ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Ahead of the city's first major snowfall of 2024-2025, residents and business owners said Sunday that living in Alaska is about dealing with the snow and loving it.

The Anchorage community faced criticism after a record-breaking snow season in 2023-2024. Snow removal issues became a top issue in mayoral elections and debates and were ultimately part of current Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's platform. LaFrance said millions of dollars have been invested in outdated snow equipment in her first 100 days in office.

Alaska Department of Transportation snow removal crews have been preparing their equipment for weeks and employees have shifted to their winter plans. Employees at JEFFCO Ground Maintenance, a private snow removal company, said they felt the adrenaline before they were called. The company's president, Jeannie Schenderline, said their busy season also begins with equipment maintenance. Several of their plows had already been dispatched to Palmer and Wasilla early Sunday afternoon.

“We typically plow after hours, so it's pretty quiet in the middle of the night, but it sounds like this plant is coming in during the day,” Schenderline said, noting that unpredictable timing is a big factor in customer retention is happy. “It can be stressful for operators. We want everyone to be able to go grocery shopping through the parking lot without it snowing.”

Anchorage residents interviewed by Alaska News Source on Sunday agreed with Schenderline that the first snowfall can bring uncertainty even for longtime residents. Anchorage resident Max Romey said snow is a constant factor in Alaska and people can never be too careful.

“The carnage of the first day of snow is always pretty scary for anyone who doesn’t have winter tires or maybe just moved to Anchorage,” Romey said. “You always have to pay attention to that.”

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