Real Survival Stories

This is a sneak preview of an amazing survival story brought to you by our friends over at Legends of the Old West. The Donner Party is one of the most infamous survival tales in American history. In 1846, the group of pioneers set out to cross the American West. But while the trip started badly, it ended even worse… That winter, 81 people found themselves trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Only 45 made it out. And the accounts of how they did it have reverberated down through the years...

A brand-new podcast from the Noiser network. Join domestic historian Ruth Goodman as she explores the remarkable, often epic, tales behind everyday objects. This taster episode is all about the fridge. In Ancient Persia, ingenious ice houses refrigerate food in one of the hottest deserts on earth. Bronze Age sites on Orkney reveal the secrets of early cold storage systems. A well-known sea captain becomes the face of a frozen food brand, with a little help from the Inuit of northern Canada...

A picturesque paragliding flight becomes a terrifying nightmare when a massive storm rolls in. Sucked into the clouds, Ewa Wiśnierska is pelted by hailstones the size of oranges. With lightning crackling all around her, she is sent hurtling upwards - still clinging to her parachute. Soon, she’ll be higher than Everest and nearing the cruising altitude of a jumbo jet...

A rookie sailor goes looking for adventure in the remote waters of the sub-Antarctic… and finds it. Matt Lewis joins the crew of a deep sea fishing trawler sailing out of Cape Town. But far out in the South Atlantic, a polar storm will catch them all unawares. Battered by giant swells, before they know what’s hit them they’re taking on water. The ship is going down… Many thanks to Matt Lewis. For more on his story, read Last Man Off: A True Story of Disaster and Survival on the Antarctic Seas...

The Sudur Havid is submerged beneath the freezing waters of the South Atlantic. As the captain and first mate struggle to respond, it falls to Matt to coordinate a last-ditch effort to abandon ship. But in these Antarctic waters, with woefully inadequate clothing and survival gear, they’re about to be cast adrift in a raft no bigger than a child’s paddling pool… Many thanks to Matt Lewis. For more on his story, read Last Man Off: A True Story of Disaster and Survival on the Antarctic Seas...

Two friends embark on an awe-inspiring trip into the mountains. But then, one false step sends Jim Davidson and Mike Price plummeting into a crevasse. Trapped deep beneath the surface of a glacier, surrounded by sheer walls of ice, Jim will come to realise there’s only one way he can possibly escape… Many thanks to Jim Davidson. For more about this epic story, read The Ledge: An Inspirational Story of Friendship and Survival by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan...

Jeremy Evans is a man most at home hiking and fishing in the Canadian wilderness. But one day, on a solo camping trip, he stumbles across a Grizzly and her cub. Scarcely surviving a frenzied attack, Jeremy is left battered and broken. Despite everything, something inside will compel him to just keep going, driving him homewards… Many thanks to Jeremy Evans. For more on his story, read Mauled: Lessons Learned from a Grizzly Bear Attack. A Noiser production, written by Sarah Ward...

Mark Inglis is a search & rescue mountaineer. It’s his job to save other people. But on a routine practice mission, he’ll find himself in deep trouble. Caught in a whiteout halfway up New Zealand’s highest peak, Mark and his colleague Phil take refuge in a tiny snow cave...

A couple’s serene vacation is thrown into chaos by a terrifying wildfire. Julie & Greg Welch are oblivious as they paddle deep into nature and far away from civilisation. Soon they will find themselves surrounded by a 20-foot wall of flames. With daylight disappearing and smoke filling the air, they’ll need a miracle to make it out alive… A Noiser production, written by Susan Allott. For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+...

Greg Rasmussen is a wildlife conservationist, a man dedicated to protecting endangered species. But when he crashes his light aircraft deep in the Zimbabwean bush, he’ll become a prisoner in the landscape he strives to preserve. It’s a place known for breathtaking safari. But Greg must deal with life-threatening injuries and the searing heat. And then, as night closes in, the predators start circling… Find out more about Greg’s conservation work at www.painteddogresearch...