[_~Bubba~_]

So I checked the forum, I see where to play. Looked into them via websites.

But how are the teams out there? Im from AZ and play for a good, successful, Organized team that has many divisions, and win more than we loose.

Are there any teams like this in the Fairbanks area? Or that would be willing to travel to play events? This is kind of the deal breaker for me on moving there or not.

Thanks.

[Klub]

If you're moving to the fairbanks area, there's a pretty cool woodsball field with some cool dudes, but they just play recreationally.

Anchorage has a pretty dedicated group of guys who are good, I believe they played a couple events in the states this year.

[Erok]

You're moving to Fairbanks or not moving at all? The Anchorage paintball scene has been coming back pretty heavily over the past 3 seasons and we were able to take a team to World Cup last year. This year we have a team that's looking to play in several NXL events as well as potentially several regional West Coast events.

[_~Bubba~_]

If I take this job I will be moving there. And I've been talking to someone up there, I know it's like a 300 mile drive to anchorage, but this is kind of the deal breaker for men of I take this job or not.

[pballaNH]

Originally Posted by Erok

You're moving to Fairbanks or not moving at all? The Anchorage paintball scene has been coming back pretty heavily over the past 3 seasons and we were able to take a team to World Cup last year. This year we have a team that's looking to play in several NXL events as well as potentially several regional West Coast events.

That's pretty cool to hear that Anchorage is doing great things in paintball. Me and the wifey just bought a house in NW WA with the hopes that in the future we are going to make the move up to Alaska. It's a huge change from living in NH so we figured we'd transition or "acclimate" to something similar in the lower 48 before making the move up there. We figure too this way we have a place only a ferry ride away if we want to come back to visit.

[_~Bubba~_]

Im from AZ. At 58* I get cold. This morning was 32* and I double layered it. Im going to pay hell trying to acclimate.

These guys will laugh at me when I show up looking like the kid from A Christmas Story to play ball.

[DocsMachine]

Originally Posted by pballaNH

We figure too this way we have a place only a ferry ride away if we want to come back to visit.

-Uh, yeah. A two-day, $1,800 ferry ride.

Doc.

[DocsMachine]

Originally Posted by _~Bubba~_

If I take this job I will be moving there. And I've been talking to someone up there, I know it's like a 300 mile drive to anchorage, but this is kind of the deal breaker for men of I take this job or not.

-I'm gonna be brutally honest with you then. Unless the job is a great one, with high pay, good hours and lots of bennies, you're not going to make it.

Going from Arizona, which is warm, dry, well populated and a day's drive from half the United States, to Fairbanks, which is wet in the summer and dead cold for six months of the winter, with long, dark winter nights and minimal night life, is not for the faint-hearted.

And that's not hyperbole. "Winter" is literally from late September/early October, to late April/early May. Fairbanks, being deep in the interior and in a 'bowl', typically has weeks on end of -20F to -40F days. Even if you're a hardcore outdoorsy type and take up cross-country skiing or something, two or three outings at 20 below zero will change your mind in a big hurry.

If you're used to going to parties or dance clubs or raves, forget it. You might find them on rare occasions- and nowhere near the size you're used to- but apart from that, you're stuck with sports bars or just plain dives. The kind where people don't really go to socialize, they just show up to get drunk.

It's not completely backwater, but there's more to do in Fargo, North Dakota than there is in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The huge change in daylight is cool the first time- the sun is still up at one in the morning, and you can go months without ever having to turn on your headlights. But months of it being dark 'til 10 am and dark again at 5 pm, combined with not being able to go anywhere due to the cold, and there hardly being anywhere to go anyway, is really tough on people.

The paintball season is three months long. Possibly four. "Summer" is June, July and August, period. May is still muddy, and September is "tourist season is over, time to go back to school".

I'm aware of no organized field in Fairbanks, so you're looking at one form or another of pick-up games or outlaw. They do play, don't get me wrong, but if you're used to well-groomed organized fields with a concession stand and port-o-potties, forget it.

You WILL need a hobby. Something to while away the time, that you can do at home. Tinker on a car, truck or bike project, do something crafty (woodworking, painting) write a book, work out, whatever. Personally I have a big, well-lit shop in which I build paintball guns and other fun toys. I am not the Netflix type.

