AK Shorts

	Flocking to the Aurora Thousands of Japanese tourists flock to Fairbanks in the dead of winter. Is it the Aurora Borealis, the dog mushing, the ice sculptures OR is it mythic wisdom and the hope of conceiving gifted children? We talk to a few of these Japanese vacationers about why they’ve come to this far out frontier.
	Trick my Ride Getting around in the winter in Alaska is no easy feat. The lack of roads and snowy terrain necessitate Alaskan ingenuity. We check out several supreme specialty trucks that are built for these extreme conditions.
	Winter Biking Making tracks in Alaska's winter conditions doesn't always mean 4 wheel drive and V8 power. We visit with a few Alaskans who prefer to brave the chilling elements and power their own pedals. We follow Kirk, who's been toughing it out as Anchorage's one and only bike courier, Mark, a committed 14 mile commuter, and Rose, at Paramount Cycles, to find out what it takes to hit the roads and trails of Alaska's winter wonderland.
	Beards of Alaska Beards are a statewide pastime in Alaska. For over 50 years, they’ve been celebrating their wild whiskers with the annual Mr. Fur Face competition in Anchorage. We visit with some of the fuzzy faced competitors to find out what’s so special about their bristles and how they can be an advantage in America’s last frontier.
	Coffee In the dark and cold, it’s coffee that keeps Alaskans fueled. They are serious about their caffeine. Anchorage has more coffee shops per capita than any other U.S. city, even Seattle. We visit with Anchorage coffee sellers and consumers to find out why they are so crazy about java.
	Outhouses In Alaska, outhouses are a way of life. One out of every eight homes is without indoor plumbing. The average in the Lower 48 is one out of every hundred. But as you’ll see, the outhouses here aren’t just a place to answer the call of nature, they’re an experience of Picasso-esque proportions.
	Conex Alaska is the end of the road for a lot of things. But what happens to the huge standardized shipping containers after their thirty tons of cargo have been off loaded to this remote place? We visit with Sam Lundquist, a lineman from Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, who lives in what would otherwise be a junkyard nightmare.
	Dining in the Bush Food in Alaska is expensive, especially in the remote villages in the bush. In some places, the food needs to be air freighted in. Geo visits the General Store in Newtok and puts together a meal made up of the hardiest of preservable foods: SPAM and Sailor Boy Pilot Bread.
	Unique Cuisine The Native Eskimo communities of Alaska have been hunting and preserving wild game for thousands of years, and they’ve learned quite a few tricks. We visit with Mary in Kotzebue and Grant in Newtok to check out their tried-and-true techniques for harvesting their sustenance.
	Artic Wear When Alaskans work outside, having the right gear can mean life or death. When Alaskans play, having the right gear means au naturel and a little help from our favorite furrier. We visit Anchorage Army Navy to get the scoop on what keeps Alaskans warm on the North Slope, then we check out the fur bikinis at The Fur Factory to find out what keeps Alaskans hot in the bedroom.
	Dugout Canoe Dugouts are the oldest boats known to archaeologists. For the Tlingit of Southeastern Alaska, the dugout canoe has been an integral part their subsistence lifestyle. We visit Tlingit Native Fred Bemis in Yakutat, as he employs some old fashion grit and determination to recreate the ways of his ancestors, with an extraordinary example of Tlingit craftsmanship.
	Aviation Life In Alaska, cars take a back seat to planes. There are a lot of places you just can’t get to on wheels. As a result, we’ve got more pilots per capita than any other state. We visit with a few veteran pilots to find out why they take to the air and what can happen when the engine quits.
	Living Off-the-Grid Life off-the-grid means autonomy and self-sufficiency. For Jeff, living in remote Alaska also signifies finding love in one of the most unlikely of places. We visit Jeff and Sherian in Nolan, to find out how they met and check out how they live without reliance on any public utilities.

Flocking to the Aurora

Thousands of Japanese tourists flock to Fairbanks in the dead of winter. Is it the Aurora Borealis, the dog mushing, the ice sculptures OR is it mythic wisdom and the hope of conceiving gifted children? We talk to a few of these Japanese vacationers about why they’ve come to this far out frontier.

Trick my Ride

Getting around in the winter in Alaska is no easy feat. The lack of roads and snowy terrain necessitate Alaskan ingenuity. We check out several supreme specialty trucks that are built for these extreme conditions.

Winter Biking

Making tracks in Alaska's winter conditions doesn't always mean 4 wheel drive and V8 power. We visit with a few Alaskans who prefer to brave the chilling elements and power their own pedals. We follow Kirk, who's been toughing it out as Anchorage's one and only bike courier, Mark, a committed 14 mile commuter, and Rose, at Paramount Cycles, to find out what it takes to hit the roads and trails of Alaska's winter wonderland.

Beards of Alaska

Beards are a statewide pastime in Alaska. For over 50 years, they’ve been celebrating their wild whiskers with the annual Mr. Fur Face competition in Anchorage. We visit with some of the fuzzy faced competitors to find out what’s so special about their bristles and how they can be an advantage in America’s last frontier.

Coffee

In the dark and cold, it’s coffee that keeps Alaskans fueled. They are serious about their caffeine. Anchorage has more coffee shops per capita than any other U.S. city, even Seattle. We visit with Anchorage coffee sellers and consumers to find out why they are so crazy about java.

Outhouses

In Alaska, outhouses are a way of life. One out of every eight homes is without indoor plumbing. The average in the Lower 48 is one out of every hundred. But as you’ll see, the outhouses here aren’t just a place to answer the call of nature, they’re an experience of Picasso-esque proportions.

Conex

Alaska is the end of the road for a lot of things. But what happens to the huge standardized shipping containers after their thirty tons of cargo have been off loaded to this remote place? We visit with Sam Lundquist, a lineman from Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, who lives in what would otherwise be a junkyard nightmare.

Dining in the Bush

Food in Alaska is expensive, especially in the remote villages in the bush. In some places, the food needs to be air freighted in. Geo visits the General Store in Newtok and puts together a meal made up of the hardiest of preservable foods: SPAM and Sailor Boy Pilot Bread.

Unique Cuisine

The Native Eskimo communities of Alaska have been hunting and preserving wild game for thousands of years, and they’ve learned quite a few tricks. We visit with Mary in Kotzebue and Grant in Newtok to check out their tried-and-true techniques for harvesting their sustenance.

Artic Wear

When Alaskans work outside, having the right gear can mean life or death. When Alaskans play, having the right gear means au naturel and a little help from our favorite furrier. We visit Anchorage Army Navy to get the scoop on what keeps Alaskans warm on the North Slope, then we check out the fur bikinis at The Fur Factory to find out what keeps Alaskans hot in the bedroom.

Dugout Canoe

Dugouts are the oldest boats known to archaeologists. For the Tlingit of Southeastern Alaska, the dugout canoe has been an integral part their subsistence lifestyle. We visit Tlingit Native Fred Bemis in Yakutat, as he employs some old fashion grit and determination to recreate the ways of his ancestors, with an extraordinary example of Tlingit craftsmanship.

Aviation Life

In Alaska, cars take a back seat to planes. There are a lot of places you just can’t get to on wheels. As a result, we’ve got more pilots per capita than any other state. We visit with a few veteran pilots to find out why they take to the air and what can happen when the engine quits.

Living Off-the-Grid

Life off-the-grid means autonomy and self-sufficiency. For Jeff, living in remote Alaska also signifies finding love in one of the most unlikely of places. We visit Jeff and Sherian in Nolan, to find out how they met and check out how they live without reliance on any public utilities.