by Tonia Gütting
While most of our military’s stations soak in the southern sun, a few of them let you snowshoe, ski, snowboard, and skate through a winter wonderland. If you love powder, or want to try it sometime, here’s your list of stations to request based on proximity to winter activities, amount of snow and length of winter:
7. The Winter Olympics at Nagano showcased Japan’s snowy playgrounds, and the U.S. Naval Air Facility Atsugi is just a couple of hours away. Japan boasts over 500 ski and snowboard resorts, and along the way you can see the snow monkeys too.
6. A day trip to ski in the Alps? Hooah! All winter sports in Switzerland and Austria are just a 2-3 hour drive from US Army Garrison—Stuttgart, which is also the Marine Forces Europe home.
5. Skate in the park, take in an Avalanche pro hockey game, and be a couple hours from some of the Rocky’s most famous slopes like Eldora, Keystone, and Copper Mountains—Peterson Air Force Base and Fort Carson at Colorado Springs, Colorado, are spoiled in the outdoor activities. Add a pleasant average temperature of 22 F, and it’s hard to ever come inside.
4. Ah, the beautiful lake effect snow! It tends to be unpredictable, but it comes by the feet on Fort Drum, NY. MWR will rent you the snowshoes, skis, and snowmobiles to capitalize on it. In the local town, you can find a tubing/ski hill, or join a hockey rec league. But the real advantage in northern New York is being close to Canada or a couple hours from Lake Placid. At this former Olympic site, you can bobsled, take a bi-athalon course, or ice skate with the locals.
3. For downhill skiers, the name Alyeska holds a spot on the bucket list. The famous mountain’s 1,600 skiable acres are under an hour’s drive from Joint Base Elmendorf-Fort Richardson, Alaska. Beyond it, a whole mountain range holds possibilities for telemark skiing, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing.
2. How much snow do you need? 327 inches a year enough? The Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit at Valdez, Alaska, can’t be beat for snow lovers. With Prince William Sound in front of you and the Chugach Mountains rising behind you, the view can’t be beat either. Heli-skiing in the Chugach and ice climbing in the Keystone Canyon are just up the road.
1. With a snow season lasting 6 months, nearly guaranteed base of snow, consistently cold temperatures, and world renown winter events, Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base win the competition. Fort Wainwright boasts a tubing and ski hill, groomed cross country ski trails, and an indoor skating rink on post. The Yukon Quest sled dog race, the World Ice Art Championships, and cross country ski races come to town regularly, along with occasional events like the Arctic Games. Miles of snowmobiling trails can take you through the winter wilderness to cabins with hot springs. All of these things are done under the dancing Northern lights, making it a truly magical snow globe.