Fairbanks

Now that the 85^th Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) conference has come and gone, all of us here at explorefairbanks.com are taking time to reflect on this extraordinary event. There were numerous reasons why this conference was unprecedented. For one thing, the annual conference of outdoor media has never been held in Alaska. It’s taken nearly ten years of persuasion for the Association to agree to hold their conference so far away from their member base. Plus, regardless of their name, these outdoor- media-types often held their conferences in typical urban settings.

Conversely, Fairbanks used our remote location as an attraction. Yet some of the attendees admitted trepidation about going off the grid for such a long time. For the more than 200 registrants, including over 90 outdoor travel media, being unplugged turned out to be the inspiration they didn’t know they were looking for—an ironic twist given the title of the conference, “North to Alaska for New Frontiers in Journalism.” In fact, the outdoor writers were coming together to discuss, among other things, new media opportunities and cutting edge technology.

Well, you can’t argue that geothermal energy production isn’t high on the list of revolutionary technology, but it was the lack of available tools that made the conference such a success. Once the conference attendees figured it out that mobile telephone coverage and internet access was limited, they began to raise their heads skyward and look around. Only then did they truly “experience” Interior Alaska. They hooked world-class grayling in the Chena River, hiked in our boreal forest and actually talked to each other around late night campfires. Some even slept on a cot in tents!

The FCVB also produced a pre and post excursions guide featuring more than 100 opportunities that made Fairbanks and all of Alaska, particularly our closest neighbors, accessible to this prestigious group of writers. Whether they drove to the Arctic or kayaked Prince William Sound, hiked Denali National Park and Preserve or hopped aboard the Riverboat Discovery, each of the Outdoor Writers who made the long trek to the Last Frontier will remember for years to come how they reconnected to their passion: not just writing about, but living it up in the great outdoors!