Come on now, be social!

Like most of us, I’m usually connected online! I’ll wake up in the morning, check my e-mail, facebook, and twitter stream, at work it’s either research or social media, when I’m mobile it’s my iPhone!

I’m a social person by nature and it’s the old saying “Everyone has a story” that fuels my passion of traveling around Alaska and share my experiences with you all. I love hearing stories!

I want us all to reclaim the roots of our social culture. Don’t get me wrong, I dig social media as one of the most awesome communication tools in our society. However, I can’t help notice the majority still place value on the follow me, friend me, like me, and become a fan of me, which appears to have taken a precedence over the cold call “Hello, what’s your story?” or the like!

So this is video was my attempt at bringing it back home. I had a blast out on the streets asking people one simple question “What does Alaska mean to you?” and it was this experience that I learned how many great people I have yet to meet.

So my friends… Be Bold! To the stranger next to you say “Hi” and strike up a conversation, you’ll otherwise never know what you could be missing.

Cheers,
Scott

Take a journey with me across Alaska in black and white. In my travels, I’ve always taken my downtime to experiment with filming in black and white, there’s a certain feel and look I achieve vs. desaturating color footage.

I sat down one evening this week, pulled some music from one of my favorite artists Jap Jap www.japjap.net , and layered in some of my favorite black and white scenes.

Enjoy this SanitySaver!
Scott

Scott here with a new audio show, what used to be Alaska Podshow, is taken on a new form. This is a rough show, still working out some bugs, but I had a great time getting behind the mic again!

Show Credits:

• Anchorage Museum
 presents Bradford Washburn
  “Glories of the Greatland”
  www.anchoragemuseum.org
• Black Kettle
  “Chameleon”
  Get it on iTunes
• Doc Schultz and the Last Frontier Band
  Save The Whales/Drunken Sailor
• Geoff Smith
  “Hello Hello”
  www.thegeoffsmith.com
• Scott Merrick and the Last Frontier Band
  “Alaska Song”
  www.scottmerrick.net

Be sure to follow the show by becoming a fan at http://www.facebook.com/alaskahdtv or follow Scott at http://www.facebook.com/scottslone

Thanks for listing!

We were long overdue for an update, so we pinned Scott down while he was out playing in the Chugach Mountains.

Links mentioned in the update:
Get the Alaska HDTV app
AlaskaStockPrints.com – Alaska pictures for home or office decor
Alaska Outdoors Television – Outdoor lifestyle adventure television series.

Season Greetings from all of us here at Alaska HDTV!

Keeping with the winter and snow theme, I just got word from Kelley Ferro over at TripFilms.com that we got a little highlight in her recent review of snow themed videos. Thanks Kelly!

Watch more travel videos at tripfilms.com

Scott hit’s the road with camera in hand to capture the more intimate moments we might not otherwise look at ourselves. Take a moment, sit back, and enjoy the views. Even better we hope you’ll get out and play in the snow!

There is one thing that is always consistent with Alaska winters though – darkness. Up until December 21 we lose around 5 minutes of light per day, at which point we start gaining it back at about the same rate. So, if you are a local don’t forget to get out and enjoy the snow. For our friends not currently in Alaska, enjoy our winter from the comfort of your chair. We hope you enjoy!

It’s been at least 6 months since I first tried on this (then new) pair of boots. The V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPi boots are classified by Hi-Tec as a light hiking boot. I would agree they are lightweight, but they have managed to hold together through many productions in Alaska including the sea, the mountains, rivers and the snow.

First off, let me say that the comfort of these boots was immediate and has been great since the day I first put them on. Secondly, the durability has been impressive and their new ion-mask technology has really impressed me. My feet stay extremely dry regardless of conditions and the boots have generally retained most of their “new” looks as a result of this previously British military only technology. Find out more about ion mask at Hi-Tec’s Wet is Dry website: http://www.wetisdry.com/

The short story here is that I really like these boots and have been wearing them almost daily for 6 months. For all practical purposes these boots are lightweight, durable, good looking and really waterproof. Having said all of that, I do have one nit to pick. The shoelaces break prematurely.

I have been through three (3) sets of shoelaces with this pair of boots. It’s not a flaw of the laces that come with the boots, it’s the metal eyelet (third from the top of the boot) that is the culprit. Apparently the design of this eyelet lacks the smooth edge that would keep from cutting into the laces. Unfortunately it’s not an isolated incident with just one boot…it happens on both boots.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Truly waterproof
• Durable
• Comfortable
• Affordable (compare to the other fancy outdoors names)

Cons:

• The need for a shoelace budget

Despite my laces experience, I do like these boots. An excellent balance of weight, performance and durability. Just be sure to pack a few spare laces in your backpack! I would definitely buy another pair to replace these…

A special thanks to Hi-Tec for providing these boots. Find out more about Hi-Tec at: http://www.hi-tec.com

What’s new in this version

• Star Tab - You can now mark with a star, your favorite videos or those you want to quickly reference for viewing later. The starred episodes are quickly accessible from the new third tab of the app.



