Alaska's mountains and oceans provide some of the most dramatic landscapes on earth. Anchorage trails have connected the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet for decades, with a few gaps. Just recently newly created trails make it possible to bike, hike, run, or ski from Glen Alps to Knik Arm of Cook Inlet without crossing a single road. The Anchorage Park Foundation designated a route called "Mountains to Sea Trails," with a video, signage, and other information to help people navigate from Glen Alps trailhead in Chugach State Park to Westchester Lagoon and the Anchorage Small Boat Launch, around ..read more

In 2012 Michael Engelhard, an outdoor guide, writer, and anthropologist decided to hike and paddle from Canada to Kotzebue, acting on a lifelong goal. Though not the first to make the trip, and just the start of the "through hike" trend occurring in the far north, Engelhard brought his unique Alaskan background to the trip. This spring The Mountaineers published his memoir of the trip "Arctic Traverse." The book is a mix of travelogue, natural and cultural history and philosophy. Michael joins host Paul Twardock to discuss his motivations for the trip, how the book came about, doing a two mont ..read more

The Arctic Winter Games is a biennial event celebrating the sports and culture of the people who live in the circumpolar north. Delegations from Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland and northern Scandinavia gather to compete in 21 different sports and share their cultures with one another. This year it’s Alaska’s turn to host the Arctic Winter Games, which will take place during the school spring break, March 10-16, in the Mat-Su Valley. HOST: Adam Verrier GUESTS: Amy Spargo, Chair of the Arctic Winter Games Board Telsche Overby, Arts and Culture Program Coordinator LINKS: Arctic Winter Games ..read more

People with disabilities live and thrive in Alaska and Anchorage. Challenge Alaska is a nonprofit that is a key organization making that happen. Challenge works with Alaskans with disabilities, giving them access to adaptive sports, education and a supportive community. Known for its adaptive ski and snowboard program in Girdwood Challenge also offers a variety of programs in Anchorage for a wide range of people, including veterans. Challenge was established in 1980 by Doug Keil, a Para-Olympic medalist in para-alpine skiing. The organization has grown to include the Raven Program for people w ..read more

Alaska is home to some amazing trails, but one thing it doesn’t have is a long trail of its own. This week on Outdoor Explorer we dive into the Alaska Long Trail, a trail that would connect Seward and Fairbanks via a multi user trail system. We also talk about the potential for this trail to be designated as a National Scenic Trail as well as get some trail updates about the Iditarod Historic National Trail Southern Trek, which is currently the most complete section of the Alaska Long Trail. HOST: Martha Rosenstein GUEST: Mariyam Medovaya, Alaska Long Trail Project Coordinator LINKS: Alaska ..read more

Hatcher Pass outside Palmer in the Talkeetna Mountains has recently become a destination for groomed downhill skiing and riding thanks to the development of the area known as Skeetawk. Running the show is Megan Justus, who came to the job after managing a Syrian refugee camp. Join guest host Amy Bushatz on this episode of Outdoor Explorer as we head into Hatcher Pass to chat with Megan about managing a ski operation, plus what's coming for the ever growing Skeetawk. GUEST HOST: Amy Bushatz GUEST: Megan Justus, Manager, Skeetawk LINKS: Learn more about Skeetawk Find information about the Arc ..read more

Volunteer ski patrols have assisted Alaska's ski areas since the 1950's. The Alyeska Ski patrol was founded in 1953 working at Alyeska and Arctic Valley. Through various iterations, the latest being the Alyeska Volunteer Ski Patrol, volunteers have provided aid and assistance to skiers while supporting the professional Alyeska patrol. From the mundane like helping set boundary lines to dramatic like assisting with tram evacuations volunteers have a long history of stories and experience to share. This past fall the resort decided to not use volunteers, thus ending, at least for now, the tradit ..read more

What's the history of outdoor ice skating in Anchorage? How did the midtown Cuddy Park Ice Oval come to exist? What is Anchorage's Winter Solstice Festival and how is it linked to Anchorage ice skating and the Park? This Outdoor Explorer answers these questions and more. Every year the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department and their partners host a Winter Solstice Festival at the Cuddy Family Midtown Park. The event features ice skating on the park's ice oval, horse drawn sled rides, food trucks and dog sled rides. On this Outdoor Explorer host Paul Twardock roamed the event interviewing p ..read more

This week on Outdoor Explorer, we visit our neighbors to the east in Whitehorse, Canada, to speak to Meghan and Marko Marjanovic about hiking in the Yukon Territory. The Yukon is a land of long rivers, big mountains and vast wilderness, but there aren’t a lot of marked hiking trails. Sometimes you need a little guidance in a wild landscape, and we’ll discuss Marko and Meghan’s book and their website that describes many of their favorite hikes in the Yukon Territory. HOST: Adam Verrier GUESTS: Meghan and Marko Marjanovic, authors, Yukon hiking enthusiasts LINKS: Yukon Hiking website "Yukon H ..read more

HOST: Paul Twardock GUESTS: 1st segment: Wendy Wagner, Director, Chugach Avalanche Center Mary Gianotti, Chugach front range forecaster Mik Dalpes, Seward area forecaster Daniel Krueger, Seward area forecaster 2nd segment: Anne St Claire, APU faculty, avalanche researcher LINKS: Chugach Avalanche Center Staff Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center Simon Fraser University Avalanche Research Alaska Avalanche Information Center Alaska Avalanche School Avalanche.org American Avalanche Association The Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies BROADCAST: Thursday, January 25th, 2024. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. A ..read more