Things To Do In Anchorage

The Anchorage Ballet and its academy have been preserving the art of classical dance since 1997 through a well-rounded curriculum based on the Russian Vaganova method, and has prepared young dancers for international careers with the American Ballet Theatre, the Kirov Academy, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and The Juilliard School. Each student is placed into the appropriate level of classes?which include pointe and pas de deux?according to age, talent, attitude, and musicality. It is through these classes, seasonal performances, and summer camps that the school's skilled teachers and guest instructors teach ballerinas to harmonize the entire body's movements, creating expressive leaps and pirouettes via Vaganova's vision. The academy partners with the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Atwood Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts to help bring ballet to Alaska's arts community and particularly limber polar bears. The academy won the 2010 award for outstanding arts organization at the Mayor's Arts Award ceremony.

In 1937, the nonprofit Anchorage Ski Club coalesced with the aim of preserving the Arctic Valley, which is surrounded by 320 acres of snow-dusted peaks that loom up to 4,000 feet high. The valley encompasses the 6-mile Arctic Valley Road as it weaves through sites for seasonal fun. During warm months, visitors chow down at the trailhead's picnic tables before hiking the 4-mile Rendezvous Peak trail, an easy path that overlooks the Anchorage Bowl, Cook Inlet, and other scenery that inspires awe and spontaneous poetry slams. As the sun sets on summer, wintry activities such as tubing and skiing take center stage. Ski routes range in difficulty, but each powdery course exudes the calm and isolation of backcountry with the safety features of a resort. Kids who are too young to surf the slopes can mold snow into forts, sled, or relax at Alpenglow Lodge. The sunny lodge lures in both youngsters and parents with two floors lofted over panoramic views of Anchorage.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) shelters orphaned, injured, and ill animals that could not otherwise survive in the wild. Bears, elk, and coyotes roam in a natural-habitat enclosure where they are regularly fed, rehabilitated, and given medical attention under the direction of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The AWCC seeks to educate the public about protecting Alaska’s native species with educational programs and tours. Patrons can also see the animals living in near-wild conditions, with bald eagles swooping to the ground in search of prey and wood bison plodding through 65 acres of tidal terrain. The latter comprise the only herd of wood bison in the U.S.: the species had been extinct in Alaska for more than a century until the AWCC acquired its herd from the Yukon as an effort to reintroduce the animal to the state.

Okamoto's Karate's dedicated karate and tae kwon do instructors transform pedestrians of all ages and experience levels into finely calibrated martial artists within fully mirrored training facilities replete with changing rooms. During a diverse lineup of classes, the highly trained staffers shepherd students aged 4 to typewriter-user through a dynamic training system that fuses Japanese karate with Korean tae kwon do, working to lay the foundation for active and confident lifestyles. In addition to hosting classes for average citizens and out-of-shape superheroes disguised as average citizens, the studio is also home to the world-championship team, Team Alaska, which has been featured on ESPN's worldwide telecast of the US Open & ISKA World Martial Arts Championships in 1999 and 2000.

Crashing waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, and breathtaking glaciers surround Resurrection Bay. Sailing, Inc., an instructional academy and member of the American Sailing Association, calls this slice of the Alaskan coastline its home. On the water, certified instructors teach beginners' to advanced courses, covering everything from navigating moderate sea conditions in basic keelboat classes to sailing past a boat's bedtime in nighttime advanced coastal cruising classes. The captains occasionally take breaks from instruction to charter sailing tours. On these excursions, wind sweeps through passengers' hair as they explore deserted coves or wait for the warm glow of a midnight sunset to turn the boat back into a pumpkin.

Aboard the deck of the Rainisong, a 65-foot U.S. Coast Guard?certified charter boat, the licensed boat captains and experienced crew of Seward Fishing Club steer guests into salmon-rich waters during morning or afternoon fishing trips. Shipmates cast professional bait and tackle into the sea with enough time to nab a silver salmon or entertain schools of fish with synchronized worm kick lines. In between reeling, guests can amble across the walk-around decks to stare at the scenic surroundings, or venture below the cabin to relax in the wooden interior, equipped with seating, 16 bunks, and two bathrooms.