The Editor’s Note

Ididn’t grow up around snow. When you spend your childhood in a suburb of San Francisco, you had to be super lucky to be able to play in the snow in your backyard – it happened once when I was a kid, during a once-in-a-generation snowfall.

Living now in Seattle, where our company is based, I get to experience snow a few times a winter. Even though I also spent some time living in Arkansas, which like Seattle gets the occasional dusting, I’m never quite ready for the ground to be covered in a white blanket.

But that’s also what fascinates me about how Alaskans – particularly in the most isolated of locales – can get around creatively via transportation options like snowmachines (see Paul Atkins’ story on page 51) and dog sleds.

I have a hard enough time getting my car down the driveway or taking my dog for a walk on the slick sidewalks when my Seattle neighborhood gets snowed on. Once during a winter storm around the holidays, I slipped and landed on my keister while the pup and I traversed a sloped driveway.

The only time I could possibly relate to the importance of snowmachines for Atkins and other Alaskans was a winter trip I took to Finland in 2011 with a friend. Among the snowy activities we participated in were piloting our own reindeer and dog sleds. It was an amazing experience to see these animals at work and allowed me to go on two of the most thrilling rides of my life.

But that was for my entertainment (though in both instances I envisioned myself on my own in the wilderness of Finland’s remote Lapland region and relying on my deer and dogs to safely get me home). In Alaska, having a reliable snowmachine could mean the difference between making it back alive or being stranded and in real trouble.

And that’s what makes the state known as the Last Frontier the first frontier for adventure. We hope you get as excited about the state as I’ve been. -Chris Cocoles

Whether searching for game in winter or just getting around town in heavy snow, Alaskans understand the importance of snowmachines. It’s something the editor, an admitted city slicker, can’t relate to but respects. (PAUL D. ATKINS)