Much of Alaska’s landmass is covered in water. During the winter when those lakes and rivers freeze solid, and if the snow isn’t deeper than an inch or so, all that frozen water makes for great ice skating! Around the world, people have been ice skating for a very long time. But recent advances in skate and binding technology, including the popularity of “nordic skates”, have made recreational skating more comfortable and convenient than ever before. Skating on natural ice in Alaska allows access to places that can be difficult or inconvenient to reach when ice-free, like Portage Glacier, the far side of Eklutna Lake, or other remote lakes, rivers, and swampy areas all around the state. This week on Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be talking with Carl Oswald, President of the Anchorage Speedskating Club, and Paxson Woelber, a nordic skating enthusiast who has begun manufacturing his own line of nordic skates. We’ll discuss everything skating: equipment, safety, places to skate, “wild ice”, skating adventures, and skating programs.
HOST: Adam Verrier
GUESTS:
- Carl Oswald, President of the Anchorage Speedskating Club
- Paxson Woelber, a nordic skating enthusiast
LINKS:
BROADCAST: Thursday, October 14 th, 2021. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, October 14th 2021. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT
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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!
