Transition Season Biking
Even as fall weather gets colder, biking is not over. The sport of cyclocross is nearing its peak of competition. Mountain biking trails are firm and fast in cool weather. And yearround bikers are preparing for winter. We are talking about biking when its cold out, on the cyclocross course or on the street, getting to work, and the equipment and attitude it takes to make sub-arctic bicycling full.
KSKA: Thursday 10/10 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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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.
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LISTEN: Revisiting disc golf
The thrown disc, otherwise known as a frisbee, transferred a generation ago from a beach toy to a serious piece of sporting equipment, both...
Fat bike and packraft adventurers
KSKA: Thursday, September 28, at 2:00p.m. On the next Outdoor Explorer, some real explorers. Bjorn Olsen and Kim McNett explored much of Alaska’s Arctic Ocean coast by fat bike and pack raft, and they brought back some great stories and insights. We’ll also talk about their trips on the Kenai Peninsula and how you can try out this fast and remarkably practical way of covering the backcountry by pedaling and paddling, and go to new, exciting places.
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Paddling around North America
What’s it like to sea kayak around south and north America, including Alaska? On this Outdoor Explorer we’ll talk with German paddler Freya Hoffmeister who is doing just that.
Brewing coffee in the outdoors
If you’re a coffee lover and an outdoor enthusiast, at some point you’ve probably wondered how you can indulge in better coffee while also enjoying your favorite outdoor spaces. This week on Outdoor Explorer, our guests are Tim Gravel, co-owner of Kaladi Brothers Coffee and fellow lover of the outdoors, and Gina Shively, an avid outdoorswoman. We talk about making better coffee in the backcountry and our favorite ways to drink this magical beverage in the outdoors.
Beachcombing and ocean currents
KSKA: Thursday, March 01, at 2 & 8 p.m. We're excited that we got to sit down with the guests on this week’s Outdoor Explorer to learn about the strange, circular ocean currents swirling around the North Pacific. These currents sometimes carry Asian debris to Alaska shores and, as we’ll hear, bring pieces of Alaska shipwrecks to Hawaii. We have a serious beachcomber and an oceanographer who used this information to change our view of how the ocean’s work.
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Long distance relays
KSKA: Thursday, May 25, at 2:00 p.m. On the next outdoor explorer, we’re talking about a different kind of race, one where you have as much support and camaraderie as you do competition. Long distance road relays have been around for a while, including the Klondike Road Relay that follows the gold rush route of 1898 every fall, with teams of runners who ride along in vans while taking turns on foot. A new one is getting started in Anchorage this summer, from Eagle River to Seward and we're looking forward to hearing about it.
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The evolution of the fat bike
In this era of unpredictable snow, the fat bike has quickly become a standard part of Alaska winter life. Biking on snowwas recorded as early as the Klondike Gold Rush but it is only in the last 30 years that bikes specifically made for thesnow have been developed.
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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Learning from our elders
The outdoors can teach us many lessons, from skills like pitching a tent and cooking a hot meal to life lessons such as communication and decision making. Alaska is full of women and men of all stripes that have lived full lives in the outdoors. Join your host, Paul Twardock, on the next Outdoor Explorer as he speaks with Alaska ski pioneer Jim Mahaffey and retired Denali Mountaineering Ranger Daryl Miller.
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River Safety Techniques
KSKA: Thursday, September 22, at 2:00p.m. and Thursday, September 29, at 8:00p.m. Alaska’s rivers are the best path to see the backcountry for non-motorized adventures, traveling in relative comfort and seeing the grandeur of Alaska. Still, cold moving water in remote areas can also be dangerous. Every summer, we hear stories of tragedies and of near misses on Alaska’s rivers and in this episode we'll tackle that topic head-on.
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Honoring the lost and hiking Gold Star Peak | Outdoor Explorer
Many mark Memorial Day by taking to mountains and trails. That includes the challenging journey up Gold Star Peak.
Moose: Biology, Lessons and Urban Stories
Moose are part of life in Alaska in so many ways, as dinner, as a road hazard, and as an exciting visitor in your back yard. They're really amazing animals that deserve our respect. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll hear from a moose biologist who followed the animals in Denali for more than 35 years, and one who wrangled them in middle of the city, with Christmas lights on their antlers. KSKA: Thursday, March 10, at 2:00 and Thursday, March 17, at 8:00 p.m.
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Iditarod Trail Invitational
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we're talking about the Iditarod Trail Invitational race, which claims to be the longest winter ultra marathon in the world, sending racers by foot, bike or ski either 1000 miles from Knik to Nome, or 350 from Knik to McGrath.
KSKA: Thursday, Feb. 19, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Boat building
KSKA: Thursday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m. Boat building is much more than carpentry. Boats can be an extension of a builder’s heart, connecting to traditions and place, and relating a paddler’s physical and spiritual being to the ocean. The guests on this show are skilled craftspeople who have spent their lives building and repairing wooden boats, and building traditional Inuit kayaks.
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The Alaska Long Trail
On the next Outdoor Explorer, Lisa will be joined by Alaska Trails board secretary Chris Beck, former Governor Tony Knowles,
and videographer Max Romey. They are all part of an effort to develop the Alaska Long Trail, an endeavor that would add Alaska to the list of epic thru hikes such as the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail.
Orienteering in and around Anchorage, Alaska
Orienteering is the sport of using a map and compass to navigate in the outdoors. On this Outdoor Explorer we feature orienteering with guests Olympian Scott Patterson, author Jen Jolliff, and Mike Robinson of the Arctic Orienteering club.
The Chugach 120
For this Outdoor Explorer, our guest is Jen Aschoff, a geology professor who recently became the tenth person and second woman to complete the Chugach 120. The Chugach 120 is the 120 peaks in the Chugach State Park with a prominence of 500 feet or more.
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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