Outdoor Explorer

On “Outdoor Explorer” we invite you to step outside into Alaska. Follow us to a new trail or fishing hole, learn what to pack, when to go and most importantly, how to stay safe. Learn about life-long fitness and get inspired to go outside in the back country or on the bike trails.

We’ll hear from the people who know the land best – outdoor guides, park rangers, coaches, authors, lodge owners, bush pilots, educators and you, the explorer. Listen Thursdays at 2:00 & 8:00 pm on KSKA FM, streaming live at alaskapublic.org.

We’re looking for your show ideas! Please send your thoughts for upcoming shows to: bork@alaskapublic.org

Spring Bird Festivals

Mike Kenney surrounded by shorebird flock. Photo by Milo Burchman. It’s a sure sign of spring in coastal Alaska, the arrival of migrating shorebirds that flock so thickly they sometimes look like clouds.  Several communities welcome the birds and visitors who want to see them and learn about them, and its a great chance to get out on the water early in the season and forget winter. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be talking about the spring migrations and the shorebird festivals coming up in the next week weeks. KSKA: Thursday 4/18 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

An interview with Dr. Mikhail Malakhov

KSKA: Thursday, July 20, at 2:00 p.m. The main guest for this show is one of the world’s greatest polar explorers. Dr. Mikhail Malakhov has skied to the North Pole 16 times, including an expedition in 1995 when he made it there and back unsupported. Malakhov is leading an expedition to retrace some of the greatest expeditions of Russian America, a project he has been working on since 2009. It’s a great year for it, as we mark the 150th anniversary of the Alaska Purchase, when Russia sold Alaska to the United States. LISTEN HERE

The joy and sorrows of an outdoor family: Raising and losing Cody Roman Dial

For millennia Alaskans raised families in the outdoors. Peggy and Roman Dial raised a family and lost their son living the outdoor life. Roman has written a book titled The Adventurer’s Son and on this week’s Outdoor Explorer we talk to him and Peggy about the joys and sorrows of raising their family.
Jody Potts-Joseph

Diversifying the outdoors in Alaska: Jody Potts -Joseph

Alaska Indigenous Peoples have been living, playing, and thriving in Alaska for thousands of years. Outdoor recreation and tourism is perceived as being primarily a white person's game. Jody Potts-Joseph, Han Gwich'in and founder of Native Youth Outdoors is breaking that stereotype. Join Outdoor Explorer host Paul Twardock to hear Jody tell her story
Mobile Art Studio

Alli Harvey, traveling landscape artist

On the next Outdoor Explorer, our guest is Alli Harvey, outdoor columnist for the Anchorage Daily News and landscape artist. Alli is making a return to the show to share her adventures after picking up her new mobile art studio in Ohio. The custom-built Airstream trailer allows her to connect with the outdoors as she creates her paintings.

Athletes with Diabetes

KSKA: Thursday, June 09, at 2:00 and Thursday, June 16, at 8:00 p.m. Diabetes does not mean the end of an athletic career. On the next Outdoor Explorer we’ll meet elite athletes and adventurers who deal with this disease. I'ts fascinating how these athletes meet this challenge, dealing with blood chemistry while climbing mountains or swimming in a triathlon. We'll also discuss how kids and parents work through it and stay active in Alaska as well. DOWNLOAD AUDIO

Whittier, gateway to the Prince William Sound

The town of Whittier is surprisingly close to Anchorage. With luck on hitting the tunnel schedule, you can be there in an hour. That hour puts you on the edge of one the the world’s largest and modest spectacular marine recreation areas, Prince William Sound. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re going to talk about going to Whittier. It’s not just for tourists, it’s a threshold to the ocean and the wilderness.

1970 Denali Climb

What was it like to climb Denali in 1970? This past summer the Denali climb C-4 M-4 gathered in Talkeetna to reminisce on the 50th anniversary of their climb up the Muldrow route, and host Paul Twardock was there to record and share with the Outdoor Explorer audience.

