PNW Survival Games

06/13/2026

On Everyday Northwest, Jeremiah Stroup sat down with Joel Van Der Loon, host of the 2026 Survival Games and known to many viewers from History Channel’s Alone, to talk about what makes this event such a unique challenge here in the Pacific Northwest.

The conversation focused on more than just outdoor competition, it highlighted the mindset, grit, and real-world skills that make survival experiences both exciting and transformational.

06/08/2026

Our new host, Joel Van Der Loon was interviewed by Jeremiah Stroup on Koin 6 News, Everyday Northwest, to discuss the 2026 PNW Survival Games!

https://www.koin.com/everydaynorthwest/put-your-staying-alive-skills-to-the-test-at-the-2026-survival-games/?fbclid=PAdGRleASRof9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAaeH7yGPxm5s70v0XIJ1lE0ZWmu_cFMR4-oLiZPsjKdSO3vfk_HllyXurvbjAQ_aem_FpygBFxtfRq7doBArEXeYg

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – For anyone looking for an unforgettable outdoor experience, The Survival Games offer a chance to step outside the ordinary and into something meaningful, memorable, an…

06/05/2026

This isn’t a mud run.
This isn’t a weekend retreat.
This is survival turned into competition.

August 14-16, 2026
Return to the wild.

06/04/2026

Is this the best lineup of survival instructors ever assembled?! Comment below and tell us who you are most excited to learn from!

This is your chance to learn from an absolutely stacked instructor lineup:

🏔️ Joel Van Der Loon (HOST) — Alone Season 7
🏔️ Jacks Genega — Alone Season 13, premiering June 17
🏔️ Biko Wright — Alone Season 8 Runner-Up
🏔️ Karie Lee Knoke — Alone Season 9 Runner-Up
🏔️ Danny Graves — Naked and Afraid Seasons 12 & 15
🏔️ Ean Anderson — 2x Survival Games Champion
🏔️ Dana Anderson — aka “Wild Mountain Man Dan”

The Survival Games is not just something you watch from the couch. You learn from the best and immediately put yourself to the test!

✅ 2-day survival competition
✅ 2-person teams
✅ All-inclusive weekend experience
✅ Backpack with tools & gear provided ($400 value)
✅ 30-minute skills lessons before every challenge
✅ 60-minute challenges
✅ 6 total survival challenges
✅ Beginner-friendly — no experience required
✅ Register solo or with a teammate
✅ Live music, food, camping, and campfire community

The top 3 winning teams receive trophies, cash prizes, and thousands of dollars worth of survival gear from our sponsors.

📍 Molalla, Oregon
📅 August 14–16, 2026
💰 Early Bird Special: Save $50
🎟️ Use code: EARLYBIRD50

Come learn from legends. Compete with your teammate. Camp with an amazing community. Build skills you will carry for life.

Learn more at www.survivalgames.com

06/03/2026

If you’ve ever wondered how you’d actually fare in a wilderness challenge, the PNW Survival Games is your answer.

We’ve taken the thrill of your favorite survival shows and turned it into an epic, beginner-friendly weekend event. Absolutely zero prior experience is needed, just bring your competitive spirit and a willingness to try.

Ready for the ultimate weekend? 🏕️
Secure your spot for the 2026 Survival Games,
August 14th–16th!

06/03/2026

🚨 HUGE INSTRUCTOR ANNOUNCEMENT! 

We are fired up to officially announce that Jacks Genega from the upcoming Alone Season 13 is joining the 2026 Survival Games instructor lineup!

Her season premieres June 17, and we cannot wait for everyone to see what she brings to one of the toughest survival shows on television.

For anyone who knows Alone, you know this is the real deal. No camera crew. No teammates. Limited gear. Remote wilderness. Just skill, mindset, adaptability, and the ability to keep going when everything gets hard.

And now Jacks is bringing that experience, grit, and wild outdoor knowledge to The Survival Games.

