Outdoor Explorer

On “Outdoor Explorer” we invite you to step outside into Alaska. Follow us to a new trail or fishing hole, learn what to pack, when to go and most importantly, how to stay safe. Learn about life-long fitness and get inspired to go outside in the back country or on the bike trails.

We’ll hear from the people who know the land best – outdoor guides, park rangers, coaches, authors, lodge owners, bush pilots, educators and you, the explorer. Listen Thursdays at 2:00 & 8:00 pm on KSKA FM, streaming live at alaskapublic.org.

We’re looking for your show ideas! Please send your thoughts for upcoming shows to: bork@alaskapublic.org

Eating Disorders and Exercise Addiction

On this Outdoor Explorer, our guest is two-time Olympian and Licensed Professional Counselor, Holly Brooks. She recently released a documentary called “Winning at All Costs: Breaking the Silence on Athletes and Eating Disorders.” Her message to athletes of all ages and abilities is “You are more than your results, performance reviews and appearance.”

Summer camps in Alaska

KSKA: Thursday, March 09, at 2:00 p.m. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk about summer camp choices, and practical considerations for parents in planning your kids' summer. Summer may not seem close today, but it is definitely time to begin scheduling your kids’ activities. LISTEN NOW

Waterfowl

KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 07, at 2:00 p.m. The time of the year is coming when that strange and wonderful sound arrives of geese forming up in great "V" formations and heading south from Alaska. Their migration, and that of other waterfowl, is one of the most impressive movements of life across the wilderness, something amazing and even moving to behold. On the next show, we’ll be learning about those ducks, geese and swans that nest here in Alaska in the summer, how they live, what they eat, their habitat and breeding, and about the incredible journeys they make each year. LISTEN HERE
a caribou

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.

Making the Musher

Rookie mushers come and go. It takes countless hours and training to become an Iditarod great. On the next episode of Outdoor Explorer, we're talking to a handful of mushers who are on that journey. They scoop poop. They cut up a lot of raw meat. It's not glamorous work, but they're chasing down a dream as Iditarod sled dogs gun it for Nome. KSKA: Thursday, March 5, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen Now:

Women of polar science

Sue Mauger is a scientist and conservationist who studies Alaska’s streams to learn the impact of climate change. So why did she go on a voyage to Antarctica? On the next outdoor explorer, we’ll discuss the unusual reason. Sue was invited to join a ship full of women scientists with the goal of learning about themselves and how they can be stronger in their work for the benefit of knowledge and the earth. Thanks for listening!

Outdoor Explorer: “Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built for Us”

On this Outdoor Explorer we're joined by author Alison Mariella Dèsir. Her book unveils the running movement as being centered around and represented by White people, not only ignoring the foundational work and performances of Black distance runners but also not acknowledging that running while Black can be dangerous.
bar-tailed_godwit

Bird migration in Alaska

Every spring millions of birds stream into Alaska from all over the globe to feed, mate, and raise their young. On this Outdoor Explorer features Dan Ruthrauff with the USGS Alaska Science Center and Melanie Dufour with the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival.

Orienteering and Wilderness Navigation

Navigating and avoiding getting lost is a bottom-line requirement for spending time in the wilderness. It’s also a sport and a source of competition. We’ll learn about orienteering, and along the way get tips about how to know where you are when you’re traveling in the backcountry. Navigation can be an interesting puzzle, and it can also save your life. KSKA: Thursday, June 5, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame’s mission is to Teach, Honor, and Inspire. On the next Outdoor Explorer we'll be joined by the Executive Director of the Hall who will tell us about the class of 2019 and representatives from the Alaska Run for Women, which is entering the Hall in the event category. Thanks for listening!
Crow Pass Trail in Chugach State Park

Chugach State Park

On the next Outdoor Explorer, we will dive deep into the history, planning and development of Chugach State Park with guests Monica Alvarez with the Department of Natural Resources, Ben Corwin the Park’s Chief Ranger, and Ryan Yelle, the Chairman of the Park’s Citizen Advisory Board.

Fish Camp

On the next Outdoor Explorer, our topic is fish camp. Native Alaskans all over the state go to riverside fish camps for the summer to harvest salmon, and as part of an ancient way of life. And a lot of commercial fishermen have fish camps at setnet sites, where they catch the fish going by, they make a little bit of money and to live and sustain themselves in wild places. KSKA: Thursday 8/8 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm. Listen Now

Ocean threats, a conversation with two authors

KSKA: Thursday, Nov. 02, at 2:00 p.m. Dramatic changes have happened in the ocean in southcentral Alaska in the last few years. What’s causing them? On this next Outdoor Explorer, we hear from two authors who have done studies and written on the impact of climate change on the marine environment, from increasing acidity to rising sea waters. LISTEN HERE

Eklutna Traverse: A Changing Adventure?

The Eklutna traverse is a popular spring trip for local and visiting mountaineers. But the 38-mile trip is changing. Host Annie Feidt and her guests will explore whether changing glaciers means a changing adventure on the next Outdoor Explorer. KSKA: Thursday, March 20, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:
Sadie and Marine out skiing together

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.

Training for Fitness

Have you gotten a little sedentary over the winter? Host Charles Wohlforth will be joined by a coach, a physical therapist and a dietician to talk about how to safely and successfully start a fitness program, to control weight, improve health or just enjoy life more. For those who already work out regularly, we'll talk about how to take it to the next level, and even to endurance competition. KSKA: Thursday, 3/13, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

Nancy Lake State Recreation Area

Nancy Lake Recreation Area is 23,000 acres of boreal forest and more than 100 lakes to explore less than 90 minutes from downtown Anchorage. On this edition of Outdoor Explorer, we’ll share two trips to the Nancy Lake system. We recorded the first half of the show in a canoe on an end-of-season overnight paddle. In the second half, we’ll talk about skating. You can’t do it every year, but when you can it is amazing. KSKA: Thursday, Nov. 5, at 2:00 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 12, at 8:00 p.m. Listen Now:
The Stan-Kamps

Travel School #2: Parks of California

On the next Outdoor Explorer, we will continue the series Travel School with Jodi Harskamp and Neal Stanbury and their children, Tui and Leif. We will pick up their journey as they leave Oregon and begin exploring the parks of California. But just as they get started, they encounter trouble.

Fishing Forecast

© Jim Lavrakas / Far North Photography Fishing season is approaching. We’ll find out what to expect in this year’s salmon runs. Last year was dreadful for kings, poor for silvers, and red hot for reds across Upper Cook Inlet. Do we know why? Will we see a repeat? And how do these predictions get made. KSKA: 5/16 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm Listen Now

Outdoor Explorer: New book examines how hunting and being outdoors with your dog can nurture the human spirt

Authors of "The Land We Share" discuss their holistic approach hunting and their relationship to the natural world.