Winter Camping and Snowshoeing
The summer season for sleeping outdoors is short, but there’s still a lot of Alaska out there in the winter with wonderful backcountry recreation and easy travel on snowshoes, when the rivers are frozen and it almost never rains. We’ll be talking about winter camping and snowshoeing. It’s not as crazy as it sounds. You can be comfortable, have great access to the backcountry, and sleep under the most amazing dome of stars.
KSKA: Thursday 1/23 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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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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The Equinox Marathon and other extreme Fairbanks events
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 6, at 2:00 p.m.
The Equinox Marathon is one of the most challenging anywhere, as it climbs up over Ester Dome in Fairbanks. We’ll also hear an interview recorded in Fairbanks with a trails volunteer, who’ll tell us about the many routes and races that make that community a great place to visit.
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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?
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Public Use Cabins
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about public use cabins. Why now? Well, they’re open in the winter, and perfect for a ski or snowshoeing weekend. Perhaps more importantly, the season for reserving cabins for summer will soon be upon us. Believe it or not, it’s time to start planning your cabin trips for 2014. We learn about remote cabins you can rent, how to do it, and personal favorites across the region.
KSKA: Thursday 11/21 at 2:00 and 9:00 pm
Enjoying the fall season
Some Alaskans think fall is an in-between season when we’re waiting for winter and the skiing, skating and snowmachine riding that is coming. But that’s a mistake. Fall lasts a long time around here these days-- we can easily get three full months of it. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about the joys of autumn, when the tourists are gone and many good days remain, if you know how to dress for them.
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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.
Ice skating on Solstice in Southcentral Alaska | Outdoor Explorer
Host Paul Twardock visited the Anchorage Solstice Festival at the Cuddy Family Midtown Park interviewing organizers, politicians and the events and ice rink founders.
Getting Tweens Outdoors
For outdoor families, it can be tough when children leave elementary school and suddenly don’t want to go outside anymore. There are plenty of exceptions, but middle school coaches and parents of tweens know that this is a critical age to keep young people going outside and active. We’ll be talking with parents and educators about how the outdoors can compete with the screen or the couch in the lives of tweens as we struggle to help them build independent lives that are healthy and active.
KSKA: Thursday 10/17 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Trail Tales, storytelling events from Alaska Trails
Alaska Trails is excited to present the Trail Tales storytelling series. With a new format and partnered with a different community trail group each time. In the spirit of Arctic Entries, storytellers will share seven minute stories about their trail experiences, adventures and life in general. Enjoy listening to your fellow active and outdoorsy Alaskans.
Trap Shooting
Trap shooting is a sport at which Alaskans excel, having produced a national champion and Olympian in Cory Cogdell, formerly of Eagle River, and other top competitors. On today's show we learn about the community of trap shooters in Anchorage, how shooters learn to hit the fast-moving targets, and what it takes to get into the sport. Watch Video
KSKA: Thursday 9/26 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Sifting Through The Goods: Ski Swaps
Ski swap time is upon us. It’s become a season in Anchorage, when used gear comes out of the garage and goes on sale in these giant rummage sales, which can be as competitive as a Walmart on Thanksgiving. But is this really a good way to get quality gear?
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 16, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Duck Hunting
Duck hunting season begins September 1, a day that kicks off an outdoor tradition like no other. We’ll have guests who are getting ready for opening day with all the trappings of the sport, talk about hunting memories and traditions, and touch on conservation issues and changes in the land and the sport.
KSKA: Thursday 8/29 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Group Led Outdoor Activities
On this Outdoor Explorer we’ll talk about the outdoors as a social space. Some folks think that groups are the best way to experience natural places, to hike, ski, climb or bird. They’ve set up ways to get together and meet new people while exploring and learning. Have you ever thought about finding new friends for an outdoor adventure? Learn how.
KSKA: Thursday 3/28 at 2:00 pm and 10:00 pm 
Iditarod doping, ski prep & the Eklutna dam
KSKA: Thursday, Jan. 04, at 2:00 p.m. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we take a look at one of the biggest sports and outdoor stories in Alaska in the last year: the Iditarod drug doping scandal that hit the race in the fall, with a positive drug test and the surrounding controversy. We’ll also learn about getting your skis ready for the season, and about a big dam removal project in Anchorage, which was funded completely by donations.
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Revisiting Alaska Native Games
The annual statewide competitions are coming up soon, as well as the international Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks. These games are spectacular, like the high kick, and sometimes require toughness and courage. Their cultural roots are for preparing for outdoor survival and hunting success. We’ll have athletes and cultural experts in the studio. KSKA: Thursday, March 3, at 2:00 and Thursday, March 10, at 8:00 p.m. DOWNLOAD AUDIO
The hunting life along the Denali Highway
Hunting is big part of Alaska life. If you live in Alaska you hunt or know someone who hunts. On this week's Outdoor Explorer we'll talk about the hunting life with John Schandelmeier.
It’s OK to be a beginner in the outdoors
Do you remember what it's like to be a beginner at something? This week, on Outdoor Explorer our guest is Sarah Histand, she'll talk about overcoming the things that keep us from getting started, how to be a beginner when it seems everyone else is an expert, and functional strength at home.
Arctic Paddling Trips
Rivers are the highways of the North. That’s been true since human beings first arrived in North America, and it is still true across a vast expanse of Alaska and Canada that is practical to cross in the summer by no other means. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about floating these long, remote rivers and the journeys you can make into solitude and into your own mind, as the banks slide quietly by.
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 3, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Outdoor Explorer: “Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built for Us”
On this Outdoor Explorer we're joined by author Alison Mariella Dèsir. Her book unveils the running movement as being centered around and represented by White people, not only ignoring the foundational work and performances of Black distance runners but also not acknowledging that running while Black can be dangerous.