Empower

Flash floods are so-called because they can happen literally in minutes, both out in the wild and also in urban environments. Causes include heavy rain, natural phenomena like earthquakes or from the build-up of water in lakes and rivers, which then overflow. They happen frequently and they kill regularly, so it’s good to know how [...]

Bear Grylls has lit enough fires in the wilderness to know exactly how to put one out—and what to do if a fire gets out of hand. How to fully put out a campfire Even if your campfire was small, if it’s not properly extinguished, it could lead to a potentially hazardous forest fire. When [...]

Bear Grylls has survived some of the planet’s most extreme temperatures and he doesn’t shy away from icy situations—just recently, he was immersing himself in the waters of a frozen lake in Wyoming while on location for Running Wild.  In order to survive in these temperatures, Bear knows how to recognize and deal with hypothermia [...]

When you’re in avalanche terrain in the dead of winter, caution is of paramount importance. One wrong move and everything could slide downhill in an instant. And the sad truth is that if you’re unlucky enough to be buried, you’ve got no more than 15 minutes of oxygen before rescue attempts may be too late. [...]

Climbing up a rock face without rope is dangerous, difficult and there is no room for error. But if it’s a life or death situation and you can’t get around the rock face, Bear Grylls has some guidance. Plan your route It is vital to do this before you start climbing. Professional climbers spend a [...]

If you end up lost in the jungle, the good news is that you are surrounded by potential sources of food. Although we’ve all seen Bear eating things like rodents and birds in his TV shows like Running Wild and Man Vs. Wild, he says that hunting things like birds, rodents and monkeys should not [...]

Quicksand can be found anywhere that water and sand meet—by the sea, along river banks, near lakes and marshes. It’s composed of loose sand that’s fully saturated and therefore suspended in water. So when something heavier—like your body—displaces it, it can create a suction and the heavier thing (you) will begin to sink.  The good [...]

Each year, deer—as well as elk, moose and caribou—shed their antlers before growing a new pair a few months later.  While scouring the woods in search of this headgear has long been an off-season hobby for hunters, shed hunting has picked up steam among other outdoors folks who enjoy the thrill of a found trophy.  [...]

If you’re lost in the jungle your first priority after assessing rescue options and making a shelter should be to find drinkable water, as you can only survive for around three days without it.  “Your problem in the jungle will not so much be finding water, as getting it in a form that’s useful to [...]