What does 71 days alone in the Arctic wilderness really do to your body and mind?
In this episode of The Survival Debrief, British TV survivalist and former 29 Commando soldier Steven Kelly (Survival Ste) sits down with Welsh survival expert Andrew Thomas Price, who survived an incredible 71 days on Alone Season 13: World Championship, finishing fourth.
Andrew opens up about the brutal reality of surviving alone in the Canadian Arctic, where freezing temperatures, starvation and isolation pushed him to his physical and mental limits.
He reveals how his body began wasting away, why catching fish became a desperate daily battle, and how he built a traditional coracle in an attempt to improve his chances of survival.
Andrew also shares a remarkable story about catching two large fish that never made the final television edit.
With Steven having completed 56 days across Discovery's Naked and Afraid and Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse, the two experienced survivalists compare their challenges and discuss what television audiences don't see.
In this episode, we discuss:
Surviving 71 days completely alone in the Arctic
The physical effects of severe starvation and muscle loss
Why survival is 90% mental
Building a coracle to reach better fishing grounds
The temptation to raid the production camp for food
The unseen fishing success that never aired
Why Andrew ultimately decided to tap out
Alone vs Naked and Afraid
The difference between bushcraft skills and real survival
Andrew's advice for anyone wanting to learn wilderness survival
Andrew Thomas Price is the founder of Dryad Bushcraft and has spent over 20 years teaching traditional wilderness skills and working in outdoor television.
This is an open conversation between two survivalists who have experienced extreme conditions firsthand.
Follow Andrew Thomas Price
YouTube, Instagram and Facebook: Andrew Thomas Price
Follow Steven Kelly (Survival Ste)
Website: https://www.stevenkelly.uk
Survival courses: https://www.southwestsurvival.co.uk
The Survival Debrief Podcast brings you conversations with survival experts, adventurers, military veterans and some of the biggest names in survival television.
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Which challenge would you rather attempt: 71 days on Alone or 21 days on Naked and Afraid?