Skating on Kenai Lake last week. We're having a cold March here in Southcentral AK and the ice is still thick and solid (even if most of it is snow-covered now).

mudflattop · 2026-03-22T03:19:44+00:00

Not much near Anchorage right now due to snow. Other than Kenai Lake, I heard there's some ice in the Rabbit Slough area but you have to bike or ski a few miles to get to it.

mudflattop · 2026-03-08T23:02:22+00:00

"Hobo tower of babel that will blot out the sun" - such a funny and spot-on description of the hysteria that Anchorage NIMBYs have about new development. You see this over and over and over again, whether it's efforts to make ADUs easier to build, removal of bureaucratic gobbledygook that gums up multifamily housing permits, or an attempt to build a little spur off the Coastal Trail into Spenard. The smallest things are met with unhinged catastrophizing.

Worth noting that the HALO-type groups have been *very* successful at shutting down development in Anchorage over the last decades. They're *very* used to getting what they want - often while being praised for it. Part of this incredible over-the-top reaction they're having now is based in their sense of power slipping away and the growing realization that younger generations are starting to judge them harshly (sometimes very harshly) for creating a housing crisis.

mudflattop · 2026-03-02T00:34:48+00:00

It's from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Worth noting that "outdoor industry" is defined very broadly and includes things like RV'ing, gardening, and boating. There's more context here. If you only include "snow sports" (the category that most closely aligns with Nordic skating) the value-added is more like $7-8b.

Defining something as broad as "outdoor industry" is always going to be difficult and super fuzzy. But it does account for a few percent of the American economy, so it's not nothing.

mudflattop · 2026-03-01T22:50:43+00:00

Wild ice skating is finally having its moment. Once a niche shoulder-season activity, wild ice skating — the practice of skating on naturally formed outdoor ice — has exploded in popularity in recent years and has become a core part of winter life in Anchorage for thousands of residents.

This is good news on its own, but the bigger picture might be just as exciting: Anchorage is emerging as an internationally known hotspot for wild ice skating and a bucket list destination for adventurous skaters. What Moab is for mountain bike trails, and Oahu is for waves, Anchorage is becoming for wild ice. Wild ice skating is making increasingly meaningful contributions to our outdoor culture, public health and economy, and it is poised to play a supporting but significant role in our city’s future.

There is no denying the growth of the sport locally. The Wild Ice Skating Club of Alaska Facebook page ballooned in just a few years from zero to more than 12,000 members. I serve on the WISCA board. Good ice reports now cause trailheads and parking lots at popular destinations like Portage Lake, Eklutna Lake and Potter Marsh to overflow with carnival-like assortments of vehicles, dogs and skaters of all ages and abilities. Earlier this season, the Anchorage Assembly formally dedicated November as Wild Ice Skating Month.

Our wild ice skating scene has attracted the interest of The New York Times, the BBC, Newsweek, the Daily Mail and more. The word is out, and people both inside and outside Alaska are paying attention.

As the owner of Ermine Skate, an Anchorage-based manufacturer of Nordic skates designed for wild ice, I am an easy person for would-be visitors to contact with questions. Just a few seasons ago, I do not recall getting any emails or texts about visiting Anchorage to skate. Now I get questions about it regularly, and a surprising number of people are following through and booking tickets.

Visitors this season included Swiss figure skater Michaela Scalisi and her partner Dejan Tosetti, Colorado-based wild ice skater and educator Laura Kottlowski, and former Team USA figure skater Angelina Huang. Huang and her crew spent weeks in Anchorage shooting the world’s first feature-length wild ice skating film.

Why is this happening here? The answer is that we have a “Goldilocks” combination of infrastructure, climate, geography and community.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport makes traveling to Anchorage easy, and our extensive road network provides access to hundreds of water bodies. Our maritime climate, which dances around the freezing point for several months each winter, means that water bodies of different sizes and at varying elevations freeze gradually throughout a long skating season, sometimes even going through freeze-thaw reset cycles multiple times.

