The third annual PNW Survival Games kick off this Friday at a campground in Molalla. Fifty people, organized into teams of two, will compete in a series of weekend-long challenges designed to test their outdoor survival skills, from building a fire and shelter to purifying water and building a raft from saplings and other foraged materials. 

Participants who register for the $495 event are first taught the basics of those skills by survival instructors, some of whom have competed in reality TV shows such as “Naked and Afraid” and “Alone.” Each team then launches into a timed challenge to test their application of that skill, but with a twist – like trying to build a fire while shivering and cold after a plunge into the river. First, second and third-place teams win cash prizes and outdoor gear from sponsors. 

PNW Survival Games’ co-founders Tony Peniche and Phil Robinson have aspirations to take their concept beyond its Oregon roots onto a much bigger stage by transforming it into a reality TV show picked up by Netflix or Amazon. They join us to share their vision and a preview of this weekend’s competition, along with Tom Ratts, a Vancouver resident who was part of a team that won first place in 2023 and who now volunteers at the games.