The CRUX: True Survival Stories

Tony Streather was 31 when he was invited by the Oxford Mountaineering Club to lead an expedition up Mount Haramosh (Hair-a-mosh) in Pakistan in 1957. The team would face unknown routes, harsh weather, and an unfortunate tragedy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nelson Simón was a last minute recruit to sail to Bermuda in 1991 aboard the oldest continuously sailing ship at the time, the Anne Kristine. Simón only had one week of sailing experience under his belt, and was hesitant to join but agreed to the trip anyway. During this short journey Simón and his crew mates would run into the perfect storm - Hurricane Grace. Visit Amazon to read or listen to Nel...

Today we will be talking about Jan Ballsrud, a tough guy that was as hardy as they come. His story seems so outrageous that it would be suited for an adventure drama made for Hollywood. Jan was a Norwegian Commando during WW2 who swam through icy water during enemy attack, survived an avalanche, and amputated his toes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...

In the 1970's, the Robertson family embarked on a sailing trip around the world. They shipwrecked in the Pacific ocean by a school of killer whales and floated in a dinghy for more than one month. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Kaycee interviews David Cronenwett, survival expert and outdoor survival teacher. They discuss how to prepare for the unexpected, what items to bring in your pack, and things to avoid in stressful/life threatening situations in the outdoors. Please check out David's website to learn more details about his services and how you could become more prepared to enjoy the outdoors at wilderness...

Kaycee has a conversation with friend Anders Broste who was surprise attacked by a grizzly bear in Montana in the fall of 2018. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we have a special guest, Jean Muenhcrath. She is going to tell her amazing survival story that starts when she and her boyfriend Ken set out to ski the John Muir trail in 1982 on skinny nordic skis. The John Muir trail is over 200 mile long trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, a world famous trail, connecting the Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, the highest point in the...

In 2016, 72 yo Anne Rodgers was embarking on a trip in Arizona to visit her grandkids when she ran out of gas in the Gila wilderness. She would be stranded for 9 days. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew is a 25 yo male who set off for a day of adventure that turned into grueling fight for survival. He went on a day hike in Washington State Wilderness, but quickly got lost on a poorly maintained trail. His girlfriend posted a notice that he was missing. Andrew Devers, age 25, five feet ten inches, brown eyes. Long, dark brown hair to the middle of his back, scruffy beard, using a small gray...

Lorraine was taking an evening walk in sunny California in early spring when she stumbled upon a surprising foe. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amber Kohnhorst fell while hiking alone in Cane Beds, Arizona, landing 100 feet below. Now She was lying on a 10' by 10' space. The fall left her seriously injured. She had no cell service and limited resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carter was snorkeling on a beautiful Thanksgiving day, November 28, 2019, with his friend Andy Earl. The weather was perfect, the air was still, and the water was calm. They decided to call it quits early afternoon, swimming toward the shore, Andy was in the lead. Carter suddenly heard a loud engine, and it was reeling at him. He tried to swim out of its path, but it was just going too quick, and...

Today I will be telling you the story of Amanda Eller. It was May 8, 2019. Amanda Eller headed to the Makawaya forest reserve on the Northern side of Maui. She had intended on a three-mile hike but took a wrong turn that almost cost her her life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

William Coston was with his crew in a B29 over the Bermuda Triangle when things went array, and the plane crashed in the ocean in stormy conditions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Larrane Leech had just opened a successful day care in her home in British Columbia. On one fateful July day, she would take the children down to the river near her home, and they ran into a deadly visitor. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Abby Sunderland was a brave and adventuresome 16 yo who had experience sailing as a young child and set off to circumnavigate the globe in a yacht, to secure the title of youngest sailor ever to complete this daunting journey alone. All was going well until she hit the largest storm in her experience sailing, putting her life in danger. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com...

Mark and Phillip were working search and rescue on Mount Cook, New Zealand in the early 80's. In 1982, they decided to climb the mountain together and got caught in a storm that would threaten both of their lives. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Twenty four year old Todd Endris was doing what he loved to do, surf. It was a late August morning in Monterey Bay in 2007. He pulled on his wet suit and paddled into the water, noting a pod of dolphins swimming around. Within a few minutes of surfing he felt an immense force that hit the bottom of his board, catapulting him 15 feet into the air, and then into the water. He knew this could only me...

The third American expedition of K2 (Karakoram) included Dr. Charles Houston, Robert Bates, George Bell, Robert Craig, Arthur Gilkey, Dee Molenaar, Peter Schoening and Capt. H.R.A. Streather. This climb had been attempted by Houston and Bates in 1938, but due to World War Two and political conflicts, they were not able to return to the mountain again until 1953. They were a strong group of men wit...

Anna  Bågenholm became an accidental legend when she was 29. Anna was a medical student who was skiing after work, something she did often, when she crashed on her skis, plummeting into an ice covered stream, and was stuck there for 80 minutes before rescue. When she survived, her story reframed the medical communities understanding of hypothermia and the medical uses for cooling patients intentio...

In 2013, Rashma Begum was working in a garment factory when the building suddenly collapsed. She would be trapped for days, all alone, before rescuers would pull her from the wreckage. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is the story of Chris Duddy, Michael Benson, and Craig Hosking. In 1996, the three men set out in a helicopter over the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii to shoot some footage for the movie Sliver when the helicopter crashed, catapulting them into a very hot and dangerous situation in which they became trapped inside the volcanic vent. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

Carol Martini and Jay Barry had dreams of sailing the world, and made plans to do so in 2004. They were traveling through the gulf of Aden when pirates attacked, putting the couples lives at risk. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Eric LeMarque was a talented athlete, a former Olympic Hockey player who lost his direction and his drive after retiring from the sport during the 1999-2000 season, and put his energy and focus into snowboarding. Eric then went down a dark path, getting his kicks from smoking crystal meth. In 2004, when Eric was 34, he went with his friends to Mammoth Ski Resort in Eastern California in the Sierra...

On Aug 5th 2010, miners were working hard at the San Jose Copper-Gold Mine in Chile, a mine that is located in the Atacama Desert, 45 km/28 miles North of the capitol Copiapo in Northern Chile. The mine, which was considered unsafe, collapsed, trapping 33 miners 700 m/2,300 feet underground and 3 miles from the mine's entrance via the length of the spiraling underground ramps. They were finally un...