• Offline Mode - There is now the option to download starred video episodes and play them back later when you are not connected via WiFi (or have a slower connection). Getting on the plane to visit Alaska? Download a few videos from the app and watch them later!



• Bug Fixes – Several overall app usability updates and graphical tweaks were made.

Thanks again for your support and we hope you are enjoying the incremental improvements to the Alaska iPhone app! If you haven’t already downloaded the app, get it here in the iTunes store: http://clicky.me/fortheapp

Finding quality videos can be tough sometimes. You have better things to do with your time! So we did the work for you! Here we have compiled a short list of 10 great videos we found that show off Alaska.

This list is in no particular order.

Alaska HD

This great video by Mark Mostad has it all: eagles, whales, sea otters, great mountain shots, airplanes and more.

Tailgate Alaska | Episode 6

Tailgate Alaska is an awesome concept: set up camp once a year and get pros, beginners, and anybody who wants to join in, together to enjoy some of the worlds best snowboarding! Just as amazing are Media Knievel’s well produced videos of the event. I chose to highlight episode 6, but you should definitely check out the rest, as they are all great!

Also available on: YouTube

Ravencroft Lodge

This video, by Boone Hodgin, is produced piece to showcase Ravencroft Lodge. It’s not your typical promotional video though. There is no talking, just a music track set to some great shots of: fish, bears, whales, eagles, sea otters, seals, mountains and more. Any person longing for Alaska would be remiss in not watching this one.

Also available on: YouTube

The Magnificent Moose

Title says it all. This video, by Dennis Zaki, has some incredible shots of moose in Autumn. Magnificent Moose is a must watch!

Although you can find Dennis on YouTube, it doesn’t look as though he posts his nature videos there.

Falls Creek, Alaska in Autumn

I don’t think I could ever get enough of Alaska in Autumn. Maybe that is attributed to how short it is? Regardless, it’s a beautiful season for Alaska and Dennis Zaki does an wonderful job of capturing it.

Although you can find Dennis on YouTube, it doesn’t look as though he posts his nature videos there.

Alaska Brown Bear Cubs

No music in this video, just great footage of two cubs doing what cubs do best, play! Video by Melissa Miller.

Aurora Near Fairbanks

This is an absolutely amazing time lapse of an Aurora Borealis up by Fairbanks. Kudos to Poul Jensen who captured this amazing shot.

Turnagain Ice Tide

Turnagain Ice Tide, by Chris Flynn, is combination of some really great time lapse shots, music and sound bites from weather reports. The sound bites give you a little insight into what it can be like living in Alaska sometimes (-65°F). It makes you happy you can watch it without having to weather the cold (unless, of course, you want to).

Solomon Gulch (Valdez, Alaska)

Brad Kelone shows us the scenery of a beautiful hike up Solomon Gulch in Valdez.

Also available on: YouTube (much lower quality)

Denali National Park Flightseeing

Medical Staff Recruiter Bradford Clark gives us a glimpse of some of the amazing views you can have by coming to Alaska. Regardless of how effective this is as a recruiting tool, it’s enjoyable to watch.

Also available on: YouTube

Did you like the videos we found? Know of any other great videos we didn’t post? Leave a comment, let us know.

The Resorts shares its backyard with the Chugach National Forest, which is the world’s northern-most temperate rainforest. So it shouldn’t surprise you that both Alyeska and the Chugach National Forest share a labor of love in making the trail systems sustainable and accessible.

Local facts: Located in Girdwood, Alaska – Alyeska Resort is approximately 50 miles south from Anchorage. Part of the Chugach mountain range Mt.Alyeska is the biggest ski mountain in the state of Alaska. The ski area was founded in 1954, and its first chair lift and day lodge were opened in 1959. Today, remains a popular destination and Alyeska operates six chair lifts and a the Alyeska tramway, which is a high-speed tram located on the North Face.

All of us here at Alaska HDTV are fans of Mt.Alyeska! The resort brings it all together a perfect mix of rustic atmosphere with a topping of four start treatment. It’s a heck of a playground just minutes from Anchorage, and I’m hoping they’ll have us back for some winter adventures to share!

Thanks to:
Alyeska Resort
Chugach National Forest

Previous Alyeska Episode:
Alyeska Resort Hike for Kids!

Thanks for watching the show!
Scott