Getting Tweens Outdoors
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
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Trap Shooting
Trap shooting is a sport at which Alaskans excel, having produced a national champion and Olympian in Cory Cogdell, formerly of Eagle River, and other top competitors. On today's show we learn about the community of trap shooters in Anchorage, how shooters learn to hit the fast-moving targets, and what it takes to get into the sport. Watch Video
KSKA: Thursday 9/26 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Swan Lake Area Canoe Trails
This is a great time of year to be canoeing on the Swan Lake Canoe Route, when the leaves are turning and the fish are active in the cool weather, in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll also be talking about floating the easy Swanson River, which may be the best float for beginners in our region and great for families. This is a show about one of the best areas to take your first self-guided wilderness trip.
KSKA: Thursday 9/19 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Gold Mining
It’s a fair bet that the stampeders who flowed north during the Klondike Gold Rush never thought of mining as recreational, but the hunt for gold is something people do for fun, as well as profit. We’ll find out how and why modern recreational miners persist in sifting Alaska’s streams with pans and other obsolete equipment, going after glittering flakes of gold, and hoping for something much richer. It's a hobby that gets them outdoors, and it's a treasure hunt.
KSKA: Thursday 9/5 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Duck Hunting
Duck hunting season begins September 1, a day that kicks off an outdoor tradition like no other. We’ll have guests who are getting ready for opening day with all the trappings of the sport, talk about hunting memories and traditions, and touch on conservation issues and changes in the land and the sport.
KSKA: Thursday 8/29 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Berry Picking
Off The Grid Life
A cabin off the grid is a private place in the wilderness where the noisy world is far away and the soul of Alaska close at hand. On the next Outdoor Explorer, our host comes to you from his own off-the-grid cabin on Kachemak Bay. Guest Donna Massay will join us from the Trapper Creek area. And we’ll learn about the power, water and communication technology that makes off the grid life easier to do these days.
KSKA: Thursday 8/15, at 2:00 and 9:00 pm
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Mount Marathon
During the 2012 Mount Marathon race, two runners were terribly injured and one disappeared, never to be found. Organizers hope this year’s race is safer, without losing its adventurous edge. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk about the new rules, and about the joy of mountain running and competition with two of the best in Alaska, plus a race organizer. Also new for this week's show, host Charles Wohlforth is in Homer, at KBBI.
KSKA: Thursday 6/27 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Glacier Trekking
A huge proportion of Alaska is covered with ice. A lot more than has towns and cities or anything man made on it. That’s a lot of country to explore, and its truly beautiful, like another world. On the next Outdoor Explorer the topic is glacier travel. We’ll be talking with a guide who takes newbies on glacier treks, a photographer who specializes in glacier journeys, and a glaciologist who goes to work on glaciers, and knows how they’re made.
KSKA: Thursday 6/20 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Memorial Day Clamming
Memorial Day is upon us, and with it, huge minus tides in lower Cook Inlet. Excellent clam tides are hitting at the same time as the starting weekend of the summer season. But razor clams have been scarce of late. We’ll have a researcher trying to find out why, as well talking about how to pursue razors, and going after steamers and butters, too. Biology, food safety, digging, camping, cooking. You'll even hear some secret recipes on the next Outdoor Explorer.
KSKA: Thursday, 5/23 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Fishing Forecast
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
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Pack Rafting
A pack raft is a raft you can fit in a pack, and it opens up Alaska in a way that few other inventions ever have done. For skilled paddlers, the raft eliminates the barriers presented by rivers, lakes and even bays when crossing country. But there’s a lot to learn to be safe. We hear from a famous trekker and pack raft pioneer, and a business owner who teaches pack rafting.
KSKA: Thursday 5/9 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Summer Camp Planning for Kids
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The fondest dream of many parents is for our children to love the outdoors as much as we do. Summer is the time for that to happen, but how do you get them off the couch and outside when you’re away at work? On this edition of Outdoor Explorer, the topic is outdoors summer camps. We’ll talk about camp options, and also how to make sure it’s a positive and inspiring experience, even for shy indoor kids.What do you look for in a camp for your kids?
KSKA: Thusday 5/2 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm 
Denali Climbing Season Begins
Spring Bird Festivals
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 
Nordic Combined: A Developing Alaskan Sport
At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, the U.S. went from no medals ever in the sport of nordic combined to a gold and three silvers, more than any other country. Now there’s a push on to keep performing in this combination of jumping and distance skiing, and Anchorage is a key to the effort. On the next Outdoor Explorer, host Charles Wohlforth will be joined by a national team skier and coach, in town to build the athlete pipeline.
KSKA: Thursday 4/18 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Arctic Man City
For a week or two in mid-April, a remote mountainside in the Alaska Range becomes one of the biggest towns in Alaska. It’s Arctic Man, a kind of Burning Man for the snow machine set, with the craziest extreme skiing competition you’ve ever heard of. We’ll preview Arctic Man, the speed, the parties, the family fun, and the backcountry travel, with an organizer, a competitor, and a spectator.
KSKA: Thursday 4/4 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Group Led Outdoor Activities
On this Outdoor Explorer we’ll talk about the outdoors as a social space. Some folks think that groups are the best way to experience natural places, to hike, ski, climb or bird. They’ve set up ways to get together and meet new people while exploring and learning. Have you ever thought about finding new friends for an outdoor adventure? Learn how.
KSKA: Thursday 3/28 at 2:00 pm and 10:00 pm 
Teaching Kids How to Downhill Ski
Teaching your kids to ski is as much a lesson for you as it is for them - a lesson in patience. Don’t give up yet. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll share tips for helping your children become confident on skis and with other outdoor skills Alaskans need. We'll be joined by the experts, and by other parents listening and sharing their own stories and advice.
KSKA: Thursday 3/21 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm 
Ice Climbing
Alaska isn't exactly known as an ice climbing destination. But more and more of the state's residents are falling in love with the sport. On this Outdoor Explorer will talk about everything from historic first ascents on ice climbs in Alaska to advice on getting into the sport. And we'll head out with guest host Annie Feidt as she tries ice climbing for the first time.
KSKA: Thursday 3/14 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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