This is your chance to learn from someone who has trained for and stepped into one of the most intense survival challenges in the world and she will be joining an absolutely stacked instructor lineup:

🏔️ Joel Van Der Loon (HOST) –Alone Season 7
🏔️ Jacks Genega — Alone Season 13, premiering June 17
🏔️ Biko Wright — Alone Season 8 Runner-Up
🏔️ Karie Lee Knoke — Alone Season 9 Runner-Up
🏔️ Danny Graves — Naked and Afraid Seasons 12 & 15
🏔️ Ean Anderson — 2x Survival Games Champion
🏔️ Dana Anderson — aka “Wild Mountain Man Dan”

The Survival Games is not just something you watch from the couch.

✅ 2-day survival competition
✅ 2-person teams
✅ All-inclusive weekend experience
✅ Backpack with tools & gear provided ($400 value)
✅ 30-minute skills lessons before every challenge
✅ 60-minute challenges
✅ 6 total survival challenges
✅ Beginner-friendly — no experience required
✅ Register solo or with a teammate
✅ Live music, food, camping, and campfire community

The top 3 winning teams receive trophies, cash prizes, and thousands of dollars worth of survival gear from our sponsors.

📍 Molalla, Oregon
📅 August 14–16, 2026
💰 Early Bird Special: Save $50
🎟️ Use code: EARLYBIRD50

Come learn from legends. Compete with your teammate. Camp with an amazing community. Build skills you will carry for life.

Welcome to the lineup, Jacks Genega!

Learn more at www.survivalgames.com

05/21/2026

🔥 BIG NEWS FOR THE 2026 SURVIVAL GAMES 🔥

We are incredibly excited to announce that Joel Van Der Loon will be the official host of the 2026 Survival Games!

Joel is a world-class survivalist, primitive skills instructor, and outdoor educator whose experience has been tested on some of the biggest survival platforms in the world, including:

📺 Alone — Season 7
📺 Alone: The Skills Challenge
📺 Bushcraft Build-Off

Joel brings a rare combination of real-world wilderness experience, primitive skills, leadership, storytelling, and deep nature connection to the Games.

From growing up in South Africa and Tanzania, to living off-grid, learning from Indigenous trackers and hunter-gatherers, teaching survival skills, and challenging himself in some of the harshest environments on television, Joel represents exactly what The Survival Games is all about:

🔥 Skill
🌲 Resilience
🏕️ Self-reliance
🤝 Community
🧭 Respect for the wild

As our official host, Joel will help guide the energy of the weekend, connect competitors with the deeper purpose behind the challenges, and bring his incredible knowledge and presence to the 2026 Games.

This year is shaping up to be our biggest and most exciting event yet.

Welcome to The Survival Games, Joel! We’re honored to have you leading the way.

📍 August 14–16, 2026
📍 Molalla, Oregon
👉 www.survivalgames.com

05/16/2026

Step into the old ways. 🔥

The White Rock Primitive Gathering is more than a skills camp, it’s a return to fire, stone, wood, hide, fiber, food, shelter, story, and community.

For seven days in the Oregon high desert, people come together to learn ancestral skills by hand: bow making, basketry, flint knapping, hide tanning, fire making, tracking, blacksmithing, pottery, wild edibles, leatherwork, and so much more.

No screens. No rush. Just real skills, real people, and the kind of knowledge that deserves to be kept alive.

This is White Rock.
This is remembering.

05/07/2026

We call this the fire & ice challenge 🥶
Watch the full challenge on our YouTube
(Link in bio)

01/14/2026

Call for Guest Instructors | Survival Skills & Bushcraft

City View Charter School is launching a Survival Skills & Bushcraft elective for middle school students (grades 6–8), focused on foundational outdoor skills, preparedness, decision-making, and respect for the natural world.

This elective is led by Cat, a member of the PNW Survival Games team, bringing real-world outdoor and survival experience into student learning.

We’re seeking guest instructors who would love to share a skill, story, or lived experience. Topics may include:
• Fire basics
• Shelter & navigation
• Outdoor safety & first aid
• Bushcraft & survival mindset

The elective runs February–June. Students are fully supervised, and instruction is facilitated alongside school staff.
All guest instructors must complete a background check to be permitted on campus.

📩 Contact:
Cat Laird
Survival Skills & Bushcraft Elective Lead
City View Charter School
📧 [email protected]