Pioneer Peak and the city of Palmer. Photo: Paul Twardock 
Ice skating on Westchester Lagoon. Photo: Paul Twardock 
Skiing on the Gasline Trail in Chugach State Park. Photo: Paul Twardock 
Turnagain Pass. Photo: Paul Twardock 
Virgin Creek Falls, in Girdwood. Photo: Paul Twardock
Winter has arrived in Alaska and it’s time to get prepared for outdoor recreation in the snow! The COVID pandemic pushed many Alaskans into the state’s easily accessible public lands where they enjoy our great natural beauty. With Alaska’s public health officials’ encouragement, we responded in seemingly record numbers. As summer turned to fall and then winter you may be nervous about going out in the winter: it brings new risks and many rewards. Being prepared for the cold and snow requires proper clothing, equipment, food, and liquids. In the summer one needs just running shoes, pants, and a top. Winter requires us to be prepared for temperatures in the teens, or colder! Small mistakes are amplified by harsh weather, short days, and deep snow. A well-prepared person, however, can get the joy of the midday sun streaming through the trees or the Northern Lights doing their green dance on an absolutely quiet night. We’ll have Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News Columnist, and Rick Roth from Alaska Mountaineering Hiking answering questions about winter recreation for beginners.
HOST: Paul Twardock
GUESTS:
- Alli Harvey, Achorage Daily News columnist will give us a beginners perspective
- Rick Roth from Alaska Mountaineering Hiking answering questions about winter gear
LINKS:
BROADCAST: Thursday, November 19th, 2020. 2:00 pm – 3:00 p.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, November 19th, 2020. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT
SUBSCRIBE: Receive Outdoor Explorer automatically every week via:
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!
