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Tag Archives | sled dog

“A call that changed my life”

By on April 26, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, May 2013

Rolland and sled dogs

We continue to be amazed – both by the challenges that life in rural Alaska presents, and by the goodwill and hard work that those challenges bring forth from those within our KNOM family. This month, we conclude with the reflections of our volunteer engineer Rolland Trowbridge.

The following is an excerpt; we encourage you to read Rolland’s full story (.PDF file).

The PrecipiceA year ago, I received a call from KNOM’s general manager, Ric Schmidt, asking if I knew anything about automatic generator controls. Little did I know that that call would be a call to mission – and a call that would change my life.

I came to Nome on my family’s sailboat in 2009 after sailing over Canada through the Northwest Passage. We started in Michigan after ten years of preparation to take an epic trip with no clue where we would end up… After completing the passage, a storm ripped away our life raft, and we put into Nome to make repairs… Soon, we settled in and made Nome home.

I signed on for a year, and what a year. Every day, Nome’s environment does its worst… with extreme elements trying to tear apart everything that exists. Fortunately, KNOM has decades of experience in dealing with this. It is a true pleasure to work on something that has been built and designed to handle the environment it is in… I think I will be staying a while.

There has been a razor-sharp focus at KNOM for more than 40 years to build and maintain a reliable, low-cost-to-maintain station. I am proud to be part of it.

In the coming months, look for more from Rolland in a new segment for the Static: an Engineer’s Corner, with updates on KNOM’s equipment. Photos: Rolland, a sled dog musher, with one of his dogs; Rolland and family aboard their sailboat, the Precipice.

Again, you can read more of Rolland’s incredible story here.

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The Last Great Race returns

By on March 29, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, April 2013

In March, it was the news in Western Alaska: once again, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was passing through our region. It was an exciting time for our listeners and staff, and KNOM was at the forefront of coverage for this inspiring and unique competition.

The Iditarod – the “Last Great Race” – is a 1,000-mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome; the finish line is just blocks from KNOM studios. The race is nearly as old as our mission; we’ve been covering the race every year since its inception in 1973.

Thanks to your support, we were able to bring the 2013 running of this epic race to our listeners, for whom the Iditarod is not just a sporting event but, also, an inspiration and a vital connection to traditional culture. Dog “mushing,” or the running of sled dogs, has deep roots in Alaska Native culture: a culture that both KNOM and the Iditarod celebrate.

KNOM’s coverage of the 2013 Iditarod included regular updates on the progress of the racers, or “mushers,” as they traversed the diverse and rugged Alaskan wilderness towards Nome. Many of the checkpoints through which the mushers passed were communities within KNOM’s listening range – further underscoring the importance of our race coverage.

As we’ve done for many years, we covered the Iditarod from the studio and from the trail, with news reporter Laureli Kinneen following the mushers, checkpoint by checkpoint, from Anchorage to Nome. (Laureli’s trip was subsidized with underwriting from local and regional organizations; their generosity made her on-location reporting possible.)

Back in the studio, KNOM rallied to cover the race with updates both on-air and online; regular broadcasts featured updates on mushers’ positions, weather conditions, and interviews, while our On the Trail blog showcased photos (a few of which are included here), audio from the finish line, and lots more.

To sample our coverage from this year’s Iditarod, we encourage you to visit our blog. Thank you so much for making this highlight of our broadcasting year possible!

Photos: the sled dogs of Iditarod 2013 champion Mitch Seavey pause a few miles outside the finish line in Nome and are silhouetted by the lights of the KNOM “spotter” vehicle; Laureli reports an Iditarod finish, live, from the finish line; musher Ramey Smyth – renowned for his dogs’ speed – mushes his team the final few feet of the race; a sled dog from the team of rookie Richie Diehl.

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March 2008: The All-Alaska Sweepstakes returns

By on March 25, 2013 in History, Photos
Paul and Amy report on the All Alaska Sweepstakes

KNOM newsies Paul Korchin and Amy Flaherty report on the live start of the 2008 All Alaska Sweepstakes from Nome’s Front Street. Photo by David Dodman.

