Yes, that's kind of true. Life within Anchorage isn't that much different than any other fairly large northern city (except for a few moose now and then eating your shrubs in your yard ). Yet, if you started walking due east from one of the subdivisions up on the "Hillside", into Chugach State Park.....you wouldn't cross another road for about a hundred miles when you hit the Richardson Hwy north of Valdez. Of course you would have to swim across College Fiord in Prince William Sound, dodging small icebergs and maybe a cruise ship or two.

Life in Alaska can be a study in contrasts. We sometimes have to remind ourselves that people pay big bucks to come up here and do stuff we can do on a long weekend.

Also, skis still work when it gets cold, they just get slow and noisy.