For those of us who haven't been in Alaska very long February and March are busy months in Anchorage.

First we have the Iditarod, "The Last Great Race", which for the uninitiated is the largest sled dog race in the US. It has a ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage, and then 24hours later the real start occurs in Wasilla. Odd thing is though, Anchorage has usually lost most of the snow on the roads by then (either due to the diligence of our snow removal crews or weather). So in order to provide snow for the dogs and sleds to run on it gets trucked in!


Then we have the Fur Rondy (or Rondezvous) Which has it's origins in the trapping trade that got people to Alaska in the first place. It started out as a meeting to get all the trappers in the outlying areas in one place so they could barter and trade furs as a means to make a living and to be able to stock up on low winter supplies. Now it's more like a winter fair, with music, and games, and outhouse races (yes I said outhouse races).

Anyway the purpose of this post is let you know about these events so you can plan for them if you wish to experience what Anchorage has to offer in the winter.