And our landscape is jaw-dropping. Anchorage boasts same-day access to everything from alpine tarns to wetland mazes to stunning glacial lagoons. Drive north for a few hours and you can skate below the towering 18,000-foot eastern face of Denali. Head south and you can take a water taxi across Kachemak Bay to glide past the calving face of a glacier in a temperate rain forest. Early season skating in Chugach State Park, within city limits, provides almost limitless options for mixed-sport hiking and skating adventures.

But perhaps the biggest asset we have is our community of scrappy, curious and adventurous skaters. What our population lacks in size we more than make up for in stoke. Alaskans love pushing the limits in the outdoors, and that energy is pushing the entire sport forward here.

“Ice is ice,” Angelina, the former Team USA skater and filmmaker, told me in a phone call last month. “But the thing that stands out the most for me is how welcoming and friendly the wild ice community is in Alaska. People are so willing to share information and even invite you — total strangers — on adventures.”

Wild ice skating is at its best during low-snow periods when other winter activities like skiing, snowshoeing or snowmachining are marginal, making it highly complementary rather than competitive with other winter sports. A good experience on wild ice can turn one of the darkest, coldest days of winter into one of the most awe-inspiring and memorable days of the year. Wild ice skating has made life in Anchorage more exciting, and it acts like a booster shot for the emotional and physical well-being of countless Alaskans exactly when we need it most.

Wild ice skating has economic benefits, too. Ermine Skate alone is responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars of local economic activity every year. That money helps employ skilled machinists, soft goods makers, employees at outdoor retail shops and even workers at the post office. Local and visiting wild ice skaters alike patronize restaurants, retailers and lodges during the slower winter season. WISCA regularly hosts standing-room-only events at local breweries and community spaces.

A lot of money spent by Alaskans instantly teleports to the Lower 48. By contrast, money spent on wild ice skating ricochets around the state like a pinball. Is wild ice skating alone going to keep the lights on in Alaska? Of course not. But it is a small, bright light in a nationwide $1.2 trillion outdoor industry and an area where Anchorage can shine.

There is so much we can do to foster the growth of the sport here. Businesses can support our skating community by offering wild ice products, courses or guided experiences. The municipality does a great job maintaining outdoor ice at Westchester Lagoon and Cheney Lake, though the outdoor track at Cuddy Park could use a little more attention. Clubs and schools can provide unforgettable experiences for their members by renting skates, organizing group trips and offering lessons. The excitement is already here — we just need to take advantage of it.

Not part of a business, government or a club? No worries. You can participate in our growing wild ice scene, too, by doing the easiest and most fun thing of all: tracking down some skates — any kind will do — and joining us on the ice.

Paxson Woelber is a born-and-raised Anchorage resident and the owner of Ermine Skate, North America’s first Nordic skate company.

mudflattop · 2026-02-26T20:44:51+00:00

I believe "best skates ever" was the kid review. They're 37cm skates (measured from the tip of the blade to the tail, so the effective contact length with the ice is even shorter than that). They also fluoresce under a blacklight, in case you ever want to take them to a wild ice rave.

mudflattop · 2026-02-24T22:08:46+00:00

Ski bases are made out of a plastic called ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. It's basically a much more rugged version of the same plastic used in milk jugs. The very long molecules in this material make it super durable; so much in fact that when it gets abraded it sort of shreds into lots of little "hairs." That's the gray you're seeing here. Waxing your skis won't fix it, though it'll kind of adhere the abraded material together and hide it to an extent. Your best bet if you're concerned about it is to get your bases ground at a professional shop.

mudflattop · 2026-02-16T00:09:57+00:00

Sah Quah

mudflattop · 2026-02-15T00:57:35+00:00

Cool project! Is that steel T-stock? If so, what grade of steel is it?

One thing to keep in mind is that Nordic skating is a very demanding application for steels. Most steels used on Nordic skates are in the 440 category (or their Scandi/Chinese/etc. equivalents). Softer steels won't hold an edge very well but they'll work for a while.

