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The Series – Alaska
This week, Bear braves the snow and ice of the Alaskan wilderness. Every year, a million visitors come to this winter wonderland to hike, climb and ski. Five hundred will get themselves lost, and of these, 23 die.
Starting at 2750 metres, Bear skis downhill across three miles of virgin snow. With 12 metres of snow beneath him there is a real danger of activating avalanches, or plunging down a sheer drop. When he hits a glacier, Bear decides to follow it down – fast.
Once at the bottom of the glacier, Bear follows a river that will surely lead him to civilization. He is undaunted when he meets a 70-metre waterfall and scales it safely.
Before dark he builds a shelter with alder saplings and eats Eskimo potato root, which is packed with carbs. But his supper attracts the attention of bears. His only defense against the 3-metre tall, half-tonne animal is to surprise him with noise.
The coast turns out to be more lonely than Bear had hoped for. With no settlements in sight, his best chance seems to be attracting the attention of a fishing boat with warning fire.
When that doesn't work, an abandoned rowing boat offers a way out to sea. But when it starts to take on water, Bear is forced to swim in the freezing water and hope that a passing boat will spot him. He lives to tell the tale.
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