Strange Spider - Arachnophobics don't look at this!!!

Okay, apologies to any arachnophobics out there that might read my blog, but I want to know what this is. I found this fellow in the yard a couple weeks ago and have never seen a spider like him before. I would have posted this picture sooner, but he is what I had been taking pictures of when I lost my Canon camera, found it now, so here is the spider.

He had made himself at home on my mom's yard cart, tucking down into a small space on it to hide. I have no idea what he is, but after looking around I am guessing he's a member of what I am seeing called redback spiders? I would really love to know what he is if anyone knows anything about him. As far as I know he's a new addition to the Alaska spiders, at least I've never seen one like this before, so I want to know if the sucker is poisonous or not.

There never used to be poisonous spiders in Alaska, but then there also never used to be huge thunderstorms and I know we have had black widows found in the state in recent years.

Anyone know what this guy is? The red mark was sort of arrow shaped from what I can recall of how he looked, this is the best picture of him I have.