass and you can get right up to Birch Hill. So definitely take advantage of that. That's really fun. Love it. Yeah. Oh, my gosh, what else? And North Pole like going to Santa Claus house? Yeah. Checking that off your list? Yeah. What else is in North Pole? There's other things in North Pole to go check out and they have lakes is one of my favorites. I mean, it's not in North Pole, but close to for skiing and ice fishing. Yeah, ice machine. Yep. There's some guides that do everything. So like under the guide service. They have snow machining and, and ice fishing and Northern Lights, tours and everything. So they do all that you can book those ice fishing huts through them, I believe. So yeah, I think you can. Yeah, yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Cool. Okay, so one other thing Morrigan. Like, you know, people really want to see the northern lights when they go to Fairbanks. And of course, that is like, super amazing. I think I've never met a person. Even someone like you who is born and raised who ever like starts taking that for granted and is like, Oh, no big deal. Sir. I am curious what advice you would have for visitors if they're coming to Fairbanks. And they're like pumped about having all these adventures, but also, like, I really want to make this a priority. What advice do you have to give people kind of the best chance of seeing them? Best chance would be obviously in the evening time. Obviously, yes. Get yourself an app. So I use go I can't what's called like my Aurora forecast, I think is what there's app, send you notifications. Like in one hour, the northern lights should be out and moving around. If it's not overcast, right, so and that app is going to send you notifications, even if it's snowing and there's zero visibility. Because they're they're letting you know, like they are active. We can't control the weather. So and that. I think the biggest takeaway I want to give your listeners is don't be mad at the locals. If you can't see the northern lights. I will try to turn them on for you if I had a yes, I swear I would do it like every day, right? Yep. But it's it's all weather dependent. Getting up above the inversion line to is really important. So just this last week, we had terrible iceberg. I mean, it was God awful. Yeah, you couldn't see 10 feet in front of you. But if you drive up into the hills, and get above the inversion line, and the inversion line is where, oh gosh, there's a scientific term for this and I don't I'm gonna butcher it. So I'm just gonna say when you're driving up the hill, and all of a sudden there's no more fog. You've got the inversion line. Yep. Get above the inversion line and then and find a parking spot somewhere. I actually have a lot of people will stop at the end of our driveway. And I'm like, Fine, like, I think it's tourists you guys. But usually it is Have people stopping on our road because they, you know, they've gotten above the aversion line and they're looking, you know, just for a place to park. So, Alaskans are great that way. And I mean, unless there's like a no trespassing sign like that, definitely stay off. Yeah. But if you're just on a road, and you're like, Oh, this is a good spot, and then the Northern Lights are starting to move, then, you know, be safe, put your hazards on. And take a look. But the two, there's so many different tour companies now, like I said, in the last 10 years, our winter tourism has just boomed. There are so many companies that offer Northern Lights, tours, and they will pick you up at like your Airbnb in a van or bus and take you out to I have no idea where like these companies have like their secret spots. A lot of them are off the beaten path out of town. But they know where they're going. And, you know, so do your research. And like I said, go to the visitor center and see who's doing the Northern Light tours. If you're like, yeah, if that's the only thing you want to do see the northern lights then find a tour. So you're not stressing yourself out with like, where do I go? Yeah. Stay awake from like, 10pm to three. I'm also Yeah, for sure. A lot of our hotels here in town have a Northern Lights wake up call. So you know, go to bed and say or before you go to bed, go to the front desk and say can I get on that list? The Northern Lights call and they're like, Yes, sure. So I mean, they'll call you up at two o'clock in the morning, say they're out. And then you can Yeah, definitely. I always tell my, you know, friends who are visiting, if they're wanting to do an Airbnb, Biden, Airbnb in the hills. Yeah. Because, one, it's warmer up in the hills anyways. And to the chances of seeing the Northern Lights are just a little bit greater if it's foggy out, or even if it's like if it's snowing. A lot of times, it's still clear up here that it is I say up here because I live on a hill. Yeah. Oh, love it. I love the inversion. And it's wonderful. So last week when it was ice fog, my husband is sending me pictures from work. And I was like, you can't see anything. I was like it is blue skies and sun shining up here. If you were up above the fog. