The BEST episodes of Ultimate Survival Alaska
Every episode of Ultimate Survival Alaska ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Ultimate Survival Alaska!
They are some the toughest, most extreme survivalists that Alaska has to offer. Going head to head, eight men of a rare breed are about to take the ultimate test of survival in Arctic conditions that only National Geographic could inspire. Dropped in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness by bush plane, with only their raw, mountain-man ingenuity, they’ll navigate through treacherous glaciated river valleys, barren ridgelines, and high mountain peaks, battling hunger, hostile predators, and perilous weather conditions along the way. Like the original National Geographic explorers, for those who succeed there is no grand prize, just the well-fought pride of having conquered the grueling challenges that Mother Nature can throw at them. It's an epic competition series where the only prize is survival.
#1 - Beasts of Prey
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/14/2013
The explorers travel to Admiralty Island, home to the highest density of brown bears in North America, and it's not long before they receive a "grizzly" welcome.
#2 - River of Doom
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/9/2014
On the eighth leg of the expedition, the teams will battle through a gauntlet of dense alder thickets, cross the roaring waters of Coal Creek and scale a 600-foot rock fall to reach the extraction zone. To get an early lead and escape the torturous bushwhack, the Mountaineer team's strategy is to immediately cross Coal Creek, despite the risky rushing waters. When they reach the creek, Tyler attempts to walk across, but the powerful rapids sweep him downstream and out of sight.
#3 - Deadly Descent
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/4/2015
On the second leg of the competition, teams are dropped near the top of a towering mountain peak and provided with skis, snowboards and climbing rope. The mission is clear: Descend the mountain in any way possible.
#4 - Deadly Tide
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/18/2015
On leg four, the teams travel by land and water as they charge toward the extraction LZ on an ocean inlet. The adventurers choose to either take boats down Six Mile Creek — one of the most notoriously dangerous rivers in Alaska — or make a grueling trek over a mountain pass.
#5 - Live Before You Die
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/12/2015
The teams begin leg seven on remote tundra in the shadow of Mount McKinley. The area is known for being some of the most brutal, inhospitable terrain in Alaska. It’s also known as the final resting place of Chris McCandless, whose tragic story of adventure and demise was made famous by the book and movie “Into the Wild.”
#6 - Kodiak Killers
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/22/2015
Dropped on Kodiak Island, the hunters become the hunted, as the teams face their fiercest challenge yet — Kodiak brown bears.
#7 - Covert Ops
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/1/2015
In leg 10, the teams continue their adventure in the Kodiak Islands, this time with the choice of traveling by land or by sea. The competitors are dropped on a remote beach, where they race to the insertion flag and find a cache of sea kayaks.
#8 - Into the Void
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/26/2013
Helicopters leave the eight explorers on a snow-capped summit. The men split into three groups and approach a 300-foot cliff, descend a ravine and traverse eight miles of the Triumvirate Glacier. Marty Raney, his son Matt and Brent Sass take a low route and are the first to cross. Willi Prittie and the Seavey brothers cross far from the icebergs, across 33-degree water. Austin and Tyler bypass the glacier, traveling along the ridgeline. They arrive last and Austin's showing signs of hypothermia.
#9 - Hell Hole
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/19/2014
The teams will traverse the treacherous Hayes Glacier, then bushwhack through dense forest on their way to the extraction zone 30 miles away. The Mountaineers charge through a glacial canyon and hit what might be a dead end, but expert ice climber Tyler isn't daunted by the 80-foot ice wall. The Endurance team gets a shock when their strategy leads them right to a dangerous 200-foot rappel. Military is making great time until a wrong step drops Grady into the depths of a deadly crevasse.
#10 - Guts & Glory
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/7/2014
With seven legs of the competition under their belts, take a look back at the extreme challenges the survivalists have endured and take a peek at the brutal adventures still to come. Get to know the teams again and witness their ups and downs throughout the battle to become Alaska's ultimate survivor.
#11 - Going Rogue
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/12/2015
In leg six, the teams are inserted into the heart of Alaskan gold country. Slashing through a thorny gantlet of devil’s club, they charge for the insertion flag. After reading their maps, some head for the high ground to escape the dungeon of thorns, while others bushwhack directly through the forest.
#12 - Bear Kingdom
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 2/16/2014
The teams head out on Afognak Island, which is ruled by Kodiak bears, one of the largest bears on Earth. The teams will cross 31 miles of treacherous, bear-packed wilderness to reach the extraction point at the northernmost tip of the island. All three teams are running into bears at every turn. As the Endurance team stops to fish, Sean is left staring into the jaws of a charging brown bear. Between lost maps and wrong turns, the survivalists are just trying to get out of bear country alive.
