By way of introduction Before we get down to business, I would like to explain my approach to the Polish spelling of the terms discussed here. I have come across many ways of spelling and inflecting these terms in Polish: survivalism, surwiwalizm, surwiwalista, prepper, preppersi, prepperzy, surwiwalowcy and so on. In this article, and across… Read More »

The longest stretch of staying awake under the eye of scientists lasted 264 hours, or 11 days. That is how long 17-year-old Randy Gardner went without sleep over the turn of the year from 1963 to 1964. The last result recognised by the Guinness Book of Records is almost 8 days longer, at 453 hours… Read More »

I have to admit that for a long time I didn’t go to the mountains in winter at all. I didn’t know what to expect there or how to go about it. Over time, though, mountain hiking became almost an addiction for me, and I couldn’t get through a whole winter without at least a… Read More »

In extreme situations, knowing how to light a fire can mean the difference between life and death. Fire meets many human needs: it is a source of warmth and comfort, you can cook and preserve food over it, and you can use it to purify water (by boiling it), sterilise bandages, send a distress signal… Read More »

Many people give up on longer trips into the outdoors because they think they are not fit enough to walk those few, or a dozen or so, kilometres. They don’t know how to walk in the mountains, and the mountains often scare them. When I first got into the mountains, I was full of doubts… Read More »