Into The Wild With Accent Alaska

Above is the bus where adventurer Chris McCandless got trapped and unfortunately died of starvation.

With the days getting longer, Alaskans are longing to get out into the wild!

Long days, melting snow, and the sounds of thousands of birds returning to the great land are just a few signs of spring we're starting to see up here in Alaska. In far-north Barrow, they're skipping spring altogether and jumping head-first into summer; when the sun rises there on May 11 it won't set again until August!

Here at Accent Alaska we're saying goodbye to winter and hello to summer. Check out our photos from any season at www.accentalaska.com.

From cartwheels to class V rapids, summer is the time to get out in Alaska!

Even as the birds leave us for warmer climates down south, adventurous Alaskans everywhere are squeezing every last bit of fun out of our precious, short summer. A rainy July has given us raging rivers of whitewater, and as the clouds part we are greeted with rainbow after glorious rainbow. Whether with a loved one or 20 of your closest friends, there has never been a better time to get our and enjoy our great land!

There's also never been a better time to check out what's new at Accent Alaska. With almost a thousand new photos added this past month, and more all the time, you're sure to find something to help take your campaign to the next level. Give us a call today, and we're always open at www.accentalaska.com.

Oil Spill

Easter 1989 Good Friday Alaskans received the news that their pristine playground, Prince William Sound, had been despoiled by (what was then) the largest oil spill in North American history. The Exxon Valdez oil tanker had ran aground at Bligh Reef eventually spilling 10.8 million gallons of crude oil. Exxon made a good attempt to mitigate the problem. A time consuming cleanup began with workers spraying bio-remediation chemicals on rocks, then manually wiping them down with paper, thus creating a mountain of clean up garbage in their wake. It cost Exxon an average of $1,000 per day to support one worker on a beach cleanup crew spraying rock faces with steam hoses. When the tide would change a new coating of oil would move onshore. Long after the manual clean up efforts were abandoned, beaches were monitored and it was assumed that oil was slowly decreasing at 0-4% per year, with only a 5% chance that the rate was as high as 4%. Even today, digging down a few inches on some beaches will expose oil.

Twenty one years later the Prince William Sound shrimp fishery finally recovered with the first commercial opener in Spring 2010.

Dancing with the stars - Alaska style

Alaska's got talent, and we've got the pictures to prove it!

Alaskans (of all species) really know how to dance and compete. Every spring bear cubs wrestle and play, and every fall the cranes and geese dance their way through southcentral Alaska on their way south. Each October the Alaska Federation of Natives conference brings together human talent from the far reaches of the state for the Quyana, or dance.

We're keeping on our toes too! Accent Alaska is staying competitive with lower prices and new images. Call us to see how we can work with your photo budget to bring dynamic imagery to your projects.

People have asked us "What is the Slush Cup?"

The Alyeska Resort Spring Carnival Slush Cup is a fun event that really brings the crowds out from Anchorage and beyond to watch costumed skiers and snowboarders compete on a frozen pond build especially for the event. Participants speed down the slopes to launch across the water, hoping to make it across, without having to be fished out of the frigid water by men clad in dry suits. Only 50 participants are drawn to enter. Some of them are brave disabled skiers on sit skis. They are judged on costume, speed and style. Judges decide who has ridden across the pond with the most style and that crazy and brave person wins a Seasons Pass for the following year.

Jon Cornforth in Outdoor Photographer Magazine

Jon Cornforth, landscape photographer extraordinaire, has another national magazine cover image. His April 2010 cover image for Outdoor Photographer magazine was made in California's Death Valley National Park. "The Racetrack" is a flat dry lake that has strange windblown stones that move across its surface. Jon made the image during his first trip in 2006, and says that this stone is still in the exact same place today.

Alaska girls kick ass!

From the summit of Denali to the finish line in Nome, Alaska girls kick ass!

Alaskan women aren't the kind to let the guys have all the fun. Whether it's mountaineering or fly fishing, dog mushing or extreme skiing, Alaskan women make it crystal clear that they have what it takes to not only keep up but kick ass! Let the awesome active women of Alaska help bring a fresh face to your next campaign. Check out our extensive collection of active Alaskan women on our website, www.accentalaska.com!