March 26, 2008

Paul Korchin and Amy Flaherty hop onto borrowed snowmobiles to follow the 100th anniversary running of the All Alaska Sweepstakes, a 408-mile sled dog race through the wilderness.

They report using a satellite telephone lent by Nome police chief Paul Burke.

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The difference weather can make

By on March 3, 2013 in Photos, Stories
Snow on Nome mountains

Snowy mountains near Nome, photographed February 2011. Photo by David Dodman.

What a difference the weather can make: especially in Western Alaska, and especially at this time of year.

On cloudy days, the dull light blurs the snowy landscape, and depth perception, over long distances, is more difficult. This “flat light” is a challenge for all who travel on land and the frozen sea. On sunny days, the light contrasts the Bering Sea shoreline, high places on the tundra, the rolling hills, and steep mountains, making travel easier for those using landmarks to find their way. At times, heavy snowfall makes any travel impossible.

In this season, casual observers along the Bering Sea coast can see helmeted travelers making their way across the snow and ice by snowmachine (or snowmobile) and, at the same time, witness sled dogs, strung together, pulling a sled and a solitary musher. Whatever the means of transportation, getting home can be a challenge at times.

We thank all who support KNOM and ask that you please join us as we pray that all who travel arrive safely at journey’s end.

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A special sled dog race returns

By on February 28, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, March 2013

A sled dog from the team of musher Pete Kaiser

February 2013 marked the second running of a sled dog race with special significance for Western Alaskans: the Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450. The NS450 honors the memory of Paul “Putty” Johnson, a dog musher and community leader from Unalakleet (YOU-nuh-luh-kleet), Alaska, a town well within KNOM’s listening range located on the coast of the eastern Norton Sound (it’s also the hometown of news director Laureli Kinneen).

Dog mushing is at the heart of the traditional culture of our region. It’s a common activity for many of our listeners and even a livelihood for some, and every winter, KNOM covers these sled dog races that so capture the imagination and affection of Alaskans.

Bethel musher Pete Kaiser interviews with KNOM's Laureli KinneenThis year’s NS450 was distinctively Alaskan in another way: it was adversely affected by severe weather. With brutal winds battering the race trail, officials decided to shorten the competition from a medium-distance 450 miles to a “sprint” of only 40 miles. It was but the latest example of the countless times weather shapes life – and changes plans – in our corner of the world. Thanks to you, we brought the latest race developments to our listeners.

(The photos above and at right are from the 2012 race, since the 2013 NS450, as described earlier, was re-routed at the last minute and did not finish in Nome. Top: an NS450 sled dog; right: Laureli interviews musher Pete Kaiser, who won both the full, 2012 race and this year’s abbreviated “sprint.”)

 

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KNOM Radio Mission, 2012: Twelve Snapshots

By on December 12, 2012 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2012 (All), The Nome Static, Year-End 2012

January

The Russian tanker Renda

In Nome, KNOM’s news department is on the front lines for a story with worldwide interest: the Russian tanker Renda makes an unprecedented winter fuel delivery, escorted in its journey through the frozen Bering Sea by the US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy. The delivery comes in the wake of an epic, fall 2011 storm that delayed Nome’s final fuel shipment.

February

Pete Kaiser wins the 2012 NS450

KNOM covers the inaugural running of a sled-dog race honoring a community leader in Western Alaska. The Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450 sends dog teams from the community of Unalakleet (YOU-nuh-luh-kleet) to the finish line in Nome. In the pre-dawn hours, musher Pete Kaiser finishes first, and KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen calls the finish live.

March

Martin and Rohn Buser

KNOM rallies to cover all angles of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (the 1,000-mile competition from Anchorage to Nome). The race is an inspiration to thousands, and in 2012, a new generation takes center stage: 25-year-old Dallas Seavey wins the race, while young musher Rohn Buser finishes alongside his father, Martin, a multiple-time Iditarod champ.

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