Now, all that said, it's not all bad, of course. Fairbanks is a neat little place, and there are lots of things to do in the summer. If you have a snowmachine, during the more mild days of the winter, there's a million acres to go riding. The trip to Anchorage is long, but one of the most scenic trips you'll ever make. There's lots of touristy stuff, but it's still worth checking out.

Personally, I live in a town a fraction of the size of Fairbanks, and still a three-hour drive from Anchorage, but I love it here. Wouldn't trade it for the world. But I also grew up here, and have always had active, challenging hobbies.

But I've also known any number of people that moved up- wanted to get away from "the big city", or "get back to the outdoors" or they wanted to constantly hunt and fish, or they wanted to live in a cabin and wake up to the Northern Lights every morning, etc.- and within two years moved back out because all of those things came at a price. Long hours of darkness, no night life, having to brush snow and scrape windows every morning, shovelling the driveway for the thirtieth time, etc.

Not to scare you off, but if the whole job hinges on whether or not there's a good paintball scene? Sorry, you're not gonna make it.

Doc.

[_~Bubba~_]

Lol, thanks for the Advice. I know the long darks, and the cold are going to get to me. I don't really mind the cold, but obviously I am NOT used to it. But other than that, Im there strictly for work really. Ill be there pretty much 3 weeks on, and 1 week home, roughly. And the job does pay pretty well. If I did my calculations right, I should be making about 30-40 more a year. And I don't make bad money at the moment.

Im not a partier. Im more of the sit around a fire and drink beer with my buddies kind of guy.

As for Hobbies, I have a few. I love Harley's. I have built a couple, and that would be a project. I am a musician, I spend a lot of time writing music and songs. (With no intention to ever be released so I don't know why I even bother.) Im also very artistic, I draw, paint, tattoo, carve, etc. So keeping my self out of trouble isn't to hard now days. I despise the gym, but I do enjoy keeping fit and running around in the hills, which will really suck or come to a stop. All else fails, as long as my Wifi doesn't cut out when Im rocking COD or Destiny, I'll be good.

My wife is in the debate of coming up with me, but she's cries when I set the AC to 71*. And I have 4 kids, and as much as the love snow, they also hate the cold as much as her. So Im anticipating that they will stay in AZ, while I go make the bread.

But its easier/more understanding to leave a team for a week at a time to go see my family. Rather than leave my team for a month to go work. And thats what makes this the deal breaker. I just started playing again a lil over a year ago from a ten year break. If Im not going to quit playing, and if Im going to be up there alone, I better have something to occupy me, and something to look forward too. Ive been known to cause Chaos when I get too bored.

[bmiller88]

I lived in Fairbanks and there wasn't a lot to do. I flew up there from Tampa in December and it was 80 at 8 am and arrived to Fairbanks at 10 local time and it was -44. Something to get used too. But scenery was beautiful. Anchorage is 6 hr drive during the summer. Mt McKinley is a 1 1/2-2 hr drive south. Didn't see any paintball stuff going on in Fairbanks. But like what was mention above. Get a hobby during the winter. Or it will drive you crazy.

[Erok]

Yeah Doc pretty much summed it up.. I've lived in Alaska for about 25 years and have never been to Fairbanks - not a coincidence. I will say though, there's hot springs about 60 miles from Fairbanks that I've always wanted to check out, and I wouldn't mind stomping around Fairbanks during the summer sometime when it's nice out. But from what I hear, there's not a ton to see or do there, and the winters are downright brutal.

[bmiller88]

I went to Chena hot springs for my honeymoon. It's about 40 miles outside Fairbanks and it's amazing.

[bmiller88]

There isn't a lot to do. You could travel a few miles north of Fairbanks an see the pipe line and go gold panning. But besides that nothing and winters sucked. I played video games and slept everyday

[Erok]

Originally Posted by bmiller88

There isn't a lot to do. You could travel a few miles north of Fairbanks an see the pipe line and go gold panning. But besides that nothing and winters sucked. I played video games and slept everyday

There's a small ski area though.. That'd keep me busy. I typically don't like the saying; "there's nothing to do here".. There's usually always some fun stuff to do 'there'. I'll concede that Fairbanks is a whole different animal, but there's always things to do.

[_~Bubba~_]

Originally Posted by Erok

There's a small ski area though.. That'd keep me busy. I typically don't like the saying; "there's nothing to do here".. There's usually always some fun stuff to do 'there'. I'll concede that Fairbanks is a whole different animal, but there's always things to do.