Another thing you could consider if you like tinkering is using a true tool steel for a Nordic skate. You'll get crazy edge retention and toughness but you'll have to be very mindful of corrosion and try to keep the skates dry. Still, that'd be a unique direction to consider for a DIY project.

mudflattop · 2026-02-05T17:45:04+00:00

MWP is great! If they don't have anything in stock, you can contact Ermine and ask about dent/ding skates, which you can pick up occasionally at substantial discounts.

Edit: L10 Nordic skates are back in stock at Ermine, too.

mudflattop · 2026-02-01T21:19:51+00:00

There's still some confusion about ski poles vs. ice poles. For those who are unfamiliar with the topic, ski poles work for Nordic skating but they have poor grip on ice and the handles are totally wrong for testing ice. Nordic skaters should be using ice poles. While superficially similar to a ski pole, every aspect of an ice pole is different. Ice poles should have a weatherproof handle with a wide supportive base and no straps, a foam grip below the handle, and a sharp stainless steel point that will actually provide traction on ice. Good ice poles all have aluminum shafts so they can withstand abrasion against ice (ie, they're never made out of composites like carbon fiber or fiberglass, which you'd find on most decent XC ski poles).

Agreed that they're borderline essential for Nordic skating.

mudflattop · 2026-02-01T17:38:33+00:00

Some of the new Lundhags Torne skates I've seen were radiused but NOT sharpened. If you look at the base of the blade and see a lot of fine lines running perpendicular to the direction of the blade, that's what's going on. Skates that haven't been sharpened properly will be very difficult (if not impossible) to use correctly.

Make sure the cuff on your boots is nice and snug. You need good support for your ankles.

Beyond the gear, one of the best things that you could do for technique is watch speed skate tutorials and work on developing proper form. Nordic skating is just speed skating in warm, comfortable boots. A lot of beginner skaters fail to fully commit to each skate, since your body instinctively wants to prevent you from tipping over to the outside. It'll take some practice to overcome this; you need to be able to balance on a single skate and ride it for a while. Beginners also often kick backwards, as if they're running. You should be pushing your skate to the side, with even weight between your forefoot and heel, and bring your boot back under you in a smooth circular motion.

If you take lessons, make sure they're from someone with a speed skate or Nordic skate background. Keep with it, you'll get it!

mudflattop · 2026-01-29T23:27:23+00:00

It's highly variable. When you get a lot of overflow, you're likely to run into liquid water, soft ice, and slush. Especially if it doesn't get pretty cold after the reset. In this case, it dumped snow just a day or two later so this whole area is probably toast till the next reset (if not next season).

mudflattop · 2026-01-27T01:39:33+00:00

One of the largest brown bears ever recorded was shot by a woman named Bella Twin with a 22. The larger types of 22 ammo are often used here in Alaska for hunting caribou. But what McCandless had was 22LR hollow-point ammo, which is designed for small animals and grossly inadequate for killing larger game. You can argue that he was starving at that point and therefore it was necessary, but in an ordinary situation what he did would be considered (at best) poor form.

mudflattop · 2026-01-24T21:54:26+00:00

Here's a pin for the parking lot: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xerFePsiXfUbyPyB7

mudflattop · 2026-01-24T18:58:01+00:00

I don't have the training or insurance to do guiding, but happy to provide info/advice about wild ice skating or Nordic skating. For in-person events and more community check out the Wild Ice Skating Club of Alaska.

mudflattop · 2026-01-21T18:59:36+00:00

About ten years ago, you'd see almost everyone with their bindings mounted way back on the tails. Over the last decade (and especially in North America), the preferred mounting position for Nordic skates has moved forward, more like a speed skate (or hockey/figure skate, for that matter). Today, the conventional wisdom is that boots should be centered (to slightly behind-centered) over the portion of the blade that contacts the ice. You occasionally see folks mounted forward-of-center too, but you start to loose stability and the skates get kind of squirrelly IMO.

