The story of Kit, the first kids Nordic skate April 30, 2026 The ideas, design decisions, and manufacturing process behind Ermine’s groundbreaking Nordic skate for kids My three siblings and I grew up biking, hiking, canoeing, and skiing in the Alaska outdoors. We were hard on our gear, and experience taught us exactly what worked…

Ermine before Ermine: a prologue April 21, 2026 How the years of wild ice successes, failures, and discoveries that came before Ermine charted a course for the company Many writers and readers disapprove of prologues, criticizing them as a literary crutch whose work is better accomplished in the story itself. As Laurie McLean, of Fuse…

Ermine visits the capitol April 17, 2026 Ermine travels to Juneau to speak with legislators about wild ice and Nordic skates Nordic skating in Alaska started largely as a ultra-niche preseason activity for Nordic skiers. Then it caught the interest of backcountry adventurers and explorers, and has slowly (but steadily) grown to become a winter…

Nordic skate blade thickness April 14, 2026 How does Nordic skate blade thickness affects performance? The most common question we got during the 2025/26 season was ‘what’s the difference between your L10 and Ak1 Nordic skate?’ Occasionally customers were curious about differences in colors, laser work, or skate lengths. But almost always, what folks really…

Manufacturing Nordic Skates in Alaska March 31, 2026 A Q&A about manufacturing Nordic skates with Ermine owner Paxson Woelber When did you decide to make Nordic skates in Alaska? I was hooked on Nordic skates from the moment I tried them, back in 2016, and I immediately wanted to see if we could make them…

Firm flexors for Nordic skates March 30, 2026 Why we firmly believe that Nordic skate bindings should always use firm flexors Most of the time, upgrading outdoor equipment is expensive. It’s easy to spend hundreds of dollars changing bindings on a ski, swapping out a worn crankset on a bike, or replacing an old puffy…

November is Wild Ice Skating Month in Anchorage! November 18, 2023 The Anchorage Assembly encourages the growth of wild ice skating, recognizing Ermine Skate as North America’s first Nordic skate company On November 18, 2025, the Assembly officially designated November as Wild Ice Skating Month in Anchorage! The resolution was co-sponsored by Assembly Chair Christopher…

A wild ice “art gallery” at Jim Creek February 18, 2024 Appreciating the colors, shapes, and textures of wild ice at one of Southcentral Alaska’s most popular skating destinations Last weekend, the Ermine crew had an opportunity to explore the Jim Creek area in Butte, Alaska. This zone is known for its extensive mazy miles…

Nordic skating overnighter at Skilak Lake January 25, 2024 A 39-mile epic on the Kenai Peninsula’s second-largest waterbody Most skaters remember their first time on Nordic skates: the unfamiliar gear, the uncertainty, and the baby-duck wobbles progressing into confidence and the realization of ‘wow, this is fun.’ There’s a second milestone, though, that may be…