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Wilderness Survival

INTRODUCTION

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    While all animal and plant species that exist on Earth can survive only in certain regions of the world and within specific climatic conditions, humans can exist in all kinds of climatic and geographical environments, including space, where there is no oxygen. Human being, thanks to its anatomy, its mental and physical features and, most importantly, its intelligence, is capable of adapting itself to its environment and surviving. Yet why is it that the extreme conditions in which many people survive can sometimes be a deadly environment for others? Some extreme geographical and climatic conditions, such as arctic regions and deserts, are a normal part of everyday life for some people, while for others they can pose serious life risks.

 

    When a baby arrives on Earth, it does not only grow up under the protection of its parents, but also learns the knowledge and behaviors that will allow it to survive on its own in its environment. We call this process of learning the knowledge and behaviors that will enable us to survive in our environment adaptation.

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    With modern city life, the quality of life has increased and people have drifted away from nature and the knowledge and habits that would enable them to survive in nature, and comfort has become a way of life. What was once a natural part of daily life, such as building shelter, making fire and hunting, has been forgotten, and as a result, sudden encounters with the wildlife have created survival challenges for humans. Our survival in nature depends on how ready we are to overcome the adaptation process, under what conditions we are able to do so as well as with how little damage we can go through this process.

 

HISTORY

    Wilderness survival practices and training first emerged to ensure that soldiers, especially those fighting in foreign lands, could survive when they were alone in unfamiliar conditions. In the past, when soldiers went on missions, they could carry with them many things that could make their lives easier by land or sea, and since these missions often lasted for months, soldiers had plenty of time to adapt to new conditions. With the rise of aviation, flights began over regions where people had never been or where there was very little human presence. Survival trainings in the modern sense has evolved into what it is today, especially with the development of military aviation. The aircrew on a crash-landed aircraft quickly find themselves in a very different climate, geography and cultural environment. This means that there is no time for adaptation. If caught unprepared in such a situation, the struggle for survival becomes a serious problem. These circumstances raised the need for military aircrew to undergo Wilderness Survival training.

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    The first modern Wilderness Survival training books published worldwide were designed for military aviators. These books are the origin of much of what is written and printed today. Wilderness survival knowledge and skills are not new discoveries. They are a part of the everyday life of the human race, which has existed in nature for thousands of years.

 

WHY SHOULD WE TAKE WILDERNESS SURVIVAL TRAINING?

    As humans we generally don't think that the terrible things we see on the TV news or in the media are likely to happen to us. Wish that was the case..

    Although human beings have moved away from wild life with the developing technology and modernization, again thanks to the opportunities provided by this development, they also began to escape from cities and civilization for hobby, sports, travel or business purposes and to travel to different lands they have never been to. The chances and frequency of unpleasant incidents during travel and activities to return to nature, from which we have been alienated for a long time, have begun to increase significantly.

    In the century we live in, the world population is growing very rapidly. The Earth's resources are limited and due to the sharing of these limited resources, there are wars taking place all the time. Millions of people lose their lives and leave their homes because of these wars. As a result of global warming and growing climate problems, millions of people are losing their lives due to lack of access to food and water. Every year, many earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and massive wildfires occur around the world. Epidemics disrupt the balance of the world, economic crises occur, countries shut themselves in and stop sharing their resources. In cities where millions of people live, citizens are worried about food and rush to the supermarkets.

    Is it safe to say that these things will not happen to us? Once these events occur, meeting the most basic needs such as shelter, nutrition and water can turn into a major crisis. Wilderness Survival trainings give us the knowledge and time that will help us to survive in the event of an accident or struggle for survival, until the help we need reaches us or until we access the help with our own efforts or until we adapt to ensure the survival of our lives.

  Nowadays it is very easy to access the information. With a little time spent on the internet, we can find all kinds of information, videos and images about survival in nature, and this is a great chance. However, without putting this theoretical or visual information into practice, your self-confidence may let you down. Wilderness Survival Trainings must be carried out hands-on. During these trainings, realistic and basic information should be given instead of many confusing information and techniques. It is a more realistic approach to know a single fire-making technique very well practically than to know many techniques theoretically. While life insurance does not guarantee that we will live longer, survival training does. Survival training is a true form of life insurance. Most importantly, you don't have to die to get the benefit of your coverage. You get paid back by staying alive.

