National Geographic’s Life Below Zero Returns for a New Season

It won’t be long before bone-chilling cold puts the series’ six Alaskans to a minute-by-minute test of survival. Ingenuity and strength of mind and body are essential, as seen in a broad array of building projects, cold weather survival skills, food acquisition and resource management. Only the mentally fit will be able to endure the extreme test of isolation and endless work required to survive the many months of winter in the Alaska bush.
 
Fan favorite Sue Aikens lives 197 miles north of the Arctic Circle at the Kavik River Camp, where nine months of the year she is the sole resident, with only a family of foxes and a retired sled dog to keep her company. The challenges for her this winter are tougher than ever. She’ll finally get the chance to face down a grizzly bear that’s been taunting her camp for years, and the purchase of a new all-terrain vehicle will force her to navigate a hundred miles of desolate tundra in the dark and bitter temperatures. Through it all, she never loses the no-nonsense toughness that viewers have fallen in love with.
 
Chip and Agnes Hailstone have many mouths to feed, and it’s finally time for their eldest children to step up and help with the familial responsibilities. The first order of business will be to seek out new hunting grounds in time for the all-important annual moose hunt, which could yield several hundred pounds of fresh meat for their family. Chip will also put his handyman skills to work repurposing everyday items into essential appliances and tools, such as a wood-burning stove from a used oil drum.

Andy and Kate Bassich will have an extra set of hands this winter, as they take on an apprentice in hopes of training a whole new generation of off-the-grid pioneers. This newbie will be thrown into the deep end to learn the ins and outs of surviving off the land in the Alaskan bush. The Bassiches will start winter with one of their most important tasks: catching thousands of pounds of salmon to feed more than 20 sled dogs. If the dogs can’t eat, the dogs can’t live, leaving Andy and Kate without transportation and with little hope of survival.
 
Erik Salitan, who is back for season 2, will return home from guide season to his home in Wiseman. An avid subsistence hunter, Erik’s on a mission this winter to take down an elusive wolf whose fur could provide him the means to purchase fuel, food and other winter necessities. He has also expanded the size of his camp, which increases the burdens of maintenance when supplies are often scarce.