This beautiful state lends itself to vocabulary that doesn’t quite fit in other parts of America. Alaska is such a unique place, and the words that we use while living in it reflect that, especially the words that pepper our speech each winter. Do you speak like an Alaskan?
- Northern Lights
Giuseppe Milo / Flickr Northern lights, or aurora borealis, is one of the most incredible phenomena of our winter night sky. Even though the lights technically dance all year long, they’re only visible during our long, dark winters. They are a beautiful beacon in the middle of an inky night!
- Bunny Boots
Michael Hanna / Flickr There are quite a few places in Alaska that can get down to -70 degrees Fahrenheit each winter. The US Army developed these thick, oversized, rubber boots. They’re a must when the temperature drops, and you can even get them in two colors; black or white.
- Termination Dust
Paxson Woelber / Flickr When you get enough snow in the higher altitudes to stick to the very tops of the mountains, you have yourself some termination dust. Long heralded as the beginning of winter, it means the temperatures are dropping enough that the snow will begin to creep down the mountain. Pretty soon you’ll find it in your yard!
- Cabin Fever
Bureau of Land Management Alaska / Flickr The darkest day of the year is winter solstice, December 21st. The months on either side are filled with long days of darkness, and that can make for a long, dark winter. When the temperatures are too cold to spend much time outside, you end up stuck inside and feeling stir crazy. Alaskans call this feeling “cabin fever”, and it’s a feeling filled with frustration and restlessness.
- Chinook
Michael Pereckas / Flickr Sometimes in the middle of the winter you can get a warm wind that breaks a cold snap. Snow begins to melt, and you can get a tiny thaw in the middle of a very cold winter. The worst part about this is frequently it drops below freezing again quickly, and the melted snow turns into slick ice, all over sidewalks and parking lots.
- Musher
GPA Photo Archive / Flickr Alaska doesn’t have a lot of road systems, and during the winters, it can be easier to travel by dogsled. The people riding on the back of these sleds directing the dogs is called a musher. Frequently mushers will run their team in dogsled races too, the most infamous one being the Iditarod.
- Hoarfrost
Clemens / Flickr Hoarfrost carpets vegetation when the temperature drops, and dew drops crystallize on every object around you. This type of frost can frequently be so thick it looks like snow! You tend to see these miraculous winter occurrences take place on cold, clear nights.
- Alpenglow
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve / Flickr One of the prettiest winter experiences in Alaska is the lovely phenomenon called alpenglow. It’s a pink or reddish glow, usually during sunset, that lights up the mountains. It can paint the sky and mountain tops stunning colors, and the white snow provides a perfect canvas for the rosy colors.
Did you know all of these Alaskan terms? Can you speak like an Alaskan? Let us know in the comments below!
Giuseppe Milo / Flickr
Northern lights, or aurora borealis, is one of the most incredible phenomena of our winter night sky. Even though the lights technically dance all year long, they’re only visible during our long, dark winters. They are a beautiful beacon in the middle of an inky night!
Michael Hanna / Flickr
There are quite a few places in Alaska that can get down to -70 degrees Fahrenheit each winter. The US Army developed these thick, oversized, rubber boots. They’re a must when the temperature drops, and you can even get them in two colors; black or white.
Paxson Woelber / Flickr
When you get enough snow in the higher altitudes to stick to the very tops of the mountains, you have yourself some termination dust. Long heralded as the beginning of winter, it means the temperatures are dropping enough that the snow will begin to creep down the mountain. Pretty soon you’ll find it in your yard!
Bureau of Land Management Alaska / Flickr
The darkest day of the year is winter solstice, December 21st. The months on either side are filled with long days of darkness, and that can make for a long, dark winter. When the temperatures are too cold to spend much time outside, you end up stuck inside and feeling stir crazy. Alaskans call this feeling “cabin fever”, and it’s a feeling filled with frustration and restlessness.
Michael Pereckas / Flickr
Sometimes in the middle of the winter you can get a warm wind that breaks a cold snap. Snow begins to melt, and you can get a tiny thaw in the middle of a very cold winter. The worst part about this is frequently it drops below freezing again quickly, and the melted snow turns into slick ice, all over sidewalks and parking lots.
GPA Photo Archive / Flickr
Alaska doesn’t have a lot of road systems, and during the winters, it can be easier to travel by dogsled. The people riding on the back of these sleds directing the dogs is called a musher. Frequently mushers will run their team in dogsled races too, the most infamous one being the Iditarod.
Clemens / Flickr
Hoarfrost carpets vegetation when the temperature drops, and dew drops crystallize on every object around you. This type of frost can frequently be so thick it looks like snow! You tend to see these miraculous winter occurrences take place on cold, clear nights.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve / Flickr
One of the prettiest winter experiences in Alaska is the lovely phenomenon called alpenglow. It’s a pink or reddish glow, usually during sunset, that lights up the mountains. It can paint the sky and mountain tops stunning colors, and the white snow provides a perfect canvas for the rosy colors.
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