 

BÜYÜK AYI WILDERNESS SURVIVAL TRAINING

Wilderness Survival Training contents are developed by BÜYÜK AYI and course programs mainly focus on hands-on activities. At the end of each course, participants are given a “BÜYÜK AYI Wilderness Survival Training Participant Certificate” for the stage of the course they attended.

 

  • STAGE 1 AWARENESS TRAINING

It is a training which takes place in a classroom environment and includes information about the necessity of wilderness survival training, survival plan, survival gear and bags, physical and mental preparations for survival, as well as short demonstrations on topics such as navigation, signaling, making fire, water purification, etc. Duration of the course: 4h.

 

  • STAGE 2 / 1st COURSE WILDERNESS SURVIVAL (SUMMER) TRAINING

It is a program in which the participants camp in the field and are taught theoretical and practical survival topics in nature. Each course is 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT. There are no restrictions on accommodation and food in STAGE 2 trainings. All camping equipment (Tent, Mat, Sleeping Bag etc.) and food are provided by BÜYÜK AYI. STAGE 2 / 1st COURSE SUMMER training topics are as below;

  • Survival Preparation

  • Physical Preparation:

  • Mental Preparation:

  • Equipment Preparedness:

  • Survival Plan

  • Map Work:

  • Meteorology

  • Information Exchange

  • Signaling

  • Navigation

  • Terrain Advancement and Routing

  • Shelters

  • Fire Making

  • Water Extraction

 

 

  • STAGE 2 / 2nd COURSE WILDERNESS SURVIVAL (SUMMER) TRAINING

STAGE 2 / 2nd COURSE SUMMER training duration is 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT. Training topics are as follows;

  • Nutrition and Wild Edibles

  • Edible Wild Plants

  • Edible Animal-based sources

  • Traps

  • Wildlife / Predators

  • Wilderness First Aid

 

  • STAGE 2 / 3rd COURSE WILDERNESS SURVIVAL (WINTER) TRAINING

STAGE 2 / 3rd COURSE WINTER training is a program that takes place in winter conditions, where participants stay overnight in self-built shelters such as igloos and snow caves and are learn about survival techniques in cold climatic conditions. There is no restrictions on nutrition. STAGE 2 / 3rd COURSE WINTER training duration is 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT. Training topics are as follows.

  • Winter Shelters

  • Fire Making

  • Avalanche Information

  • Avalanche Search and Rescue

  • Hypothermia and Cold Injuries

  • Nutrition

 

  • STAGE 3 WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SUMMER TRAINING

This is a 24-hour survival training in hot climatic conditions for participants who have completed the STAGE 2 trainings. For 24 hours, participants move from point A to point B in a harsh terrain with a survival kit given to them by the BÜYÜK AYI. Each participant is given a sleeping but not a tent, instead the participants spend the night in the shelter they have prepared themselves. Training duration is 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT.

 

  • STAGE 3 WILDERNESS SURVIVAL WINTER TRAINING

It is a 24-hour survival training in winter conditions and in a snow-covered environment for participants who have completed the STAGE 2 and STAGE 3 SUMMER trainings. For 24 hours, participants move from point A to point B in a harsh and snow-covered terrain with a survival gear given to them by BÜYÜK AYI. Each participant is given a sleeping bag but not a tent. They spend the night in their self-made winter shelters. Training duration is 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT.

 

  • STAGE 4 WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SUMMER TRAINING

It is a 72-hour survival training carried out in hot climatic conditions with participants who have completed the STAGE 2 and STAGE 3 SUMMER trainings. Participants move from point A to point B in a harsh terrain for 72 hours with a survival kit given to them by BÜYÜK AYI. Each participant is given a sleeping bag but not a tent. They spend 3 nights in different regions in the shelter they have prepared themselves. Participants experience survival stresses such as hunger, darkness, loneliness and become aware of their own limits. Training duration is 4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS.

 

  • STAGE 4 WILDERNESS SURVIVAL WINTER TRAINING

It is a 48-hour Survival Practice carried out in cold climatic conditions with participants who have completed the STAGE 2 and STAGE 3 WINTER trainings. Participants move from point A to point B in a snow-covered terrain for 48 hours with a survival kit given to them by BÜYÜK AYI. Each participant is given a sleeping bag but not a tent. The participants spend 2 nights in different regions in their self-made winter shelters. Participants experience survival stresses such as hunger, darkness, loneliness, cold and realize their own limits. STAGE 4 WINTER training duration is 3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS.

 

For detailed information please check our upcoming events and previous courses.

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