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Who has the greater chance of survival, a person alone, or a group? Chris British Columbia

How do you make a bow drill?

But don't worry, we've stacked the deck in your favor. Welcome to Expedition Planning 101. Your assignment: Read the tips on gear, first aid, and food; pick one of our five ready-to-roll itineraries; and then get out the door. Just remember to be humble—Ma Nature won't be intimidated by your trash-talking buddies.

I'm snowboarding with some friends in the backcountry. We get split up ong the trees and I wake up with a bloody, broken leg. What should be my course of action? David Centennial, Colorado

Every hour of every day, behemoth container ships cruise the highways of ocean commerce, loaded with stereos and lobster and plastic air fresheners. And during the winter storm season, massive waves from out of nowhere can wreck these arks of global trade.

If I'm out hiking in the woods with no matches, what's the best way to start a fire? Glenn Edelschein Maryland

If I fall through the ice into a lake, what should I do? And what should I do after I get out? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico

What would be the smartest thing to do if you are lost in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota? Ryan Lucas Overland Park, Kansas

If I go off the beaten path at a ski resort and get lost, what should I do? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico

Submit your burning questions to our team.

Survivorman LES STROUD talks about venturing into the world's harshest environments alone, and the importance of a good harmonica.

In the January 2008 issue of ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, writer Alan Prendergast investigates the death of Peter Absolon, the Rocky Mountain Director of NOLS. High in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, in a flash of catastrophic bad luck, Absolon lost everything—without making one wrong move. In this mountain tragedy, nature was…

Ever wonder how it feels to get attacked by a shark? Spend seven weeks lost in the jungle? Get buried by multiple avalanches? Brace yourself for 10 of the hairiest survival stories ever told—and the life-saving tips you can learn from them.

What happens when two brothers plunge through the ice of a frozen Wisconsin river? One refuses to give up, the other refuses to die, and each has a very different story to tell.

Bear Grylls has endured Everest, the North Atlantic, and, for his hit show Man vs. Wild, many a ghastly meal. So can he survive being called a fraud? This is not a man to bet against.

On road trips to remote places, other than a set of jumper cables and a quart of motor oil, what else do I need to keep in the car in the event of a mishap? In other words, what are the essentials for road safety/survival? Jeff Los Angeles, California

Did our November 2007 feature package "The Good, the Bad, & the Just Plain Lucky" get you squirming for more thrills? Here, check out our archive of past tales of woe, plus instructional videos from the Wilderness Medical Society's annual conference.

In early September, shortly before departing London to begin filming the new season of his hit Discovery Channel series Man Vs. Wild, Bear Grylls granted ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ an exclusive e-mail interview. It was the first time he'd communicated directly with the press since allegations surfaced in July that he'd slept in hotels during the filming of s

Take one desert island, insert one strapping lad, and see how long he survives. That's the recipe for our half-starved, sunburnt castaway, who lived to tell the tale.

For the July 2007 feature story "Me. By Myself. For a Long Time. (Very Long.)", we sent Thayer Walker to the uninhabited island of Isla Pargo with little more than a dive mask, a knife, and the clothes on his back. Here, see video diary segments from his time on the island, a gallery of his photos, and hear a podcast interview with the man himself.

I'd like to attend an outdoor camp this summer. Where can I find one that offers a unique adventure? Melissa C. Spokane, WA

I’m trying to build up a comprehensive survival “grab-bag” of sorts, with items such as a compass, medical supplies, and emergency food. What are your recommendations for essential supplies that should be in such a kit? Colton Chaska, Minnesota

Alive survivor Nando Parrado reveals the untold harrowing account of the 1972 plane crash in the Andes and its terrible aftermath

An exclusive conversation with the hero of one of the greatest survival stories of all time.

In ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's May 2006 issue (on newsstands April 11), Nando Parrado finally reveals the untold horrors of the Alive survivors’ suffering—and the courage and faith that got them out alive. Here’s a sneak preview of our exclusive excerpt from Parrado’s book Miracle in the Andes, to be published by Crown on May 9.