#13 - Deep Dark Woods
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/23/2014
After nine grueling legs, the teams enter this leg battered, bruised and worn down. But they're in luck leg 10 takes the three remaining teams to Kodiak Island, a lush temperate rainforest full of hunting opportunities. The Military and Mountaineer teams use this opportunity to stock up on protein. The Endurance athletes aim to prove they're not out of the competition yet. But when attempting a treacherous lake crossing, Dallas slips into freezing cold water.
#14 - The Last Battle
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/2/2014
On the final leg, the teams face their toughest challenge yet a race across an icy glacier, down a whitewater river and across the open ocean to the Mount Augustine volcano. The trek begins high atop the Aleutian Mountains, where the competitors harness up and charge across a crevasse-laden glacier. With all three teams facing daunting obstacles, it's anyone's game going into next week's exciting conclusion.
#15 - Fight to the Finish
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/9/2014
With the final hours of the competition running off the clock, the three remaining teams risk it all for the glory of being crowned champion. It's a cutthroat battle to the top of Mount Augustine a 4,000-foot active volcano in the middle of the open ocean. To reach it, the teams race across 35 miles of punishing white water rapids and unforgiving seas. In the end, the first team to reach the summit of the volcano is crowned Ultimate Alaskan Survivors.
#16 - Back for Blood
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/4/2015
In the first leg of the 13-leg competition, four teams battle their way to the summit of Mount Gerdine. To get there, they must cross a rapidly thawing lake, traverse a crevasse-filled glacier and claw their way up walls of crumbing ice. On the second leg of the competition, teams are dropped near the top of a towering mountain peak and provided with skis, snowboards and climbing rope. The mission is clear: Descend the mountain in any way possible.
#17 - Devil’s Due
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/25/2015
Riding on the historic Alaskan Railroad, the teams are inserted into a remote river valley. To reach extraction, the adventurers traverse mountains, canyons, glaciers and an iceberg-filled lake.
#18 - Crash Course
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/11/2015
On leg three, teams descend 2,000 feet of snowy ridges, bush-covered slopes and spongy swamps to reach the LZ (landing zone) at Talachulitna Lake. At the insertion flag, the adventurers find a cache of dogsleds, skis, snowshoes and packrafts.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#19 - Savage Waters
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/15/2015
The teams are dropped on the banks of the Tazlina River and tasked with building log rafts. Faced with punishing rocks and class four whitewater, their designs are crucial to their success and survival.
#20 - Long Way Down
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/8/2015
Eleven legs in, the competitors are starting to feel the pain as Alaska pushes them over the edge. The four teams are dropped below a steep peak high in the Alaska Range, and as they climb to find the insertion flag, the elevation takes its toll. Once they reach the flag, they find that they must descend 2,000 feet to the Triumvirate Glacier, then battle 24 miles of ice fields, frigid rivers and rugged terrain to reach the LZ at Beluga Lake.
#21 - Knockout Punch
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/15/2015
With just two legs to go, the pressure’s on to snag one of the few remaining wins. At the insertion flag, the teams find a cache of inner tubes, planks and ropes to design and build handmade rafts durable enough to survive the roughest whitewater they’ve faced yet.
#22 - Final Gauntlet
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/22/2015
Beaten down after weeks in the Alaskan backcountry, the competitors brace for one last battle involving treacherous glaciers, volatile rivers and perilous mountains. Dropped in a glacial river valley, the four teams charge toward the final insertion flag, where they find a cache of mountain bikes.
#23 - Vice Grip
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/26/2014
The teams cross a steep ridge to the crumbling Strandline Canyon, then trek 40 miles to the landing zone. The Military Team's strategy is to charge straight down the glacial drainage basin. Before they know it, they're up to their knees in quicksand. The Mountaineers follow the same flatland strategy, and Marty and Tyler are soon stuck in the quicksand. Endurance Team heads straight for the canyon and hopes to follow the winding valley to the landing zone, but a furious river blocks their path.
#24 - River of Fury
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/12/2014
The teams will navigate 50 miles of turbulent rivers, battle through a deadly stretch of whitewater rapids known as Hell's Gate and bushwhack through thick brush to reach the extraction point. Armed with their pack rafts, the Endurance athletes hit a mass of fallen trees in water so dangerous that one team member goes under, and the Military Team unknowingly takes a break in an area filled with bear. Across the valley, the Mountaineers have a different strategy.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#25 - Climb From Hell
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/5/2014
The teams trek 30 miles up and over the snow-covered Tordrillo Mountains to reach the landing zone on the banks of Frustration Lake. The Military team sticks to lower elevations, but ends up staring a huge canyon straight in the face. The Endurance team's strategy of hiking up and over backfires when they run into a wall of ice. The Mountaineers are also climbing straight up, counting on their rock-climbing experience to get to the extraction point.