Poor returns shut 2 Kodiak king fisheries

Weeks before the snow melts off riverbanks and lakes are ice-free, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that two once-mighty fisheries on Kodiak Island will be shuttered all summer.

Outdoors hot line (3/16/10)

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Rider sets machine on fire to stay warm

A Fairbanks man became separated from his companions on a wilderness trip and lit his snowmobile on fire to stay warm.

Snowmachiner falls through ice, presumed drowned

A snowmachiner from Houston fell through the ice on the Susitna River on Saturday afternoon and Alaska State Troopers say he is missing and is presumed to have drowned.

Climbers descend after 12 days in cave

After living for 12 days in a snow cave not much bigger and a whole lot colder than a refrigerator, a party of two hoping to put the first woman atop Mount McKinley in the winter abandoned their climb Thursday.

JOHN SCHANDELMEIER

Iditarod mystery: How far is it to Nome?

Many Iditarod junkies wonder exactly how far is it to Nome. The Iditarod Trail Committee claims 1,149 miles on both its northern and southern routes -- an effort to ensure the distance includes 49 (for the 49th state) and exceeds the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race between Whitehorse and Fairbanks.

Searchers finally reach and rescue stranded Southeast hiker

Searchers on Wednesday afternoon found and rescued a hiker stranded without food for days on Meade Glacier near Haines, according to the Coast Guard.

Outdoors hot line (3/9/10)

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Rescuers unable to reach 'extreme hiker' on glacier

Severe weather on Monday prevented the rescue of a weakened "extreme hiker" stranded on a glacier near Haines without food, forcing him to spend another night out, according to the Coast Guard.

Firearms now allowed in most national parks

A change in federal law means that people who can legally possess firearms under federal, state and local laws will now be able to carry a loaded firearm in most of the country's national parks.

Attempt to be 1st woman to summit McKinley in winter hindered by blizzard

Challenged by scarce daylight, blowing snow and zero visibility, the first woman attempting to scale Mount McKinley in winter is hunkered down at 10,000 feet, where she and her partner have been living in a snow cave since last Sunday.

Winter ascents of Mount McKinley

Facebook page: Christine Feret

Board allows cell use during bison hunts

Bison hunters in Alaska will be allowed to use cell phones, two-way radios and satellite phones to improve their success rate and help reduce damage to crops in the Delta Junction area.

Basinger headed toward finish line

The nasty terrain of the 75-mile Farewell Burn behind him, Anchorage cyclist Pete Basinger pulled out of Nikolai on Wednesday night on the final stretch of the 350-mile Iditarod Invitational with a third victory in sight.

Assembly hears Hatcher Pass corridor testimony

More than a hundred people packed into the Mat-Su Assembly chambers Tuesday night to try to sway the Assembly for or against opening up a corridor for snowmachines and four-wheelers in Hatcher Pass. The issue was tabled.

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From fashion runways to Alaska trails: Ex-model returns to Iditarod

A girl who was chosen and pampered during Models Week in Shanghai, who worked on the runways of exclusive designers in Milan, is now a far different woman in a far different place.

Zoya DeNure's Web site

Game committee approves antlerless moose hunt

The popular state permit drawing hunt for antlerless moose in Mat-Su will continue this year, despite objections by nearly half the members of the Mat-Su Fish and Game Advisory Committee.

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Searchers recover body of snowmachiner

Searchers have recovered the body of 40-year-old Alan Gage, who was killed more than a week ago in an avalanche that also claimed the life of the Conoco Phillips Alaska president, according to Alaska State Troopers.

No sign yet of avalanche victim

Searchers returned Sunday to the Grandview area but were unable to find snowmachiner Alan Gage, who was presumed killed in an avalanche Feb. 13.

Search fails to find man lost in avalanche last Saturday

Searchers found no sign today of the body of a snowmachiner who disappeared in an avalanche last Saturday in the Grandview area wilderness. They hope to begin looking again tomorrow, troopers say.