Bear Grylls Starts Survival Academy [VIDEO]; Man vs. Wild Star to Teach Wilderness Skills; "It May Hurt A Little", Says Grylls

"Man vs. Wild" star Bear Grylls announced the launching of the Bear Grylls Survival Academy in the Catskill region of New York, offering outdoor enthusiasts and fans the chance to learn his extreme survival techniques.

Bear Grylls is currently hosting reality show Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls.  He has come under fire for the staging of stunts during his show Man vs. Wild.  He is accused of doing fake things, but hopefully the survival skills he teaches in his school will be real!

Designed by Bear Grylls, the survival course will consist of several survival techniques.  It will be run by his close team of highly trained survival experts.
 
The first academy is beginning in the Catskills Mountain region, a mountainous area of New York State in November. Another Bear Grylls Survival Academy will be opening in Texas at a later date. Consisting of a combination of remote land/water survival and adventure tasks, the course will end with a wilderness expedition designed to put the participants' new skills to the test. Techniques taught include fire lighting, emergency shelter building, knife skills, foraging for grubs and rodents, remote medical traumas, and of course Bear's famous Gross Eat challenge!
 
Lead instructor and course developer Scott Heffield, who works with Bear, says, "The Catskills provide the perfect backdrop for Bear Grylls Survival Academy course to launch. Topography, rivers, lakes, extreme weather conditions and wildlife are all important factors to consider and the Catskills provides the perfect setting to recreate an environment that simulates real life Bear Grylls survival situations."
 
"So many people have asked me over the years where they can learn extreme, practical survival - the type that requires spirit, determination and the skills to self-rescue against the odds, in some of the harshest terrain around. So it is with great pride that we can now finally launch the Bear Grylls Survival Academy in the USA to be able to share some of these skills and what it really means to be able to look after yourself when the chips are down," says Bear Grylls. "Oh, and it may hurt a little."
  
Information can be found at www.beargryllssurvivalacademy.com. The official opening dates will be announced on the website.

Watch Bear Grylls Man vs. Wild here: