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Dog mushing in Alaska 101 + Ms. Uff Da

Alaska Public Media | By Eric Bork
Published February 23, 2022 at 5:24 PM AKST

March is prime time for winter sports in Alaska. The light is back, the snow is good, and Alaskans are ready to enjoy it all. Dog mushing has been part of Alaska as long as people have been in Alaska. In March the sport has its best-known event the Iditarod, along with Anchorage's Fur Rondy Open World Championship Sled Dog Race. On this show, we visit Ineka Kennels and the Forto family to learn a little about mushing life. Besides mushing, nordic skiing is one of the oldest winter sports and a popular one in Alaska. Ms. Uff Da was an advice columnist in the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage's newsletter in the '90s and '00s. Alice and Gunnar Knapp recently compiled her columns in a new book titled "The Wit and Wisdom of Ms. Uff Da." Alice joins us to share some of Ms. Uff Da's advice, especially useful in these times crowded trails.

HOST:  Paul Twardock

GUESTS:

  • Robert and Nicole Forto, mushers with Ineka Kennels
  • Alice Knapp who put together a new book titled "The Wit and Wisdom of Ms. Uff Da."
  • Darcy Dugan with Ski for Women and Ski For Kids

LINKS:

Team Ineka

Robert Forto

Fur Rondy World Championship Sled Dog Race

Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage

Ski for Kids

BROADCAST: Thursday, February 24th, 2022. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST:  Thursday, February 24th, 2022. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

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Eric Bork
Eric Bork, or you can just call him “Bork” because everybody else does, is the FM Operations Manager for KSKA-FM. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the FM broadcast. He produces and edits episodes of Outdoor Explorer, the Alaska-focused outdoors program. He also maintains the web posts for that show. You may have heard him filling in for Morning Edition or hosting All Things Considered and can still find him operating the soundboard for any of the live broadcast programs. After escaping the Detroit area when he was 18, Bork made it up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he earned a degree in Communications/Radio Broadcasting from Northern Michigan University. He spent time managing the college radio station, working for the local NPR affiliate, and then in top 40 radio in Michigan before coming to Alaska to work his first few summers. After then moving to Chicago, it only took five years to convince him to move back to Alaska in 2010. When not involved in great radio programming he’s probably riding a bicycle, thinking about riding bicycles, dreaming about bikes, reading a book, or planning the next place he’ll travel to. Only two continents left to conquer!
See stories by Eric Bork