n this month’s article “Big Valley Welcome” about the 2024 Arctic Winter Games, the general manager of the Mat-Su Host Society notes that pin trading is the unofficial 21st sport. Contingents likewise trade apparel and other accessories; anything from Greenland is especially prized. In a very real way, the event is as much about exchange as it is about competition.

By hosting, the Matanuska-Susitna community is exchanging approximately $7.2 million in operating costs for an estimated economic impact of $10 million. Is that realistic? According to an economic impact summary of the 1996 Arctic Winter Games hosted by Eagle River-Chugiak, regional incomes increased by $4.3 million. Adjusted to current dollars, that’s worth a bit more than $8 million. However, the 1996 Games had 1,600 participants compared to 2,000 this year. If the economic impact scales linearly with participation, then Mat-Su can expect 25 percent more, ceteris paribus, and the estimate is not outside the realm of possibility.

This year’s Arctic Winter Games reuse some venues that hosted events in 1996, such as the ski trails at Kincaid Park in Anchorage and the rink at the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center in Eagle River. Without those amenities, neither Anchorage nor the Mat-Su Borough could invite world-class winter athletes to compete. Further investments in the Mat-Su, such as the Skeetawk ski area, make hosting possible, yet those assets contribute extra value year-round by improving the quality of life for residents.

This edition of Alaska Trends salutes the state’s neighbors around and across the polar north, whether they come as competitors or traders. These games are serious business.