fbpx
Alaska Magazine
253 Results

Anchorage

Search
avalanche rescue dog
Travel

Raven

By

The making of an avalanche rescue dog. Above: Raven and Hutch riding the chair lift together last winter at Alyeska Resort. Photo courtesy Ryan Hutchins Raven, a one-year-old black lab, lies on the floor of the ski patrol office at Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood, 35 miles southeast of Anchorage along Turnagain Arm. She gnaws on a chew toy shaped like a head of broccoli, which she keeps pinned beneath her oversized paws. While she may look like any other dog at play, Raven is already a year into intensive training as Alyeska’s newest avalanche rescue dog. Her owner, assistant ski patrol director Ryan Hutchins, says she might be certified by the end of this ski season. Hutchins, who goes by Hutch on Alyeska’s close-knit ski patrol crew, selected Raven because labs, originally bred for duck hunting, are high-energy retrievers with strong scenting abilities and great people skills—all necessary for…

30-Second Reads

Happenings Around Alaska This October

By

Above: A large mother bear emerges through the fog and tall grasses toward the camera at Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. Photo by Michelle Theall FAT BEAR WEEK OCTOBER 2 – 10, ONLINE The National Park Service calls this popular online event “an annual celebration of success.” Held over seven days, people vote on which bear to crown as the year’s chunkiest bruin. Park rangers lead the tournament-style bracket, which this year also includes interactive exercises for kids and classrooms. Visit fatbearweek.org. QUYANA ALASKA OCT 17 – 18, ANCHORAGE Quyana means ‘thank you’ in Yup’ik. The cultural celebration occurs during evenings at the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention and features traditional dances by Alaska Native groups from across the state. Quyana Alaska is a treasured highlight of each convention. Visit nativefederation.org/quyana. ALASKA TRAVEL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION CONVENTION & TRADE SHOWOCTOBER 22 – 24, JUNEAU Alaska’s largest annual gathering of tourism professionals…

orange shirt day
30-Second Reads

Teaching Promotes Healing

By

Above: Clarks Point students Adrianna Wassily-Wood and Mary Wassily-Wood with mini Yup’ik drums they made to celebrate their culture and Orange Shirt Day. Photo by Deanna Baier On September 30, Orange Shirt Day events across Alaska will once again promote healing from the legacy of Alaska Native boarding schools. The annual commemoration began in Canada in 2013 and has steadily grown in Alaska, with new resources now available for teaching. Between the 1800s and 1970s, Alaska Native children were separated from their families to attend church and government run boarding schools, where abuse was common. Acknowledging boarding school history has gained importance as families and communities across the U.S. and Canada have recognized its intergenerational impact, which includes abuse, incarceration, and more. In Anchorage, the Alaska Native Heritage Center now hosts the nation’s first totem pole dedicated to boarding school survivors and their families. It was carved by Haida master…

Authentic Alaska

Alaska’s Cowboy of the Skies

By

Above: Paul Claus At 24 hours old, Paul Claus took his first flight in a Piper Super Cub. Sixty-five years later, he can still be found soaring across Alaska’s skies, as captivated by wilderness as when he was a child. Whether dropping off mountaineering expeditions or taking guests from his family’s lodge to ski on untouched slopes, Claus sees his airplanes as tools to access Alaska’s wild places. In a state where about one person out of every hundred is a pilot, Claus has become a legend, a man dedicated to exploring and sharing his remote corner of Alaska. Claus specializes in true bush flying—no landing strips, no guidebooks, and preferably no one there before him. His daily adventures are classed as experiences of a lifetime in most people’s books, but he believes that he’s just an ordinary guy with the good fortune to do what he loves. And what…

Flightseeing helicopter views of a turquoise river just north of Cordova.
Travel

10 Reasons to Visit Alaska

By

Get Inspired For many people, a trip to Alaska is a once-in-a-lifetime dream fulfilled. For others, it’s a return to one of their favorite places on the planet. And some visit once and decide to make the state their home. There are reasons aplenty to come to the Great Land and explore: An abundance of wildlife, unique cultural experiences, and unparalleled scenery are just a few. Building time into your itinerary to relax and absorb the small delights is always a good idea, too—enjoying quirky cafes, strolling through a boat harbor, groovin’ to some live local music. And if you’ve never been here, we hope these photos nudge you to start planning. Who knows, in just a few short months, you could be watching humpback whales bubble-net feeding or be flightseeing around the summit of Denali. After all, every adventure starts with an inspiration. —Susan Sommer 1. A pair of…

alaska baseball
30-Second Reads

Root for the Home Team

By

The Alaska Baseball League is celebrating its 50th year. The league’s five teams, all from the Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula areas, play an annual season that begins in June and wraps up with a post-season “Top of the World” tournament in early August. The collegiate league uses equipment that meets Minor League specifications, and its players are unpaid so they can maintain NCAA eligibility.

Sign up for our newsletter for more exciting Alaska travel content.