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 mainstay for outdoorsy people of all ages, interests, and abilities. Now, Nordic skating has notched a new milestone: it’s attracted the attention of Alaska’s policymakers and government officials. Has our little sport finally gone all the way (well, almost all the way) to the top?
On April 16, I flew to Juneau to meet with legislators and give a presentation about wild ice skating at the Legislative Lunch and Learn. My trip was supported by the office of Representative Ky Holland, who has long been an outspoken advocate for Alaska small businesses and manufacturers. I wasn’t sure what to expect and didn’t exactly have an agenda (my friends and I joked that I was the sole member of — and now lobbyist for — ‘Big Nordic Skate’). But as the owner of Ermine and a founding board member of the Wild Ice Skating Club of Alaska, I’m always down to talk skating and was happy to keep an open mind and see where the day took me.
My first meeting was with Senator Forrest Dunbar. Senator Dunbar said that he wasn’t a skater himself, but was curious about skating infrastructure and skating destinations in Alaska. We ended our conversation talking about how Anchorage and the state could work together to create more maintained skating paths and destinations.
Next, I popped next door to meet with Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel. Senator Giessel was familiar with Nordic skating and was curious about the role that wild ice skating could play in promoting Alaska outdoor culture and tourism.
Meeting with Senator Forrest Dunbar and Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel
My last morning meeting took me back down to the first floor, to the office of Representative Zack Fields. Representative Fields is a longstanding member of Alaska’s outdoor community, and prior to taking office I’d known him as an avid packrafter and outdoor writer. Zack and I were able to get into more of the details about Nordic skate gear and equipment.
Meeting with Representative Zack Fields
After the morning meetings, it was time for my Lunch and Learn presentation to legislators and staffers. I’d be warned that attendance might be low because the House and Senate had both taken the day off, and that an event in another Southeast town had siphoned off a number of staffers. But the room gradually filled, and by the time we got started it was standing room only. A couple legislators who’d told me they wouldn’t be able to make it even showed up.
Representative Holland and his staffer (and former Wild Ice Skating Club of Alaska President) Tim Treuer provided some context for my talk and a very gracious introduction, and then turned the mic over. I talked about the definition of wild ice skating, the growth of wild ice skating in Alaska, my personal involvement with skating (I didn’t discuss Ermine, since the talk had to be non-commercial), the making of the Wild Ice short film, and the role that wild ice skating can play in Alaska going forward. At the end, I had time to answer a few thoughtful questions from the audience.
Representative Ky Holland and the author at the wild ice legislative Lunch and Learn. Photos courtesy Chloe Pleznac, House Majority Coalition
After the Lunch and Learn, I headed back upstairs to continue an earlier conversation with Representative Holland about manufacturing in Alaska. Rep Holland had spent years working in Alaska’s manufacturing sector, and provided pragmatic advice about Ermine’s operations and expansion plans. Manufacturing skates in Alaska is challenging, and his real-world, platitude-free advice was invaluable. I didn’t get a chance to take a photo during this office visit, since we ended up talking till the very last minute (Nordic skating may be important, but not so important that I could take time from Rep Holland’s next scheduled meeting — fair enough!).
Overall, my time in Juneau was surprisingly fun, productive, and positive. The legislators I spoke with didn’t just passively listen, they were all engaged and actively tried to brainstorm ways to support Ermine and Alaska’s wild ice skating community. Attendance at the Lunch and Learn, and the feedback I received afterward, all reinforced my belief that wild ice skating is still an exciting and fresh topic with a lot of public interest. I’m glad that more people guiding policy have Alaska manufacturing and wild ice skating at least in the back of their minds.
Big thank-you to Representative Holland and his staff for making this trip happen!”
- Paxson Woelber has been a dedicated Nordic skater and advocate for wild ice skating since 2016. In 2021, he founded Ermine Skate, North America's first Nordic skate company. Today, Ermine offers a range of premium Nordic skates and Nordic skating products designed for wild ice.