tv series recreating explorers journeys

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tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Tue 06 Aug, 2013 4:22 pm

great series shot in HD, see some great backcountry trips and how the first explorers did the trip using the original gear...
series 2 is still screening in nz, some great locations, olivine plateau, the alps.

http://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/DVD/ ... /21002279/

http://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/DVD/ ... /21524134/
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby Hallu » Mon 19 Aug, 2013 11:21 am

It's a good show that one, yeah. I like the fact that they use all the original gear and food. They should do the same type of show in other continents, it would be a big success. The only drawback is that they don't detail much how they find their food and water (do they hunt ? melt snow for drinking water ?), or if the support crew carries everything (given that their physical ordeal is already pretty brutal).
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Mon 19 Aug, 2013 11:28 am

given that they are always clean shaven i think they have a comfortable nights rest with mod cons. they are always fully of energy and happy. you would need a decent feed to keep you going for the many days that they spend on the trips
in the second series they are covering much longer trips some that went on for months.... they do have a bit of a go at times at eating what the explorers ate but these are big guys they'd need a big feed to keep them going.... and with a sponsor like the north face, i think they have plenty of backup gear....
at one point you can see they have what look like the outline of Residual floatation devices under their shirts when they cross a river in a shoddy water craft....
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby Ent » Mon 19 Aug, 2013 12:00 pm

Hi

It can be safely said that modern OH&S would put paid to the realistic recreations.

My favorite story of exploration was the Norwegian attempt on the North Pole complete with the ironic twist that when all hope was lost their savior was an American that they had excluded from the original trip as not been experienced enough!

History has shown many times the amazing things that rather normal people can do if they have to. I laugh at the self importance that some people have in their abilities when far greater feats were performed by humble people.

There is no doubt that old timers were tough and resourceful people and sadly most of us have lost their basic skills.

Fantastic seeing the autopsy of the ice age alp wander to realize that he had covered off on the basics of gear extremely well to survive at high altitude. Goes to show with careful understanding of your technology and environment journeys seemingly impossible to armchair experts can be made.

Cheers
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Mon 19 Aug, 2013 12:44 pm

click on the photos for details of the icemans gear....

http://www.iceman.it/en/clothing-equipment
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby Hallu » Wed 28 Aug, 2013 11:41 am

I've watched them all, and some of their trips were pretty hairy, especially the climb of the cliffs above the Homer Tunnel. The concept they created is a good one, it would be great if they could do the same in Tassie.
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Wed 28 Aug, 2013 12:08 pm

homer tunnel was series one, series two has just finished on tv, and the dvd has only just been made available for purchase, i thought series two was better, shows even more scenic areas...
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby Hallu » Wed 28 Aug, 2013 12:21 pm

Series two was more diverse, with caves, river journeys etc... It would be fun to see them tackle some Aussie bush or arid country.
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby GPSGuided » Wed 28 Aug, 2013 1:05 pm

So how did they climb that cliff above Homer Tunnel? That place is imposing.
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Wed 28 Aug, 2013 1:12 pm

they dont climb right next to the homer tunnel, they climb further round. the cklimb to homer saddle from the east is supposed to be straight forward
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Sat 05 Oct, 2013 5:29 pm

a couple of episodes should be viewable to aussies online here, possibly more later

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/ ... -Crossings
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby GPSGuided » Sat 05 Oct, 2013 9:12 pm

Watching it now, Mt de la Beche episode. With the gears they are using, I'm surprised they aren't suffering from hypothermia!
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby Strider » Sat 05 Oct, 2013 9:33 pm

They certainly do some dumb stuff for the camera. I didn't fancy their chances had that cornice let go..
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby GPSGuided » Sat 05 Oct, 2013 10:16 pm

