Outdoor Explorer

Anchorage's Off the Chain Bicycle Collective is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that provides bike repair advice while aiming to increase bicycle ridership, awareness, and safety. Join host Paul Twardock as he visits the Off the Chain shop for a tour and bike repair advice

On this Outdoor Explorer, we’ll go for a walk with a man known as The Walking Monk, because he’s walked across North America five separate times and he recently published a book about the people he’s met along the way. Join host Adam Verrier on Outdoor Explorer to hear our discussion about the joys and pleasures of taking a good long walk.

On this Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk to Alice Tower Knapp, who grew up in Anchorage, skiing on the local ski trails. She recently published a book about the history, the people, and the inner workings of the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage.

On this next Outdoor Explorer, our guests are Jeff Landfield and Paxson Woelber from The Alaska Landmine. The two journalists have reported extensively on disputed access to public lands in Anchorage. Our conversation focused on the history and battle for access to Chugach State Park from the Stewart Trail.

Planning for the outdoors comes at all levels, both personal and for State Park staff. On the first half of this Outdoor Explorer we'll talk to Ricky Geese, Director of Alaska's Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, and Zach Babb with the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program about the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, or "SCORP." This document is in draft form and the state is looking for input from the public. It help sets the state's priorities when it comes to managing state parks for the next five years. It is also full of interesting data about outdoor recreation and tourism. On the second half of the show Rick Roth of Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking discusses the newest outdoor gear in time for the holiday shopping season.

Tom Choate came to Alaska in the in the late 1950's exploring and climbing,  and is still at it.  He was a ski infantryman for the Air National guard, the first ranger naturalist in Mt Mckinley National Park, now Denali National Park, climbed or tried to climb Denali in 1963, 1983, 1993, 2003, and in 2013 became the oldest person to summit Denali at the age of 78.  His other significant climbs include the South Face of Sunlight Peak in the Chugach Mountains in 1967, Bellicose Peak in 1990, Mount Torbert in 1988 and has many first ascents around the world.  He has hours of stories and shares some of them and his ideas for a successful long life of adventure on this episode of Outdoor Explorer. 

On the next Outdoor Explorer, the second part of a two-part series on the Stewart Trail, a contested public access point to Chugach State Park. Our guests are Chris Reynolds, the treasurer of Friends of the Stewart Public Trail, and Kelly Becker, a long-time trail adjacent homeowner.

On the next Outdoor Explorer, the first part of a continuing series of stories about Title IX, the historic legislation passed 50 years ago that changed the landscape of women’s sports. We'll learn about the start and evolution of Title IX and you’ll hear from Chloe Ivanoff, who is bringing her love of wrestling to the girls of Alaska.

What draws us to the outdoors? Marybeth Holleman is an Alaskan writer who's new book of poetry, titled tender gravity, expresses many reasons. Marybeth is a long time Alaskan whose works include The Heart of the Sound and Among Wolves. Her collection of poems are accessible and cover everything from moss to comets and from her garden to the Brooks Range. In her interview with host Paul Twardock she discusses how loss, exploration, activism and day to day life intertwine with her poetry to create this deep and lovely collection.

What was it like to climb Denali in 1970? This past summer the Denali climb C-4 M-4 gathered in Talkeetna to reminisce on the 50th anniversary of their climb up the Muldrow route, and host Paul Twardock was there to record and share with the Outdoor Explorer audience.

The Alaska Ski for Women is one of the biggest women’s ski events in the World, and it’s happening in Anchorage on February 5th! This week on Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk with founder Sally Burkholder, about its beginnings more than two decades ago. And we’ll also talk with Director Molly Mylius about this year’s event.

On this week’s Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk about the development of the ski trail system at Kincaid Park with Jim Burkholder, who was a young school teacher at Dimond High School in the early 1970’s when he and other visionaries began cutting ski trails around Beercan Lake in Kincaid Park.

On this Outdoor Explorer we have the second part of a continuing series of stories about Title IX, the historic legislation passed 50 years ago that changed the landscape of women’s sports. We're joined by Beth Bragg, the now retired sports editor of the Anchorage Daily News, who had a front row seat to the change brought by Title IX.

On this week’s Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be talking about the disparate sports of rifle marksmanship and cross-country skiing that, when combined, create the sport of biathlon. Our guests will be Sara Studebaker-Hall and Zach Hall. Sara is the Director of Operations at TeamUSA Biathlon, and Zach is the Team Manager and Head Coach at the Soldier Hollow Olympic Legacy Program. They both have deep connections to Alaska; Zach grew up in Nikiski, and Sara was the UAA Ski Team’s assistant coach for several years. On this week’s show, Sara and Zach discuss the joys and tribulations of biathlon, the sport’s history, and how YOU can get involved in this unique and healthy sport!

Denali and the Himalaya have attracted mountaineers since the early 1900s. Many climbers, including Alaskans, got their start on Denali's bitterly cold and windy slopes, then moved on to the Himalaya. This show features Steve Mock with the Denali Rescue Volunteers, the Alex Lowe Foundation, and the Khumbu Climbing Center.

On this Outdoor Explorer we get walked through the recreation propositions on the upcoming Municipal election ballot. Beth Nordlund, from Anchorage Park Foundation, explains the Parks and Recreation bond, and Joe Connolly, from the Glen Alps Road Service Area Board of Supervisors, explains how Proposition 6 will improve access to Chugach State Park.

There are many organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life of Alaska's youth. Many use the outdoors and nature to help kids overcome the challenges they face. Onward and Upward is a nonprofit based in the Mat-Su Valley and is one such organization. The group offers programs that use the concept of "one health" that incorporates adventure, challenge by choice, experiential learning and place based education while being sensitive to trauma. Randy Dowd, Executive Director and founder, and his staff join host Paul Twardock to discuss the programs they offer and benefits that youth receive from their program and ones like it.

The first migratory birds are showing up and bear tracks have been sighted in the Chugach. That means it's time to dust off the backpacks, boats, and tents and start planning for summer! Join host Paul Twardock and guests on this week's Outdoor Explorer to get a start on summer.

April is World Landscape Architecture Month. While many of us might see a proposal for a new park or trail and then the construction work on the park or trail, what we don’t see is the immense amount of work that happens when an idea is first conceived. Landscape architects are the people who take an idea for a new park or trail and then make it a reality. On this show, guests include a landscape architect, a promoter of inclusive playgrounds, a trail advocate, and a parks and recreation director. They all work together to develop some of the most important resources in our communities, places we can gather, recreate safely, and connect with nature.

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.”