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Andrew "Andy" Embick

Dr. Andy Embick

Andy Embick grew up in Salem, Oregon and attended Pomona College in Pomona, California. He studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1977. After a year with the Indian Health Service in Nevada and Arizona, Dr. Embick joined Dr. Bernard Gerard at the Valdez Medical Clinic. Andy was well-known in Alaska and beyond, as an accomplished climber, skier, and kayaker. He climbed some exceedingly difficult routes in the Alaska Range and pioneered almost all the first kayak descents of rivers and streams in the Wrangell-St. Elias Range and many in the Chugach mountains. His love of dangerous sport was infectious and his descriptions of class six (whitewater's highest difficulty rating) descents are harrowing. A leading authority on Alaskan whitewater and ice climbing, Dr. Embick published two books, Fast and Cold: A Guide to Alaska Whitewater and Blue Ice and Black Gold, a guide for ice climbing in Alaska. Both books are considered primary references on their subjects. Dr. Andy Embick's obituary in the Valdez Vanguard Obituary and an article in the Anchorage Press are available online.
Date of Birth:
Oct 7, 1950
Date of Death:
May 28, 2003
Andrew "Andy" Embick appears in the following new Jukebox projects:
Dr. Andy Embick's Slideshow
Interview Title Abstract Archive #: Oral History Project Date of Interview
Dr. Andy Embick, Part 1

Dr. Andy Embick was interviewed on July 25, 1993 by David Krupa at the Embick home in Valdez, Alaska. The family's love of outdoor sports and recreation covers the walls; variously sized skis, backpacks, mountaineering equipment, and kayaks are neatly stored in hallways, basement nooks, and garage rafters; guide books, manuals, and Alaskana fill the bookcases. His home has the feel of a well-provisioned base camp, and Andy the demeanor of a capable expedition leader. On tape, Andy talks about his kayaking experiences in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. He discusses the joys, difficulties, and dangers of the sport and provides good insight on how parklands can either facilitate or hinder opportunities for this sort of radical recreation. He argues that kayaking is one of the few means for people to gain access to otherwise remote areas of Alaska. He also says that Alaska is home to some of the last, greatest, and most pristine undammed rivers in the world. A long-term view, Andy suggests, would recognize and cherish this uniqueness and promote recreational access instead of building roads such as that being constructed along the Copper River between Chitina and Cordova.

 95-71-08-01 Wrangell-St.Elias National Park Jul 25, 1993
Dr. Andy Embick, Part 2

This is a continuation of an interview with Dr. Andy Embick by David Krupa on July 25, 1993 in Valdez, Alaska. In this part of the interview, Andy talks about the thrill and enjoyment of whitewater kayaking, a bear encounter, the future of kayaking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and his book Fast and Cold: A Guide to Alaska Whitewater.

 95-71-08-02 Wrangell-St.Elias National Park Jul 25, 1993