Yeah! But he was on a safety rope. Sure hope there'll be no imitators out there.
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Sun 06 Oct, 2013 4:40 am

someone posted on tramper.co.nz who reckoned they had inside knowledge about the filming. they claimed they had modern safety ropes to hidden harnesses that were edited out.
they must have had a lot of support, The north face are sponsors, they are ALWAYS clean shaven. one scene they cross a flooded river on home made canoes, you can see a bulge under their jackets around their necks , the size of Residual flotation devices....
they could have vapour barrier socks for the cold...
in one episode they said they had to wait out a storm for a few days high in the alps... with scenarios like that, wouldnt surprise me that when they are done filming at the end of the day they get into dry clothes, modern sleeping bags and or shelter and cook up a feast, they never lack for energy on the show, they wouldnt cope on the meagre rations they show at the start of the show... and they can't shoot birds like a lot of early explorers did..
they are big guys , they'd take a lot of feeding.
they got their idea for the programe from Coast to Coast champ steve gurney who did a couple of lesser known programes like this first. gurney would use modern gear and another guy used the original gear for comparison, they went up mt cook, never made it because the guy in old gear who was a lot older was suffering from cold feet and was worried about frostbite....
they've pitched themselves for prime time TV, that means being entertaining, that means bear grylls type behaviour to enhance the drama and entertainment value...
they've done what no one else has done , gotten a programme about areas that are little known to the general population onto prime time tv, sure probably not a programme for purists but they still achieved a first....
series 2 theres some real gems, olivine ice plateau, south westland in the footsteps of Charlie Douglas. Harwoods hole caving... alps crossing from west to east through mt cook park... its great trip planning material if you ignore the antics..
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby AlbinoNeutrino » Sun 06 Oct, 2013 8:30 am

I enjoyed last nights episode, they are very likable guys.

Another series in the same vein that is worth watching is Ultimate Survival Alaska which just finished on Nat Geo on foxtel. It suffers from the reality show format but is still pretty amazing and features some grizzled hard core Alaskan adventurers.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/c ... al-alaska/
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby GPSGuided » Sun 06 Oct, 2013 6:17 pm

Wayno, you've just ruined it for me! Those two were going to my heroes, replacing Bear Grylls. Oh well. LOL
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby Hallu » Thu 10 Oct, 2013 4:12 pm

Yeah they're suspiciously comfortable in most situations. With Bear Grylls you can feel he's $#!+ing his pants sometimes, but with these two Kiwis it felt too relaxed at times. But I didn't mind so much, it wasn't about them, it was about the early explorers. They clearly couldn't have done everything they'd gone through, such as the starvation, the wading of flooded rivers, etc... But it wouldn't hurt them to put a clear message at the beginning of the show stating they're not replicating everything (on top of the regular "we give them help when needed according to safety regulations" message). Nevertheless I hope a third series is in store.
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Thu 10 Oct, 2013 4:17 pm

looks amazing in HD..
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby Hallu » Tue 18 Mar, 2014 11:46 am

There's a second season of Ultimate Survival Alaska. I've watched it, and although this time it's in teams (the military team being quite impressive) and more challenge based, it's still a very good show. Nothing comes close : they encounter bears, they fall into crevasses, break bones, have countless hypothermia episodes etc... It's almost a miracle no one has died yet. It feels real, although I'm wondering if they don't at least feed them and give them a shower betweens the different legs of their journey. Times and scores must be rigged too, afterall when they rappel, the film crew is waiting for them at the bottom, so they're clearly very loose with time. That's why season 1 may have been better : no scores, just the ones not making it on time being eliminated. Still, the concept is brilliant, it should be applied to other countries.
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Re: tv series recreating explorers journeys

Postby wayno » Tue 18 Mar, 2014 1:56 pm

i think its staged... they are always close to missing the cutoff time.... i read a comment someone identified where they were on one episode and said they were doing a short loop of a few k's and not the tens of k's claimed....
in the final epiode they must have been told what terrain they were going in, normally most of them wear lightweight footwear but they had mountaineering boots and crampons for the glacier and at least one guy had a wetsuit under his shirt for the waterfall abseil... still it is a good watch, they show you some good skills and fantastic scenery and they put some drama into it.... they don't take anywhere near the stupid risks bear grylls does. these guys know their stuff, real outdoorsmen.. and they work well together in teams...
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