The future doesn’t just happen. The next frontiers of adventure, fitness, gear, and sport are crafted by bold visionaries with world-changing dreams—and the minds and muscles to make them real. Behold the 25 all-star innovators leading us beyond tomorrow. 1. Conrad Anker: High-Altitude Altruist 2. Josh Donlan:…

Hurricane Katrina transformed the Gulf Coast into a surreal, swiftly changing landscape of devastation and survival. In the days that followed, a photographer and a Mississippi writer traveled along the coast to New Orleans, documenting the impact of the biggest natural disaster in American history.

ENOUGH WITH SILLY STUNTS on tropical islands—Survivor is so yesterday. For the real deal in white-knuckle reality TV, check out Survivorman. Each episode of the new Science Channel series—premiering September 16 at 9 p.m. EDT—finds 43-year-old survival expert Les Stroud alone in one of the planet’s harshest environments, from the…

¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, big and small, is all about risk. The risk that things may go terribly wrong. That danger will finally cut off your credit and hit you with a hefty bill. That luck will flee the scene as the dark tide rises. In the tales of calamity that follow, our 13 unlucky writers hold forth on their personal odysseys into the land of nightmares.

The ten worst adventure disasters of the past 200 years

In the name of science, a veteran skier braves darkness, claustrophobia, and deadly cold to find out what it's like to be trapped under the snow

For the relentlessly adventurous, learning the deeper lessons of injury starts with a tough rule: You break it, you own it.

The insurance industry amps up with specialized policies for thrill seekers

She survived a near-fatal accident in Laos, only to be told that her adventure travels were over forever. Why one woman refused to listen. Read Wright's current story and then read If I Can Only Breathe from ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's May 2001 issue.

The National Outdoor Leadership School is great at training kids to survive and thrive in the wild. So how does its boot-camp approach work with grown-ups? It's effective as hell—if you don't mind misery and suffering, and those nagging questions about what happened to all the fun.

Call us rubberneckers, but who can resist the panic, terror, and inspiration of a good survival tale? We combed through vast libraries of lore to find 10 more unforgettable, nearly unbelievable great escapes. Brace yourself.

Deep inside a remote canyon, a boulder shifts. In an instant, Aron Ralston's hand is pinned beneath half a ton of rock. So begins an ordinary hero's six-day ordeal of grit, pain, and courage—culminating in a decision to do the unthinkable.

Survival and Wilderness Skills

Sure, the wilderness is beautiful. But it can also frighten you out of your mind.

The most wanted man in America survived five years in the North Carolina woods, eating salamanders, sleeping on the cold ground, and stalking deer. Or so he says. Spend a night in his secret mountain hideaway and you get the feeling there's more to this story.

What happens when a solitary day hike turns into the ultimate test of survival?

Gordon Giesbrecht didn't become the world's leading authority on hypothermia by sitting around the campfire. He got there by leaping into frozen lakes, injecting ice water into his veins, and taking lots of very, very cold baths.

We’ve learned a lot in a quarter-century of roaming the planet. This month, to kick off ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ‘s silver anniversary, we’ve chosen 25 bold, epic, soul-nourishing experiences that every true adventurer must seek out—from the relatively plush and classic to the cutting-edge and hard-core. All that’s left for you is the…

Warm, windswept, unfettered, ever-changing—North America's four great desert regions hide untold possibilities for classic winter adventure. They may be scorching and sere, with prickly dangers over every horizon, but if you know where to go—and how to explore wisely—you'll find these 500,000 square miles of desolation downright hospitable.

His life’s grand pursuit has killed his closest companions. His bride-to-be is his best friend’s widow. His exploding fame owes as much to happenstance (stumbling upon Mallory’s body on Everest) and luck (escaping an avalanche in Tibet) as it does to his great skill as a mountaineer. An intimate look at the serendipitous, tumultuous, and nearly unbearable success of Conrad Anker.

There's nobody more qualified to drag you to the top of the world than Babu Chiri Sherpa. And he'll gladly do it. But when he's through, he's got some business of his own to attend to. Namely, obliterating every last climbing record on Everest, shattering the myth of his people as high-altitude baggage handlers, and taking the Sherpa brand global.

Thanks to improved safety standards and tandem flights, scores of acrophobes are giving hang gliding a second wind. And now, they're soaring in style—over the Golden Gate Bridge.

An ice-climbing trip to Scotland—land of rain, sleet, and mad outdoorsmen—brings new respect for the sport's big-hearted pioneers