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. Cool. Love those tips. Those are fantastic. And by the way, we also have an episode about seeing the Northern Lights. That was back in September. So if you want to do a deeper dive into that one, go back and listen to that episode as well. Okay, we're gonna take a short break. And when we come back, we're gonna hear a little bit more about how to get one of these rad kick sleds to go we on hills. Let's take it beyond here a few more of Morgan's favorites in Fairbanks. So we'll be right back. Hi, everyone. Jennie here, I just wanted to let you know about a couple of the other ways that I can help you with planning your trip to Alaska besides this podcast, one of them is my Alaska travel planners, which are digital documents where you can keep track of everything for your trip in one place. Stay organized, on share it with your travel companions. And I have different ones for different types of trips. So those digital planners along with my pre made itineraries, which are five of my absolute favorite all time ALAC itineraries. All of that is in my online shop. So if you want to grab that, that is at shop dot ordinary dash adventures.com. And if you're looking for a little more personal help, or perhaps you're a little further along in the process, and you need some help deciding between a couple different tours or locations, or something like that, or maybe you're at the beginning and you just need the basics of your itinerary figured out. That is what my 30 minute zoom planning sessions are all about. And that is your time to use however you want. It's super fun. We can talk about whatever you need help with and I'm really good at helping you in a short time. Get through the decisions you need to make. And then finally, if you want me to do it all for you. I can do that too. And you'll find all the links for these in the show notes right below the tip jar. All right back to the show. Okay, we are back with Morgan clay born and raised Fairbanks in and we are going we are talking about winter in Fairbanks and all the fun things to do there. And you know, Morgan, I just thought of something else that I wanted to ask you, which is, you know, you're a mom, and I get so many questions from people about like, is it safe to bring my kid Is are by baby to Fairbanks in the winter. And I always find that a little bit funny because, like, well, people have babies and children survive, and they're fine. I'm young. So I, I know this is a little off what I said we were going to do, but I would love to hear like for someone who's bringing, let's say, especially a younger child like a to Fairbanks in winter, like what advice do you have for them about like, staying calm and and making sure that your child doesn't freeze to death? Yeah. Number one, invest in the good gear. Yeah, I mean, it's gonna be your biggest saving grace is investing in really good Arctic gear, gloves, hats. Thermals, like long underwear, like are my kids live in their long underwear all winter long? Yeah. So I mean, so yeah, you only need two pairs. That's all you need. If you're visiting for a week, you only need one pair. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah, that's a good investment. And then just like, I don't know, get them outside. And yeah, so kids, like, let's say, you have kids from California, and they're visiting Fairbanks for the very first time. And they're actually like getting into cold winter snow for the first time. Get out there with them, you have to lead by example. So whether it's going sledding, or kick sledding, or building a snowman, or whatever it is, get out there with them. Because then they're more likely to be like, Oh, this is actually not so bad. And then next thing, you know, like, you can go inside enjoy a cup of coffee, and they're gonna go outside and they're gonna continue to play. So yeah. That's, I mean, Kid love Alaska. They do. It's just such a different place. And it's this is magical. Like, it's all of a sudden, they're like living in a snow globe. Right. So yeah. Last winter, I took my nieces who at the time were 10 and 12. to Fairbanks, er, and that that was their choice. They wanted to go to Alaska with me, and they want to go in the winter. And it was so fun. Like we went dog sledding, and we went to the ice Park and we visited all they're very into animals. And we went to visit all my friends who have dogs and like, did the dog tour off. I totally forgot about the ice Park. I totally forgot about that. We talked about all these things early spark did. opens in February, mid February, February 17. Is when they open up and it is such a sight to be seen. It's fun. You could spend hours there. I mean, easily. hours. Yeah. So yeah, that's the kids love it, because they have such a great ice slide area and kids, you know, interactive play. The one thing I always encourage people to do when they have kids, and they're taking them there is get a helmet. Whether you're going to Fred Byers and buying a bicycle helmet, put it on them because it is ice, it is hard. And those slides like you can get a little bit squirrely on them. So yeah, I I'm shocked that they don't recommend or require people to wear them. I think it's after starting my own business and having to deal with insurance myself. And insurance was like, oh, no, you're you're gonna make them wear helmets. I'm like, Okay, how can you get away with this? But okay, that's a good question. I know, trust me. So yeah, getting you know, just investing in, you know, their brain and getting a helmet would be great. Yeah. Come see me at the kickstart shop and I'll rent you one if you need one. Yeah. Where are we going with all that? Now? I can't remember. I got so sidetracked. Well, and I interrupted you talking too much. But I think like what you're saying is like, be prepared, but then kind of dive in and let it be fun. And like don't be freaked out and it'll be awesome. