Outdoor Explorer

In Anchorage you head for the mountains, but on the other side of the city there is another wild habitat to explore, summer and winter: the coastal wetlands that extend from Potter’s Marsh to Ship Creek. We’ll talk about the swampy, muddy shoreline of Anchorage, and the many birds and animals that live there. KSKA: Thursday, May 8, 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

KSKA: Thursday, July 13, at 2:00 p.m. On the next show we’re learning about a couple programs started by leaders in the cycling world to help young people become fit, confident cyclists. In the first half of the show, Lael Wilcox, an amazing athlete of world caliber, will be talking about her adventure with middle school girls. In the second half, we’ll learn about a new bike school, which aims to teach bike repair skills, and to turn underprivileged kids into bike riders and racers. LISTEN HERE

The Cohen Clinic offers programs that address the wholistic needs of veterans, using the outdoors to heal from trauma.

Get stoked on winter with these stories about avalanches, skiing and mountaineering.

KSKA: Thursday, July 6th, at 2:00 p.m. Imagine sending your 8-year-old over an 80-foot jump on a motorcycle, seeing him crash, and then doing it again? During this show we’ll talk to a dad from Sutton who has done that, and is heading to a national motocross championship with his brave son, who we’ll also have in the studio. We’ll also learn about motocross here in Anchorage, where youth and adult races go on through the summer. LISTEN HERE

Taking a fishing charter from a small boat harbor is a classic Alaska experience. It’s a time to bond with friends and family, to enjoy the thrill of excellent fishing, and it's a way for many Alaskans to stock their freezers for the winter. This week on Outdoor Explorer, we're taking our show on board a fishing charter outside of Homer. Host Charles Wohlforth gets the rundown on new halibut regulations in effect this year and an insider's perspective on what makes a fishing charter fun and successful. KSKA: Thursday, August 14, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

On today's show we’re going to talk about how to buy a bike. We’ll focus first on the high end and the creative stuff that hardcore cycling folks are doing these days, building crazy bikes and putting together the perfect bike. Then we’ll focus on the practical details of getting the right bike for you at a price you can afford, whether you buy new or on Craigslist. KSKA: Thursday, April 16, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Download Audio

On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about about remote power. Solar panels are small and portable enough now that it makes sense to take them into the backcountry to charge batteries, extending your electronics and communications indefinitely. My guest is also an expert in setting up remote power systems at cabins, technology that is advancing to make power in your remote site much simpler. Also, we'll hear about climbing and rafting on and around Spencer Glacier. Thanks for listening!

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.

While most of us are storing our skis for the summer, the Denali climbing season is just beginning. Climbing rangers are putting in Kahiltna Base Camp and the first climbers are on the mountain soon to be followed by 1000s of others. Join us for the next Outdoor Explorer as we talk with two veterans of Denali, climber Colby Coombs and Denali Ranger Melis Coady. Thanks for listening!

It’s a sure sign of spring in coastal Alaska, the arrival of migrating shorebirds that flock so thickly they sometimes look like clouds.  Several communities welcome the birds and visitors who want to see them and learn about them, and its a great chance to get out on the water early in the season and forget winter. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be talking about the spring migrations and the shorebird festivals coming up in the next week weeks. KSKA: Thursday 4/18 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

This week's Outdoor Explorer features Seth Kantner, Author of Ordinary Wolves and his latest book A Thousand Trails Home. Host Paul Twardock and Seth discuss his life and insights of growing up and living on the Kobuk River.

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 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

Alyeska decided to end their volunteer ski patrol last fall. To celebrate the patrol's history, folks gathered to tell stories and reminisce.

Drones, or unmanned aircraft, are becoming more common in Alaska and elsewhere every month. We'll discuss the capabilities and challenges of drones on this Outdoor Explorer.

For outdoor families, it can be tough when children leave elementary school and suddenly don’t want to go outside anymore. There are plenty of exceptions, but middle school coaches and parents of tweens know that this is a critical age to keep young people going outside and active. We’ll be talking with parents and educators about how the outdoors can compete with the screen or the couch in the lives of tweens as we struggle to help them build independent lives that are healthy and active. KSKA: Thursday 10/17 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm Listen Now

On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about Arctic Warriors and the skills they learn and practice. We have two officers in the studio whose military training has helped them make it through Alaska’s harshest weather. One was on a caribou hunt on North Slope when the weather took a dangerous turn. The other led a successful Denali ascent over the summer. What does the military teach about surviving outdoors? We’ll get into that question on this show. KSKA: Thursday, Jan. 29, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen Now:

The summer season is here and Alaska’s waterways beckon.  We’re taking the topic from four perspectives. An interview with a pioneer who made a lifelong career of floating remote rivers with inflatables. A story by a Minnesotan who got in some trouble on an Alaska river. A buyers guide to pack rafts. And a bear story that comes from an epic float trip. Thanks for listening!

When most of us think of the outdoor activities that Alaskans love, we tend to think of hiking, biking, skiing, and skating. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we talk about one not so common Alaskan outdoor activity, surfing - we talk about where to do it and how to get started as a beginner. We also talk about a more common outdoor activity, hiking, and how one woman prepared for her trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro by hiking in Southcentral Alaska. Thanks for listening!