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| Indiana Jones-Style Adventurer Ray Mears Returns To OLN May 31 With True Stories Of Extreme Survival |
| Posted
on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 04:42 PM |
World-famous British survival expert Ray Mears travels the globe in search of the world's greatest survival stories, when the new six-part series Ray Mears: Extreme Survival premieres on OLN Wed., May 31 at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT. Throughout each one-hour episode, Mears travels to remote corners of the planet in treacherous conditions and meets extraordinary people who have endured perilous situations due to their survival know-how.
Ray Mears building a shelter out of whale bones in Namibia. Taken from episode #3
Ray Mears: Extreme Survival - "Thailand"
Premieres Wed., May 31 at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
During the first episode of the series, relive the gruelling war-time experiences of Colonel George Day - America's most decorated soldier alive today - when he was on the run in the jungles of Thailand for two weeks. "Physically, I went in at 42 and came out at 65," said Day about the ordeal. Then, meet Captain Chuck Klusmann, the first American pilot shot down during the conflict. Mears has persuaded Klusmann to return to the jungle. It's 37 years to the day since Chuck was shot down and the first time he's been back since. Find out how they survived the unforgiving jungle while eluding their enemies.
Ray Mears: Extreme Survival - "Belarus"
Premieres Wed., June 7 at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
Mears travels to the Naliboki Forest, Belarus, providing him with ample opportunity to test out his bushcraft skills and learn some new ones. While visiting the region, Mears recounts the harrowing tale of Jewish refugees during the Second World War who hid in the Naliboki Forest and trained as a partisan army. "We called the place 'Jerusalem of the Forest' because it was like a magnet for all the Jews in the area," explains survivor and former forest inhabitant Kaplinsky. After hearing the stories of their escape, evasion and resistance, Mears admits that "it was the most emotionally draining experience of my life."
Ray Mears: Extreme Survival - "Namibia"
Premieres Wed., June 14 at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
Mears recounts one of Africa's most extraordinary survival stories when he goes to Namibia's Skeleton Coast. In 1942, a British cargo liner ripped open her hull, leaving 80 passengers and crew stranded on the shoreline, where a thousand wrecks have been crushed over the centuries. Survivors speak of their ordeal in the unrelenting heat (temperatures can soar to 75°C) and their miraculous recovery. Mears demonstrates how to survive in this scenario, finding ingenious survival solutions when the odds are heavily stacked against him. Watch as he creates a shelter from whale bones and even manages to find a few drops of water that "might just make life possible here."
Ray Mears: Extreme Survival - "Alaska"
Premieres Wed., June 21 at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
Travelling to Alaska, Mears tells the incredible story of the crew of the Farallon, shipwrecked on a desolate shore in the winter of 1910. After hitting a reef, the captain was forced to abandon ship on one of Alaska's more remote and desolate shores at the worst time of year. Author Steve Lloyd, who chronicled the tale, tells the story of how all 39 passengers and crew survived. Some stayed put and waited for rescue, others took to the lifeboats and set off on an epic journey in waters where even modern boats are lost today. During this episode, Mears brings the grandson of lifeboat survivor Captain Weiding, to the wreck of the Farallon for the first time. Then, witness the reenactment of the story of a dog musher, travelling light in a dog race, who mistook his path and was stuck for days in the snow. He'd read so many survival stories he knew what to do, but his resources (just a few sweets and a lightweight sleeping bag) were stretched beyond the limits.
Ray Mears: Extreme Survival - "Roger Rangers"
Premieres Wed., June 28 at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
In this episode, Mears gets the experience of a lifetime when he follows in the footsteps of his hero: Robert Rogers of the Rogers Rangers, in New England. When Mears was just six years old he watched Spencer Tracy play Rogers in the Hollywood classic Northwest Passage sparking his passion for the great outdoors. Now, Mears reveals the truth behind the man attributed with creating the template for light infantry forces and who harnessed his knowledge of Native American bushcraft for the British war effort. Mears follows the path of the St. Francis Raid, which took place nearly 250 years ago. At the time it was an unprecedented feat for a British force. Setting the scene, he camps at the foot of the Adirondacks, cooks ancient trail food and has his first attempt at canoeing in a birch bark canoe. During his trip he meets experts in the history of the rangers and learns about his opponents, the Abenaki. As he traverses the route, Mears' appreciation of Rogers' skill level increases exponentially.
Ray Mears: Extreme Survival - "New Zealand"
Premieres Wed., July 5 at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
New Zealand is blessed with everything from glaciers to volcanoes and has something to offer every nature lover. "With no killer predators or bug-borne diseases, it sounds like paradise," says Mears. "But there's one thing you can never take for granted and that's the weather."
Mears flies over the summit of Mount Cook to see the snow-hole where two climbers survived for two weeks while blizzards raged outside. Both lost their legs to frostbite. Mears goes on to meet members of the Maori tribe, whose ancestors lived off the land (and sea) in New Zealand centuries before the first Europeans arrived. Many skills have been lost over time, but Mears is able to show them how their ancestors would have coaxed flames from the fire plough. "It's my least favourite method of fire-lighting," says Mears, "because it's so hard."
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