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. So when you're coming to Fairbanks if you're getting an Airbnb, like, ask the questions like, do you have sleds at your Airbnb? Like, oh, yeah, flooding is fun for everybody, whether it's flat or not, like, yeah, you know, getting out and it's something that's just quickly inviting. Right. So you can be like, there's just one outside go play the sled. Yeah, so Okay. Speaking of sleds, and the ice Park, sorry. Yeah, a little bit of a tangent. But it is crazy to me. And again, like when I was there with my, you know, nieces, and we're like, sledding, I was like, okay, like, you know, you think about it differently than you do when you're like just an adult without any with you. But I was like, wow, I remember that. You could take sleds on the iSlide. I mean, you can really get moving. It's like oh, and the girls, my nieces. They were like, I don't know that we Want to do this with slides? I think we'll just slide and I was like, that sounds great. You know, you see people, floods all the time. And I'm like, last year, I watched a man take his brand new baby, like this baby was not even six months old. And he got on a sled and put the baby in his lap, and went shooting down on those slides. And I was like, What are you doing? What are you doing? Yeah, so the sled. I mean, those ice slides are just as good on your butt. Or, like, Yeah, you don't have to have a piece of plastic to enjoy it. Yeah. And I've totally seen people, especially when they have one that has like a curve at the bottom. I've seen like teenagers just like fully fly off. Oh, man. Okay. Yeah. But also going to the ice park at night is also very imperative because people don't realize that all of the ice is lit up with like, different colored lights at night. Yeah. So going through the day is one thing. And I mean, honestly, like, I, I don't know why anybody would go during the day. But yeah, it doesn't go to school. Yeah, they are so spectacular at night. And I think they're open pretty late, too. So yeah, definitely don't go at night. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. All right. So Morgan, if people are coming to Fairbanks, and they're like, I gotta try this kick sled thing. That's absolutely fun. I'm like, give us the details. Like, where do they find you? Like, when are you open? And I know, like, if someone's listening to this next year, it could be different, but like, yeah, roughly, What size are you open? What time you know, that kind of stuff? Yep. So as soon as the snow flies, I'm moving in. So we located at Pioneer Park, which is right smack dab in the middle of Fairbanks on Airport Road. Yeah. In the summertime, it's just like busy, bustling, fun park in the wintertime. It's ghost town. And it's just me. So I get 44 acres of a playground, which is fantastic. It's the Fairbanks North Star borough, owns and operates it. So the minute it's like snowing, but out there the plows like plowing everything and making it pristine and beautiful. So it's really well maintained. It's really well lit. super safe. So I'm in cabin number 13. So when you get to Pioneer Park, there's basically three entrances to the park. There's the big main one that says Pioneer Park and then to the right, there's gold rush town entrance, and that's where I'm at. Okay, you just walk through the Gold Rush town entrance, you can walk through any of them. But as soon as you get to Gold Rush town, where all the cabins are. I'm the first cabin. And it's cabin number 13. And I have lots of signs on my building, or on the cabin. Lights are on when I'm open. And yeah, so it's a cute little cabin. I call it my cozy kicks lead cabin. It's 200 square feet. So very tiny, but nice and warm. So you come in and take sons are based off of your height, not your weight. So I usually size you and I'll say like How tall are you? Okay, you're gonna need a T six or T seven. Or if you're a little guy, you need a tattoo. And we'll get you all sized up and depending on how old you are, so I require everyone under the age of 18 Wear a helmet so we'll give you a helmet and then you have to sign a waiver that is that was the fun thing about starting my business was getting insurance for it was my biggest hurdle because like I said kicks clubs are so new to America. Yeah, so they don't exist on an insurance form. There's no category for me, so it's not a scooter and it's not skiing and it's not so like it's a snow scooter. They're like that doesn't exist no. So it took 10 months actually to get insurance for our business I had to go to Gmail and lobby to get a little tiny box put on an insurance form but alas, here we are. I've we've done a pioneered the way for kicks letters. I love it and so yeah, and yeah, so yeah, then you sign our waiver because that was insurance was like you're gonna get a waiver and it's gonna be beefy. So it's ridiculous. Like they have some stuff in there. Like you're not gonna go to mountain like yeah, no, you're not gonna go to mountain. Yeah, mountains here. Yeah, yeah. And then I'll send you out. It's we have all different durations everywhere from an hour to three days. And like I said, they collapse down really easily. So if you want to stay at Pioneer Park for an hour and go kick it then that's great. But if you want to take