Making plans for winter vacation? Dreaming about somewhere sunny, packing only a bathing suit, maybe a snorkel and a towel?

Or... maybe you're up for something a little different?

Like Alaska. In winter.

No doubt, Alaska is a glorious place to go in summer. The land of the midnight sun offers everything from the luxury of cruises to rugged outdoor adventure—from climbing and hiking to big-game hunting and backcountry fishing, all of it monumental in scale.

But in a very real sense, Alaska in winter—the land of the midday moon—is the "real" Alaska. Somehow its many superlatives seem magnified by the cold. But, contrary to perceptions, it's not inaccessible either. Guided options make even committed cold-weather sports such as ice fishing, ice climbing, and dogsledding a real possibility for a newcomer.