Mat-Su 2024 Arctic Winter Games made possible by army of volunteers

PALMER — Hosting the Mat-Su 2024 Arctic Winter Games was a massive undertaking that required a massive amount of volunteers from far and wide.

The Arctic Winter Games is a biennial multi-sport and cultural event hosted by communities in the Arctic region, particularly circumpolar areas such as Alaska, Canada, Kalaallit Nunaat, and Northern Scandinavia.

These games draw athletes of all ages from across the world to compete in a variety of sports.

This was the first time the Arctic Winter Games have been held in the Mat-Su and the seventh time they’ve taken place in Alaska. Thousands of visitors from around the world made their way to the Mat-Su and surrounding areas for the Games.

Mat-Su 2024 Arctic Winter Games Host Society General Manager Karen Lane said that she was happy with how everything turned out. She credited much of that success to the hard work their volunteers put in.

“I think everything went great," Lane said. “The biggest thing is the volunteers.”

Lane said that she loved getting to know the various volunteers from all walks of life. She said their volunteers shared a lot of positive feedback about the unique opportunities that they had.

“People still talk about how great it was. It's a once in a lifetime experience for many people and they will never forget it," Lane said.

According to AWG volunteer program manager Mandy Mitchell, over 1,800 people volunteered with over 57,400 hours of time put in to make this year's event possible.

“That saved the organization easily $1.5 million at least," Mitchell said. “It was amazing. Our community really stepped up to help us accomplish our goals.”

Volunteers helped out with a variety of tasks such as set-up, security, medical, event judging, and food service.

“If you can think of it needing to be done, somebody was there doing it," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the Arctic Winter Games event was a huge opportunity to show off the Mat-Su Valley's natural beauty and effective facilities, showcasing its ability to host similar large-scale events in the future. She added that it also exemplified the local community’s willingness to help out with whatever needs that arose. She said that they're all greatly appreciative of the volunteers' support before, during, and after the 2024 Games.

“The Valley is amazing,” Mitchell said. “In the Valley, if you just ask, people will do it.”

AWG volunteer Jo Smith said that she had a great time helping out in various ways. She said that interacting with her fellow volunteers was one of the highlights of the experience. She said that she made numerous friends throughout her time volunteering.

“It's been a lot of fun. You meet a lot of great people,” Smith said.

Smith said this was her first time volunteering with AWG, and her daughter participated in the 2018 Games. She said that she's now hooked on volunteering with AWG and hopes to volunteer again during the 2026 Games which will be held in Whitehorse.

‘It really is addictive,” Smith said with a laugh. “It was just a lot of fun to go and be able to help.”

For more information about the Arctic Winter Games, visit arcticwintergames.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com