Denali National Park’s centennial
KSKA: Thursday, April 04, at 2:00. Denali National Park is turning 100 years old. We’ll learn how the park came into being a century ago, when development of Alaska had hardly begun. We’ll also look at the park today and opportunities to experience it as Alaskans. It is one of our biggest tourist attractions, but it is also a great place to visit with your family, especially with the activities starting this month for the centennial year.
LISTEN NOW
Outdoor activity and the human brain
KSKA: Thursday, January 18, at 2 & 8 p.m. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about a key part of the body for your outdoor explorations, the brain. I’m Charles Wohlforth. New research shows that being active can make you smarter, growing parts of the brain, and keep your brain healthy as you age. But we’re also going to talk about brain injuries. We’re learning the serious impact they can have on every aspect of life and how important it is to protect your head when you are doing outdoor sports.
LISTEN HERE
The Story of Title IX Part 2
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.
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
Listen Now
Hiking in Yukon Territory | Outdoor Explorer
The Yukon is a land of vast wilderness. Sometimes you need a little guidance in a wild landscape.
Biking throughout Alaska
Bicycling is a great way to get outside, get fit, meet people, and exercise your competitive juices. The number of trails, organizations, and biking events continues to grow in Alaska. This show will feature folks from Anchorage and Fairbanks sharing thier passion for the sport.
Revisiting training for fitness
If you’ve gotten a little sedentary over the winter, the next Outdoor Explorer will have the information you need to up your level of fitness. Host Charles Wohlforth will be joined by a coach, a physical therapist and a dietitian 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.
Thanks for listening!
The 50th Anniversary of the Hillside ski trails in Anchorage
The first five-kilometer ski loop was cut by Service High School families and coaches in 1971.
Organizing a big sporting event during a pandemic
On this week’s Outdoor Explorer, we’ll speak with the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation’s executive director, Ben Popp, about the changes that were put in place to allow thousands of competitors to gather in Wisconsin for America’s largest ski race, even during the pandemic.
Adventures in field science
Alaskan geologists, biologists, archaeologists and lots of other kinds of -ologists cover the wilderness in their work, in search of knowledge but avoiding something many outdoor folks are looking for: adventure. On this show, we’ll hear from field scientists about their challenges studying Alaska, and how they keep safe and work effectively in places where other people go to test themselves against the elements.
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 8, at 2:00 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 15, at 8:00 p.m.
Listen now:
The Equinox Marathon and other extreme Fairbanks events
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 6, at 2:00 p.m.
The Equinox Marathon is one of the most challenging anywhere, as it climbs up over Ester Dome in Fairbanks. We’ll also hear an interview recorded in Fairbanks with a trails volunteer, who’ll tell us about the many routes and races that make that community a great place to visit.
LISTEN NOW
Inclusive playgrounds and museum summer activities
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we'll meet an 11 year old girl and her mother who made a huge change in our city. When Anna Boltz was a toddler, her mother Leah realized that the city’s playgrounds, although meeting the law, were not truly accessible to a child like her who uses a wheelchair. Nine years later, Anchorage has a dozen inclusive playgrounds, with facilities that invite and engage people of every ability. We'll also hear about summer activities being hosted by the Anchorage Museum and about training to race in the Boston Marathon in a wheelchair.
Thanks for listening!
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!
Women’s athletic events
KSKA: Thursday, February 1, at 2:00 & 8:00 p.m. The next Outdoor Explorer focuses on women, and specifically events for women athletes. The Alaska Ski for Women is coming up soon, and after that the Gold Nugget Triathlon, and there are others too. We’ll be talking with competitors and organizers to find out what these events are like, how they feel different from co-ed races, and why it is important to have events specifically for women.
LISTEN HERE
Boating safety in Alaska
As we prepare for the boating season it is worthwhile to review the equipment and safety precautions needed.
Outdoor Explorer LIVE!
KSKA: Thursday, June 02, at 2:00 and Thursday, June 09, at 8:00 p.m. On Saturday, May 21st we took to the stage for the first ever live edition of Outdoor Explorer. We recorded our show on-stage at the TapRoot the way we do it in the studio, talking to Luc Mehl and Nancy Pfieffer. We are so happy to share the recorded version of our live show with you.
DOWNLOAD AUDIO
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!
National park journeys
On this next Outdoor Explorer, meet Mikah Meyer who traveled to every national park. And not only the big ones, but also all the historical parks and the obscure places, a trip that has taken years. We’ll also be chatting with legendary Alaska hiker Shawn Lyons, who is publishing a completely encyclopedic set of books covering every route in southcentral Alaska.
Yea parks!
Using your feet
This Outdoor Explorer is about feet. If you’re a runner, a hiker, a skier, a skater, if you do almost anything active, we should have your attention because when your feet are happy, you are. When they’re messed up, your fun is over. We’ll talk with a physical therapist and a podiatrist about healthy bodies and healthy feet, and hear some stories about hiking and the joy and misery it can bring.
Thanks for listening!
Outdoor summer camps
On the next Outdoor Explorer we are learning about outdoor summer camps for kids. Once school is out camps are a ritual for many families, however camps have changed a lot in the last 20 years. Camps have become more professional and are not just a month living in the woods.