it with you, I recommend trails to our visitors. If you want to take it with you to your Airbnb for a few days, that's also an option. So taking them to places like the ice Park is really fun. Oh, yeah, that would be really fun. Yeah, so I mean They hold 400 pounds these kicks, let's do so you can put all of your gear on them and use it essentially like a, like a stroller almost. Yeah. So or even if you have an elderly folk who, elder, elderly folk, if you have an elder who needs a little bit more assistance, whether it's walking behind something, they can use the kick side like that, or they can sit on the tech side and you can push them, and then they can be you know, participating with you and all these fun activities. Oh, that's really fun. Yeah, yeah. Um, so yeah, we're open. Let's see Wednesday through Sunday. Okay. Usually noon to six. There's different times of the year that I'll extend my hours. And we run specials all throughout the year, too. So like Valentine's Day is coming up. And we have a really fun scavenger hunt Valentine's Day package that we're doing. Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun. It's just something different for people to get out and go try and do whether they're locals or visitors. Yeah. And this podcast should be going live on Valentine's Day. So if you're listening to this in real time, and you're in Fairbanks, get down there for a fun, unique Valentine experience. Let's kick it on Valentine's Day. Yeah, I want to come. Oh, man. Okay, so Morgan. What is your favorite month? in Fairbanks? My favorite month? Yes. I'm gonna say March. Yeah. Because it's well, March for a couple of different reasons. One, it's just such good tick sledding. In March. It's warm. You can like go kick setting in a T shirt. Sometimes. The sun is just we're gaining so much daylight and yes, sun is out. It's warm. It's like you can smell just bring us here. The birds are chirping, like just things are coming to life again, which is so awesome. And if you hit it just right, you can actually like if you're visiting Fairbanks, you can sometimes be here for like our breakup season. Yeah. Like when the snow is gone. And all of a sudden, like you're like, Oh, wait. There's a sidewalk anymore. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So I'd say definitely March. Cool. And you can still see the northern lights too. Yeah. So that's all like a lot of daylight and a lot of night. There's a lot of times, it's great. Yes. Okay. I know, this is a really, this is a really tough one. But what's your favorite restaurant? In? Okay, so I don't know if you know, this will fund back. Fairbanks is like the Thai food. Capital. Yes. Yeah. I don't know. I've lied, Morgan. Because everyone from Fairbanks who comes on the podcast is like, yeah, I don't know. Why. Yeah, I love us so much. And they're like, we're going there. We're setting up shop, and we're never leaving. And we're gonna have amazing restaurants ever. Is there the best restaurants ever? And so my restaurants have changed a lot in the last few years. Because there's some new Thai restaurants. If you're going to ask my husband, he is going to say the Thai house downtown. My old answer was lemongrass. But today, my answer is yes. Noodle soup. Oh, it is on believable. Awesome. And they have everything. They don't just have Thai food. They have, like hamburgers. They have? Oh my gosh, what else? I think they have Chinese food too. Like they have they make everything. But they have these signs on their tables that say, Please don't season our food. Taste it first. And, man, you taste it and you're like, of course they don't have any seasoning. You don't need anything else. They do it so perfect. Just the way it is. Oh, it's amazing. And the guy who owns the place is just a character like, and he is the one who's always behind the counter. So you walk in and you're just getting like, like, it's like you're walking into grandma's house or something and your cousin is greeting you like he's just so sweet. Yeah, awesome food. Any door dashes, so yeah. Perfect. Oh, that is great. All right, finally, Morgan. I feel like you have already answered this. But I'm going to ask you anyway and give you a chance to change your answer if you want to. What is your favorite Fairbanks winter activity? Kick sledding. Otherwise you wouldn't be doing what you do. chance to say like actually, yes. heliskiing or actually watching Netflix or I wish I was cool enough to heliski Yeah, no, I love if I'm not kickstarting we're snowshoeing, so yeah, we love our snow machines and whether it's going out on the river or like we have neighbors like we'll go down on the river and have bonfires on the river with with our snow machines and like it's fun to go do or if we're taking a trip to Cantwell to go in the mountains like it's Yeah. I love to snow machine. Love it. Well Morgan it has been so fun talking about Fairbanks winter stuff with you. I mean there are great items that are as fun to talk about as that. So I am so glad that you were here. Thank you so much for joining me today. You bet man, this was the easiest interview I've ever done. I know so much fun stuff to talk about. And thanks to all of you listening for joining us for this episode of Alaska uncovered. We'll see you next time. Bye for now.

Alaska Uncovered Podcast

Things to do in Fairbanks in Winter with Morgan Clay from Borealis Sparks

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