Salmon and Alaska

Salmon are an iconic symbol of Alaska: plentiful and wild. On this week’s Outdoor Explorer we’ll being talking with Amy Gulick about her new book “The Salmon Way.”

Hope for Prince William Sound | Outdoor Explorer

The Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation and Mission Blue have teamed up to designate PWS an Ocean Blue "Hope Spot."

National champion skiers & avalanche forecasting

KSKA: Thursday, January 18, at 2:00p.m. On this Outdoor Explorer, we're excited to have two national champions in cross country skiing. Caitlin and Scott Patterson also happen to be siblings, and totally charming and real. You’re going to love them. We'll also have a discussion about avalanche awareness and forecasting. After an accident in December killed an experienced skier, what do we all need to know?  LISTEN HERE

Cultural journeys

Outdoor Alaska is a place to learn -- learning skills like skiing or paddling; learning to hunt and survive; or learning about the environment for science. On this edition of Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk to people who are sharing these kinds of knowledge in new ways -- scientists learning from from Alaska Natives, and elders eager to tell about radical changes they see in the environment where they live.' KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 22, at 2:00 p.m. and Oct. 29 at 8:00 p.m. Listen Now:

Sports Psychology

KSKA: Thursday Nov. 17 at 2:00 p.m. Successful athletes often say the mental game is as important as physical training, but what does that really mean? We’ll find out on the next show. What you’ll learn on the next show could make you a better athlete, and it can also make you more successful in life. LISTEN NOW

A Denali Himalaya connection

Denali and the Himalaya have attracted mountaineers since the early 1900s. Many climbers, including Alaskans, got their start on Denali's bitterly cold and windy slopes, then moved on to the Himalaya. This show features Steve Mock with the Denali Rescue Volunteers, the Alex Lowe Foundation, and the Khumbu Climbing Center.

Reprise: Canoeing 5,000 Miles in 5 Months

KSKA: Thursday, April 28 @ 2:00 pm. We're reprising one of our favorite interviews with Bob Vollhaber. Starting in Washington, going over the Chilkoot Pass, down the Yukon, through the Bering Sea, up river to Lake Iliamna, finally ending up in Anchorage’s Westchester Lagoon, Bob Vollhaber paddled a canoe five thousand miles in five months. DOWNLOAD AUDIO
A tree at the Solstice Tree Tour

Solstice trees and holiday wishes from Anchorage

As the year of 2021 comes to a close we feature two traditions in Anchorage: The Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage's Solstice Tree Tour at Kincaid Park and the Alaska Botanical Garden's Holiday Lights. This week's Outdoor Explorer features these winter festivities, plus some holiday wishes with co-host Lisa Keller and others.

Training for Fitness

Have you gotten a little sedentary over the winter? Host Charles Wohlforth will be joined by a coach, a physical therapist and a dietician to talk about how to safely and successfully start a fitness program, to control weight, improve health or just enjoy life more. For those who already work out regularly, we'll talk about how to take it to the next level, and even to endurance competition. KSKA: Thursday, 3/13, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

McCandless and the Ethics of Risk

Why and how we take risks is a constant topic on Outdoor Explorer. On this edition, we take it head on, with Craig Medred, the controversial and outspoken outdoor writer who has often commented on others' backcountry mishaps. In particular, we'll be discussing the Chris McCandless story, which is the subject of another new book and a PBS film. The topic is risk, reality, media fantasy, and how they interact. Join us for a lively hour of radio. KSKA: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies

KSKA: Thursday, May 26, at 2:00 and Thursday, June 02, at 8:00 p.m. If you’re headed for Homer, learn about the tide pools, the forests or the critters living under the docks from an enthusiastic group of young educators. We recorded the next show at the Center for Alaska Coastal Studies, went to a remote field station, and got some ideas to enrich time outdoors with knowledge and insight. DOWNLOAD AUDIO

The mountain climbing community

KSKA: Thursday, March 02, at 2:00 p.m. The conversation is about why and how climbers challenge themselves with Alaska’s mountains, but also how the experience affected them, helped them grow, and connected them with others like themselves. It’s a deep topic worth thinking about. LISTEN NOW