Eric Bork, Alaska Public Media
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!
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!
Dirt Work
Have you ever thought you needed to live in a yurt off the grid in order to be more connected to nature? This week on Outdoor Explorer our guest is author Chri/stine Byl. We discuss how you have to be a beginner in order to become an expert and misconceptions around what being more connected to nature actually means.
Nordic skiing in Alaska
Alaska has a plethora of cross country ski trails and the clubs that groom them. This week’s
Outdoor Explorer talks with the people that make Nordic skiing happen in Alaska.
Enjoying the outdoors is more fun when you’re prepared
On this week’s show, our guest is Les Stroud. You may know him as Survivorman but his passion for the outdoors extends far beyond survival. Our discussion covers many topics including survival, getting kids outside, urban adventures, and we talk about his numerous upcoming projects.
Reflecting on Alaska
On the next Outdoor Explorer, our guests will be two authors whose books reflect on Alaska through their relationships with our unique and challenging environment. Monica Devine, author of “Water Mask,” and Bjorn Dihle, author of “AShape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears.”
Women of the sea and sky
This week on Outdoor Explorer our guests are a sheep hunter who is becoming a commercial pilot and a boat captain. And they’re both women. We talk about not letting underrepresentation hold you back from doing what you love and of course there are some good adventure stories too!
Starting and ending World Cup ski careers
Alaska’s World Cup Ski Racers are a force to be reckoned with on the international racing circuit. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be talking with two of them who have been making an impact lately: Sadie Maubet-Bjornsen and JC Schoonmaker.
Bikes Belong
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll listen to an Alaska Outdoor Alliance Lunch & Learn session, Bikes Belong. The
weekly series is open to the public and addresses topics important to the Alaska outdoor community. The Bikes Belong
discussion brought together a diverse group of stakeholders in the future of Alaska biking.
The downhill ski areas of Alaska
Ski areas around Alaska are opening with the motto "Ski Well, Be Well." This show features ski areas around Alaska in this year of COVID.
Sonja Wieck: Tales of Toughness
What happens when an 18-time Ironman athlete comes in second in her age group at the world championships and wakes up realizing she’s still the same person she was the day before?
Preparing for winter recreation
Winter has arrived in Alaska and it's time to play in the snow! On this Outdoor Explorer we'll
have Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News columnist and Rick Roth from Alaska Mountaineering
and Hiking answering questions about winter recreation.
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.
Seeking horizons upon retirement
What do outdoor professionals do when they retire from a life in the outdoors? This week's
Outdoor Explorer features Donna and Don Ford who retired from NOLS and travelled from
Cabo to the mouth of the Yukon River.
The Alaska Long Trail
On the next Outdoor Explorer, Lisa will be joined by Alaska Trails board secretary Chris Beck, former Governor Tony Knowles,
and videographer Max Romey. They are all part of an effort to develop the Alaska Long Trail, an endeavor that would add Alaska to the list of epic thru hikes such as the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail.
Ski jumping in Anchorage
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be talking about ski jumping with the Anchorage Ski Jumping Club. Our guests will be Karen Compton and Zak Hamill. Karen has been instrumental in the recent dramatic growth of the Anchorage Jumping Club, and she’s also a parent of two ski jumpers. Zak Hamill is the Club’s program director and head coach.
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.
Swimming Alaska
In this Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be joined by Sheryl Mohwinkel, Melinda Greig and Jenny Kimball, open water long distance swimmers. This summer they swam the Nancy Lake Canoe Trail System, becoming possibly the first people to swim the traditional canoe route. Their future swimming adventures in Alaska are even more ambitious.
Performing in an emergency
How and why do we react the way do when we encounter a stressful situation in the outdoors? Deb Ajango joins us to discuss physiological responses and how to train to perform in an emergency.
Alaska’s storytellers
On the next Outdoor Explorer, author Chris Lundgren and videographer Max Romey, will share stories of Alaska. Chris is
the author of Accidental Adventures: Alaska, a book about mishaps with good outcomes. Max is a videographer who
uses watercolors, photography and film to tell stories about Alaska and beyond.
Carol Seppilu: Strong resilient indigenous
On the next Outdoor Explorer, Carol Seppilu from Nome will describe her journey from suicide survivor to ultrarunner. September is Suicide Awareness Month and her shared message of Strong Resilient Indigenous is proving inspirational
both state-wide and nationally.
Paddling around North America
What’s it like to sea kayak around south and north America, including Alaska? On this Outdoor Explorer we’ll talk with German paddler Freya Hoffmeister who is doing just that.