Alaska’s mountains speak to different people in different ways. To some people, they say climb. Certainly, enough people have heard that voice to develop a large and active climbing community in Anchorage, a community that spans generations. That’s the topic of today’s show, with a guest who pioneered climbing here and a younger climber who is pulling together this community in a knew way. 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.
HOST: Charles Wohlforth
GUESTS:
- Evan Phillips – mountain climber and creator of The Firn Line podcast
- Charlie Sassara – Mountain climber and life-long Alaskan
LINKS:
PARTICIPATE: Facebook: Outdoor Explorer (comments may be read on-air)
BROADCAST: Thursday, March 02, 2017. 2:00 pm – 3:00 p.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, March 09, 2017. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT
SUBSCRIBE: Receive Outdoor Explorer automatically every week via
Go to OUTDOOREXPLORER.ORG
Eric Bork, or you can just call him “Bork” because everybody else does, is the FM Operations Manager for KSKA-FM. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the FM broadcast. He produces and edits episodes of Outdoor Explorer, the Alaska-focused outdoors program. He also maintains the web posts for that show. You may have heard him filling in for Morning Edition or hosting All Things Considered and can still find him operating the soundboard for any of the live broadcast programs.
After escaping the Detroit area when he was 18, Bork made it up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he earned a degree in Communications/Radio Broadcasting from Northern Michigan University. He spent time managing the college radio station, working for the local NPR affiliate, and then in top 40 radio in Michigan before coming to Alaska to work his first few summers. After then moving to Chicago, it only took five years to convince him to move back to Alaska in 2010. When not involved in great radio programming he’s probably riding a bicycle, thinking about riding bicycles, dreaming about bikes, reading a book, or planning the next place he’ll travel to. Only two continents left to conquer!
