I did many private tours in Fairbanks (both Aurora watching and other activities), and Michael was the best guide I had by far. He is extremely knowledgeable, conscientious, and dedicated. We had cloud cover on the night I went, so Michael drove the whole night, hunting for patches of clear sky. He says he wants you to see the Aurora just as much as you want to see the Aurora, and it's true!
Michael from Face the Outdoors just treated me to what was one of the most amazing experiences in my entire world-wide travel history and will undoubtedly go down as one of my best-ever travel experiences!! I spent the night Aurora watching with Michael on the small group experience that is offered. Michael communicated well and kept me well informed as to what to expect and what to wear given the extreme cold (-35). He picked me up right on time at my hotel in his nice, warm vehicle.
The ride to his home was a little over 90 minutes but passed quickly as he spent the time explaining the Northern Lights to me, including the various measures used to predict Auroral activity (hint-forget kp!). We saw some moose along the way, and Michael used the time to teach me some interesting facts about Alaska, the area we were going to, and a lot about the Aurora and Aurora photography. It was exciting to hear since we could see the lights starting to come out as we drove.
His home for the event was beautiful, comfortable, and perfect for Aurora watching!!! Large windows faced a huge field and a toasty fire, comfortable chairs and couches, along with a nice assortment of drinks - both hot and cold - and snacks were available for the taking.
And I was lucky enough to be treated to the show of a lifetime. I didn't understand that the lights didn't just come or go, they changed CONSTANTLY!! It could be bright and shimmering one minute and barely visible 2 minutes later.
That is the beauty of being at a fixed location instead of driving around. If in a van, the windows fog and eventually freeze up when it is this cold and you would need to be out of the van away from the lights at a place with clear views of the right area of the sky when the lights are active there. With wide open 365 degrees of vision from the field and the la the large house windows, we could just turn in circles and have wide-open views in every direction!! Unless it is cloudy or precipitating, and you need to get to a place with clearer skies, there is no advantage to driving around!!!
I was able to rest in a warm, comfortable house with hot cocoa, snacks, comfy chairs and a flush toilet when the lights quieted, maje use of the quiet times to get nice and warm in front of the fire and then head out again when we saw the Auroral activity pick up. Michael monitored the various parameters and was pretty good at predicting when the Auroral activity was likely to pick up. (No one can predict 100% what the lights will do!). We were able to head out when the activity was likelier to pick up, and it DID!! I was treated to shimmering curtains of light with green, blue, pink, and red colors at one point!!
Michael gave pointers on the photography aspects, and my pictures got better and better over the course of the night. Michael was patient and thoughtful, even at one point bringing a chair to the field for me as I had some trouble with my legs.
The lights lasted all night, and I was in wonder watching the lights change and repaint the sky several times an hour in all directions and overhead. I never understood prior to this night that the lights aren't just "on" or "off" but instead are constantly changing in intensity, color, position in the sky, and form. But you didn't need to go anywhere different to see them!!!! It was all right there so long as you were able to see open sky!! This allowed ample time for tripod setting up and moving around the field for the best backdrops and picture framing as the lights moved around the sky.
I am SO glad I picked this instead of a van trip and will most definitely be coming back!! It makes way more sense to see the lights this way, and my understanding is that, if due to weather conditions, you need to find open sky elsewhere, Michael will accomdate that and work hard using the apps he showed me to find clear skies and "chase" the lights as needed.
Thank you, Michael, for sharing your beautiful home, easy- going hospitality, and knowledge with me. It was the experience of a lifetime!! I only hope I can get back to Alaska to do it again!! If I do, it will be with Face the Outdoors!!! I can not give a stronger recommendation. In fact, there's an option to actually lodge right there through AirBnB, and I plan to do that next time as well!