I could get into snow boarding. Never done it, but Im down to try it. But Im not really about having "Nothing" to do. Like I said, I have enough hobbies that I can keep myself busy. I don't intend to go out and make a grip load of friends. Maybe a few co workers or neighbors. Just the same that I do here in AZ.

[DocsMachine]

Originally Posted by _~Bubba~_

Lol, thanks for the Advice. I know the long darks, and the cold are going to get to me. I don't really mind the cold, but obviously I am NOT used to it.

-Fair warning. 20 below zero F is an all-new kinda cold. It's not just "nah, I don't feel like going to the bar tonight, it's too cold", it's more like "I'm out of food and toilet paper, so I guess I'm gonna have to eat these dry spaghetti noodles and use the drapes".

-40F and your car won't start. Typically you'll need two, if not three block heaters- electric heaters that keep the engine warm. One for the water jackets (even correctly mixed coolant gels- turns to slush- at about 30 or 35 below) one for the oil pan (-40F oil is thicker than molasses) and one for the battery.

And anyone can take a few days of that. It's like an adventure!

But weeks of it? How about two months in a row?

Fortunately the last couple of years have been fairly mild- I'm not in Fairbanks, but down here, we've only seen about a week of -10 to -20 weather so far this winter. Practically a cakewalk.

As for Hobbies, I have a few.

-Good. Stock up.

My wife is in the debate of coming up with me, but she's cries when I set the AC to 71*.

-Fairbanks can get fairly warm in the summer, with a few days occasionally breaking 80F. You might get a week or two at the peak of the summertime with it in the seventies, but the bulk of our summer is 55-65F. 70 is hot.

Doc.

[Vikingpaint]

Facebook page

North Pole Paintball

It's the communal page for the primary most organized group playing in Fairbanks.

[Kurupt310]

I live in Fairbanks and it's not nearly as bad as everyone is making it sound. I've lived here a combined 25 years. It's different than most places but it's not that bad and you get used to it.

The summers are actually really nice most of the time, the exception being if there are forest fires that make it very smokey. The average day time temp is around 65°F to 72°F but it can get into the mid 80s°F regularly and occasionally the low 90°F. Two years ago everyone up here about melted when it was 85°F for two weeks+ straight (nobody has AC in their house). The weather is very dry, to the point of almost being a desert. The only month that is consistently rains is August. It rains every... single... August for most of the month.

The winters are LONG, usually starting around the end of September and lasting until mid April. Although the last two first snow falls that stuck were in late very October. During the winter there are 1-3 stretches where the temp drops to -40°F for usually about a week at a time. However this winter has been extremely mild, it's been down below -20°F briefly once all winter and it hasn't snowed more than a dusting since the beginning of December. As I write this it's 9°F out and that's pretty nice. It doesn't actually snow that much in the interior, the snow comes from accumulation since it doesn't usually melt off from October to April. As with weather everywhere there are exceptions, it was 45°F out two weeks ago for a couple days.

Honestly you get used to the cold, I work outside in spurts of 20 min at a time in my longsleeve workshirt, hoodie with hood up, and some gloves. When it's -40°F the key is to not go outside for any longer than you have to.

One thing you really need to consider is the cost of living is significantly higher here. A single guys needs around $50K a year to live comfortably with a modest disposable income. All the house are heated with home heating fuel (diesel) and that can be come ridiculously expensive if the price of oil goes up or if your house is poorly insulated. To put it in perspective, a gallon of milk cost $3.50 and a 12 pack of Coke is around $6-7.

If having competitive paintball is a deal breaker for you than Alaska in general isn't a great place. We do what we can in Fairbanks, the turn out has been better the last 2 years but it's still spotty. Largely in part due to a group of guys from Fort Wainwright showing up almost every weekend. If we had a good chunk of cleared land we could even put up airball bunkers.

Competitive Alaska paintball really took a big hit with the decline of the sport. New players were going out and playing more than ever but there just wasn't the player base for tournaments after 2011ish. Competitive players are seeming to come back a bit now but it's still not the 5 MSTS events every year with 3 man Saturday and 5 man Sunday that it used to be. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but there was a streetball tournament near the beginning of summer and full out tournament to see who would go to World Cup in Fall.

That's all in Anchorage too. Since I've been playing paintball and living in Fairbanks (2001) there have been less than 5 tournaments run up here and none since 2007ish.