Les Stroud - Survivorman

[JEEP]

I have just watched the complete first season - and has started on the second season.

I actually knew very little about Les Stroud beforehand - but after ordering his knife, the Helle Temagami, I figured I should check out his work.

I must say that I am rather impressed: The whole idea of staging realistic scenarios, omitting the film crew and doing it with an actual (though likely sometimes overplayed) element of danger, appeals to me. It seems like a very, in lack of a better term, honest way of doing a survival show.

I like the fact that Les is no cool headed scholar (like Ray) or a showman (like Bear). Les is just a guy, arbeit with a vast experience and knowledge from his life in Canada - aswell as a huge set of solid brass balls :)

I like the fact that he is not afraid to show us when he fails - and that he is villing to bail out, in front of the camera, when the situation becomes tougher than he can handle. No doubt both Ray and Bear would fix that in the editing room.

[CanadianMike]

Les is my idol, I love the way he does stuff, survival with bare basics, even then not much more than what he can find and what he has in his pockets, pure brillance. Add in his own camera work, and at times having to leave the cameras behind and rely on only one to get out of danger (aka. running into a leopard/jaguar while taking a late night piss, and being stalked back to the indigious people's village by it) really sets the bar high for this sort of thing. I love Ray Mears too as far as educational stuff, and Bear........ well, it's kinda fun to watch at times, past that.......... we've been there already.

[luresalive]

Yep, he is certainly more realistic than most of the others out there and failure is such an important part of the learning process, we certainly won't get every thing right each time we go out and I'm sure they don't either but you're never shown that, such a shame as we can learn so much from others and how they have overcome their failures.

[Paracordist]

Jeep did you know Les Stroud tweeted this post?? Nice, I agree 100%

[JEEP]

Cool. I didn't know that.

[survivalgirl]

ya and it was on his facebook page
ya I love Survivorman I loved learning about survival since I was little but never thought I could do it till I saw Les's show and his failures too I knew right away he show was true and about real survival :campfire:

[JEEP]

I have just finished watching season three. Though I personally find season one the most interesting, all three seasons are definitly worth watching.

I am impressed to see, that the aforementioned honesty in the whole way the shows are produced and presented, is kept through the whole series. I tip my hat to that.

I am looking forward to moving on the the Beyond Survival series - and I will definitely be ordering both Survive! and Will to live, once I have finished reading Ray Mear's Northern Wilderness.
Being a big blues fan, I will probably also have to order af few CDs aswell :)

[survivalgirl]

well I have survive and will to live and you will not be disappointed great reads and info Beyond survival is also a great DVD to watch I bought mine and watch it alot and his music is great everything is well worth the money I too like his honesty when he makes Survivorman and other films ;)

[CanadianMike]

Being a big blues fan, I will probably also have to order af few CDs aswell :)

I think that may well be the kicker in Les' accepting my friend request on FB, mentioned I also play harmonica in the request. Jakob, check out a few of my videos on my profile. Been years since I was playing lots, but get out once in a blue moon, hopefully will have more vids next weekend as I'm playing at a jam with my new harp rig. ;)

[JEEP]

I tried to learn to play the harmonica some years ago, untill my family threatened to disown me :ashamed:

[CanadianMike]

That's odd, do they all have a tin ear? Lol, when I first started to learn to play, my roommate had a German Shepard that was about a year old, and every time I started playing with that dog around she'd start howling......... but I eventually taught her the words so things worked out. ;)

[treefrog]

I chanced upon a pre-survivorman thing he did...living up in Wabakimi for a year? winter? not sure. Check out 'snowshoes and solitude' on google video.

[Paracordist]

Thx tree frog. I'm a fan so I'll check it out

[survivalgirl]

oh I have that one great I think it's one of his first films:campfire:

[JEEP]

It has just been announced, by Les himself, on Facebook ans Twitter, that a contract has been signed for a fourth season of Survivorman! This time featuring ten days of survival!

Awesome!

https://www.facebook.com/thereallesstroud/posts/10150389576186275

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150389580756275&set=a.397417306274.179469.10110006274&type=1

:jumping-joy:

[survivalgirl]

I heard I am so excited :jumping-joy:

[Paracordist]

Me too yippee

[still water]

jeep. les is great he has done a few films look for off the grid, snowshoes and solitude. he is also a great singer song writer and has a wind range of music as well.
he is imo one of the real survivors of our time all his shows are real and has no film crew to pamper him wile the films not running.
one of canada's hidden gems.pete.

[Pict]

Les is my favorite in terms of survival TV. He brings a unique set of skills to the whole thing by shooting himself. I have always said that the mark of experience in the bush is humility. If you do it long enough hard enough you will suffer all that it has to offer and I think of all the presenters out there that Les brings that to the forefront better than anyone. Survival is not comfortable.

It is also a huge added layer of difficulty to film yourself doing such things as opposed to just plain doing them. Back in 2008 I did a three day solo and shot all of it. This was with my Canon 520 Powershot and a green stick as camera equipment. The setting up, moving the camera, going back to get it, etc really slows you down. I can't imagine the work involved in using multiple camera angles and professional equipment.

Tomorrow I'm headed out to do a day pack survival kit only overnight trip to the jungle with my partner Giuliano. We will be shooting the whole trip in Portuguese and English. I have to credit Les for showing us how to shoot such a thing. Mac

ETA - In October I shot a screen test for a program being developed here in Brazil. Didn't get the job but it was a real eye opener to see the process first hand watching a professional crew work out the problems of shooting in the jungle in the rain. The crew works hard to get it right. That just added to my appreciation for the work Les Stroud has done shooting all that himself.

[jus_young]

Les is my favorite in terms of survival TV. He brings a unique set of skills to the whole thing by shooting himself...

Bet that hurt :ashamed:

[CanadianMike]

Les is also the producer, editor, etc. ;)

[jus_young]

Just watched Snowshoes and Solitude, good watching.

[comanighttrain]

fantastic, Les is probably my favourite because of his "money where my mouth is" attitude. Although he says "protein poisoning" and that drives me up the wall.

[JEEP]

Although he says "protein poisoning" and that drives me up the wall.

Not knowing anything about the subject; why?

[CanadianMike]

In reference to one who's diet is only eating rabbit meat, because there is no fat, only protein, you can die from that lack of fat which the body needs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

[JEEP]

Ah! Thank you T^

[comanighttrain]

ahh yes, but protein poisoning sort of indicates that the protein itself is the issue...its uhhh wrong. Like Mike indicated, its not the protein that is the issue.

[CanadianMike]

Well, it kinda is the issue to a point like in the link I provided. Is sorta like if it was called 'water poisoning', you can die if you drink way too much water, while the real issue is lack of electrolites (salt) in your blood, the water is the main cause of that................. meh, I just got up after a night of drinking, my brain isn't reacting fast enough.

[comanighttrain]

ahh yeah but protein intake has no effect on the fat issue... it's totally unrelated, at least the water in water poisoning is related... Think of the eskimos, they are all about the protein and fat diet!