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!
2020 Alaska Sports Hall of Fame
On this Outdoor Explorer, Harlow Robinson, executive director of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, will catch us up on
the Hall’s class of 2020. The planned induction ceremony for the event, the moment and the individuals to be honored
was slated for April, but the celebration has been delayed to next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Huts and parks
There are many ways and places to get outdoors in Alaska from car camping to
remote mountains and rivers. This show features an update on the Spencer Whistle
Stop near Portage, Alaska Hut’s plans for a world class hut system, and one on State
Parks and their 50 th anniversary.
Revisiting Sailing the Aleutians on the MV Tustumena
The Alaska Marine Highway has been in the news a lot this summer with talk of big budget cuts and a ferry worker strike. Adam was aboard the Tustumena on a trip out to to Dutch Harbor and spoke with several of his fellow travelers about what the State Ferry means to them.
REVISTING Hidden Animals
On the next Outdoor Explorer we’ll be talking about the hidden animals of Alaska. There are animals in our urban spaces that you may never see and there are also animals that are making their way to Alaska, including a new prey animal and its predator that are a random presence in our state now but may soon be a permanent presence.
Fly for Pie
Since 1980, the number of female pilots in the United States has remained stagnant at 6% of all pilots. In Alaska,
however, with a per capita pilot population three times the next closest state, it’s not hard to find a group of women
pilots to talk about their adventures.
Scientists in nature
Scientists in Alaska spend weeks at a time in remote locations gathering information to better inform us about the world we live in. On this week’s show we learn from two USGS scientists what it’s like to work in the field.
Exercising in a time of social distancing
The World Health Organization recognizes four components of health: physical, mental, social and environmental. Group exercise addresses all four of these components. In this time of social distancing, how do we continue to exercise with our groups?
Women ski patrollers of Alyeska Ski Resort
2020 has been a great year to be a skier in Southcentral Alaska. This show features the women ski patrollers, avalanche specialists, medical staff, and Search and Rescue Dog handlers of Alyeska Resort.
Sophia Tidler’s Winter Solstice Adventure
On summer solstice 2019, Sophia Tidler became the first woman to solo the Chugach Linkup. On winter solstice 2019, Sophia began another attempt and almost 55 hours later became the first person to successfully complete a winter
linkup.
Artists in nature: Bill Brody and Klara Maisch
Next time you snap a picture with your smart phone of beautiful scenery, think what it would take to paint it. This Outdoor Explorer features two artists, Bill Brody and
Klara Maisch, who spend weeks in one spot painting what they see and feel.
Entomophagy: Eating insects
Entomophagists are people who eat insects, and Chris Gilberds is a chef who has a lot to say about why we should start incorporating more bugs into our diet. We even snacked on crickets, ants and scorpions during our talk.
The joy and sorrows of an outdoor family: Raising and losing Cody Roman Dial
For millennia Alaskans raised families in the outdoors. Peggy and Roman Dial raised a family and lost their son living the outdoor life. Roman has written a book titled The Adventurer’s Son and on this week’s Outdoor Explorer we talk to him and Peggy about the joys and sorrows of raising their family.
Recovery, injury prevention, and treatment for an active life
Recovery from activity, injury prevention and injury treatment are all part of an active lifestyle. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk about cutting edge equipment and new physical therapy options to keep you moving.
Nutrition for an active life
On the next Outdoor Explorer, our guest will be sports dietician Rikki Keen. We will have a wide ranging discussion of the latest trends in sports nutrition, from a plant-based diet and intermittent fasting to the use of intravenous hydration and CBD oil.
Learning from our elders: Eberhard Brunner
Alaska is full of people that have lived full lives in the outdoors. This week on Outdoor Explorer our guest is Eberhard Brunner. Eberhard was an alpine ski coach, owned a hunting lodge, ran a sporting goods store, and is a professional
photographer.
The evolution of the fat bike
In this era of unpredictable snow, the fat bike has quickly become a standard part of Alaska winter life. Biking on snowwas recorded as early as the Klondike Gold Rush but it is only in the last 30 years that bikes specifically made for thesnow have been developed.
LISTEN: Avalanche forecasting and education
This week’s Outdoor Explorer is on avalanche forecasting and education. The joy of skiing and riding comes with the risks associated with avalanches. We’ll talk with professionals who study, forecast, and teach about avalanches.
Rickshaw Run across India
This week’s Outdoor Explorer features the Rickshaw Run Across India. Three Alaskans travelled 1800 miles across India in a motorized tricycle using their skills
developed in Alaska’s wilds.
LISTEN: Exploring the fascinating (and sometimes restricted) wild areas on Anchorage’s eastern border
On the northeast side of Anchorage, at the base of the Chugach, is a heavily restricted area that requires a pass to enter. The residents of Scenic Foothills have long considered this area to be their playground, with access to trails and peaks
and an abundance of charismatic wildlife.
Wildlife and bear viewing
Wildlife and Alaska are like apple pie and ice cream, it’s hard to imagine one without the other. Every year over a million people visit Alaska, most hoping to see glaciers, moose, caribou, wolves,...