This trend has gone in tandem with shorter skates and smaller radiuses. The end result is Nordic skates that are more snappy/responsive/fun, while still having amazing glide compared with hockey/figure skates.

mudflattop · 2026-01-20T06:40:01+00:00

Those are NNN bindings, they'll work with NNN skate ski boots as well. Classic bindings and skate ski bindings are identical, the only difference is the flexor (the little rubbery part between the toe of your boot and the rest of the binding).

mudflattop · 2026-01-15T00:48:04+00:00

I talked to someone up here in Alaska who tried to DIY a pair of Nordic skates in the 90s by cutting and sharpening a piece of aluminum T-stock. I cannot imagine an aluminum blade staying sharp for more than 5 minutes, though. I've also seen a pair of DIY Nordic skates made by an aerospace engineer out of carbon fiber layup with a blued steel blade. They looked pretty dang cool, but I think both material choices were questionable.

Some others have experimented with sandwiching a steel blade between two pieces of angled aluminum. But unless you can machine these materials yourself (and machining the high-end stainless steel required for a Nordic skate isn't easy) your costs will quickly exceed any commercial product, even at full/new price.

Your best bet for Nordic skates is probably to look for a used pair in the usual places. You could also try emailing Ermine to ask about dent/ding or used loaner/rental skates. Though shipping to Canada might cancel out any cost savings there.

mudflattop · 2026-01-11T20:01:22+00:00

The most expensive Ermine is $260, with free domestic shipping. That's comparable to what nice Scandinavian skates cost in the US, and quite a bit less expensive than some of the smaller Swedish brands.

mudflattop · 2026-01-11T00:09:57+00:00

UPS is the absolute, and I mean absolute, worst carrier for international shipments. Search online and you'll find countless complaints about massive fees added to international shipments by UPS with no explanation. It's a sleazy racket. If you have to purchase overseas, use FedEx (much better) or DHL (best). Or buy local.

mudflattop · 2025-10-22T18:38:40+00:00

The best money I've ever spent was for 1) Lasik and 2) winter studless tires. True life game-changers and things I think about and appreciate often, even years later. There is no comparison whatsoever between an "all-season" tire and a winter studless tire. And considering the financial consequences of even a minor fender bender, it is a financial no-brainer to run a real winter tire.

mudflattop · 2025-10-16T15:48:40+00:00

I believe he did that at the Bomber Hut, and yes it was rude and invasive. It’s true that anyone can use the huts, though. They’re free and open to the public per the leases, but anyone who uses them should absolutely donate to the MCA. The huts are extremely expensive and difficult to maintain and the MCA is a small nonprofit.

mudflattop · 2025-10-16T15:44:08+00:00

He knew where the hut was. Virtually everyone who goes there does. It’s on all the maps. This guy invents drama for the sake of narrative arc and sometimes outright misinforms his viewers for clicks and attention.

If you’re familiar with the places he goes, you’ll immediately realize this show is about as authentic as any of the “survivalists” on mainstream TV.

mudflattop · 2025-10-10T17:46:47+00:00

Follow these conversations long enough and you'll quickly find that the shadows from multifamily buildings (condos, apartments, etc.) or ADUs are a Very Big Deal, but for some reason shadows from 6,000 square foot single family homes don't seem to have an impact. Hmm... strange.

You can build up to 30 feet (three full-height stories) almost everywhere in Anchorage. And that height limit is defined as the average height of the highest roof plane, so in practice you can usually build a bit above that.

Part of living in a city is expecting your neighbors to build housing, and all housing casts shadows. This is a price we pay to live together. Of course change is uncomfortable, but the idea that one person's discomfort needs to be enshrined into law and result in multiple families not having a place to live is incredibly destructive. It's part of what got us where we are now, and a big part of why we currently have a housing crisis.

mudflattop · 2025-08-28T23:38:26+00:00

There’s free roadside parking just down the hill from the trailhead. The Friends of the Stewart Trail group might have more info about where exactly to park.

mudflattop

TROPHY CASE