Outdoor Filmmakers
If you really love what you do outdoors, its natural to want to document that with pictures or video. Outdoor filmmaking is exploding as young people deploy equipment that is much less expensive than it used to be. This week on Outdoor Explorer we talk to adventure filmmakers. It goes beyond strapping a GoPro to your helmet.
KSKA: Thursday, Dec. 11, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Scuba Diving
If you love the ocean, Alaska’s waters offer a fascinating world to explore as a diver. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re headed under water with three Alaska scuba divers to hear about the sport and what it's like here in Alaska.
KSKA: Thursday, March 19, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Winter Sports and Climate Change
If winter defines us as Alaskans, as skiers and outdoor enthusiasts, what happens when we start to lose winter? Strange weather is becoming the new normal and we’re forced to adapt to climate change, because we don’t have a choice. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we'll look at what that means from scientific and a practical perspective.
KSKA: Thursday, Jan. 22, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Making the Musher
On this edition, we ask what it takes to become an Iditarod musher, not by talking to the star, but with a conversation with a rookie and two handlers who work with top kennels. It’s the Iditarod for the rest of us.
KSKA: Thursday, March 5, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Making Your Own Equipment
A theme encountered on Outdoor Explorer is that Alaskans invent a lot of stuff to do what they want outdoors. On this show, three guests who build their own gear, whether it be skis, bike accessories or mountaineering equipment, explain why they find it to be so rewarding and the benefits of stuff Alaskans have invented.
KSKA: Thursday, March 12, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Go North
It is plenty common for people to make their way to Alaska on behalf of a significant other or for a job, but in this show, three guests share their stories of making the trip north by unconventional means. They came here by air, land and sea — and we'll hear stories from their adventures heading north.
KSKA: Thursday, March 26, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Alone in the Wilderness
Whereas having somebody else along is often safer and more fun, solo trips into the wilderness can sometimes be the most memorable. Whether by choice or necessity, these experiences offer a chance to get to know oneself better. We'll speak with three guests about what it's like being truly alone in the great outdoors.
KSKA: Thursday, Jan. 15, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Making the Musher
Rookie mushers come and go. It takes countless hours and training to become an Iditarod great. On the next episode of Outdoor Explorer, we're talking to a handful of mushers who are on that journey. They scoop poop. They cut up a lot of raw meat. It's not glamorous work, but they're chasing down a dream as Iditarod sled dogs gun it for Nome.
KSKA: Thursday, March 5, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Trapping in Alaska
When Russians first came to Alaska in the 1740s, they were seeking fur, and fur-bearing animals were an important element of Alaska's economy for more than 200 years. Today, Alaska still has thousands of trappers, both those who make a living at it and those who do it for fun. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we'll hear more about an activity as old as Alaska itself.
KSKA: Thursday, Feb. 5, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Iron Dog
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we're talking about the Iron Dog, billed as "the world's longest, toughest snowmobile race." We’ve got racers in the studio who have done it, and won. And we’re going to talk about how you put on a race of this scale, which starts Feb. 21, and for the first time this year, will take off with a ceremonial starting line in Anchorage.
KSKA: Thursday, Feb. 12, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Iditarod Trail Invitational
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we're talking about the Iditarod Trail Invitational race, which claims to be the longest winter ultra marathon in the world, sending racers by foot, bike or ski either 1000 miles from Knik to Nome, or 350 from Knik to McGrath.
KSKA: Thursday, Feb. 19, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Going the Distance With Your Nordic Skiing
Nordic skiing is a great sport for non-athletes and truly a life-long activity that you don’t have to give up as you get older. Although it provides a total workout, it doesn’t put much strain on joints and muscles. And in the endurance events, middle-agers can do quite well. Our topic today is training for distance races, including our famous Tour of Anchorage, not because you ever expect to win, but because you want to go the distance and share a big accomplishment with many friends and neighbors.
KSKA: Thursday, Jan. 8, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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An Interview with Alaska musher Aliy Zirkle
Aliy Zirkle didn't grow up thinking she would become a famous musher. But she always loved the outdoors. And when she was studying biology at the University of Pennsylvania, she walked into a lab one day saw this sign on the door: "Why are you studying biology in downtown Philadelphia when you could be in Alaska?"
A few years later, she was mushing her first team of dogs in the Interior community of Bettles. On the next Outdoor Explorer, Join host Annie Feidt for an interview with this remarkable musher.
KSKA: Thursday, Feb. 26, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Geocaching
Geocaching is sort of like outdoor treasure hunting, and it's getting really big in Anchorage. Host Charles Wohlforth gave it a try with his daughter. They had an iPhone app and a mission to look for hidden caches logged on a website powered by GPS equipment. The result? A fun, and somewhat addicting, new hobby. Join us on air to learn more about geocaching.
KSKA: Thursday, April 2, 2015, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Gray Whale Migration
One of the first signs of spring in coastal Alaska is the appearance of gray whales, who pass our way on their annual journey from Mexico to the Bering Sea. Along our uninhabited shores, the whales get a lot more privacy than they do down south, but you can see them from boats and coastal towns, and tour boats from Seward go out to view the whales through April. On today’s show, we’re talking about going out to see the whales this spring, and the biology of the whales and their amazing migration.
KSKA: Thursday, April 9, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Selecting a Bike
On today's show we’re going to talk about how to buy a bike. We’ll focus first on the high end and the creative stuff that hardcore cycling folks are doing these days, building crazy bikes and putting together the perfect bike. Then we’ll focus on the practical details of getting the right bike for you at a price you can afford, whether you buy new or on Craigslist.
KSKA: Thursday, April 16, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Birds Make Their Annual Invasion of Southcentral Alaska
The birds are coming back. Shorebirds invade Southcentral Alaska on their migrations about now, and festivals are planned in Homer and Cordova where, if the timing is right, you can see clouds of birds descending on the beaches and mudflats. On today’s show, we’ll talk about the pleasure and interest of birding, and where you can do it here in Anchorage, around our region, and across Alaska.
KSKA: Thursday, April 23, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Water Taxis to Wilderness
Coastal communities are the best thresholds to the wilderness for most of us who live in urban Alaska. That’s because a short boat ride can get you from the small boat harbor to a wild beach many, many miles from the nearest road, a place that likely is inaccessible any other way. On today’s show, we’re going to talk about using water taxis and where they can take you for hiking, paddling, or just setting up camp and enjoying incredibly beautiful, biologically rich places.
KSKA: Thursday, April 30, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Beach and Creek Cleanup
A few years ago I got interested in a group that was cleaning up marine debris from beaches in Prince William Sound. I volunteered, and I was blown away by what a rewarding experience it was to pick up trash. On today’s show, we’re talking about beach cleanup, both on the wild, outer coast where stuff is washing up from Japan, and on our beaches here in Anchorage. And we’ll talk about creek cleanup too, which is coming up shortly, and where we get to tend to our own back yard.
KSKA: Thursday, May 7, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Rockhounding and Fossils
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we'll talk about rockhounding with folks who get serious about geology. We’ll also spend time with scientists who find real treasures, the fossils of dinosaurs that once lived in Alaska.
KSKA: Thursday, May 14, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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