Who is Bear Grylls?

You have seen him on the Discovery Channel. Sometimes you have seen him hour after hour. Who is this young lad that tries to teach us how to survive?

Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls was born June 7, 1974 in England. He was educated at Eton College and also at London University. He served three years in the British Special Service. During his third year he broke his back in three places while parachuting. At the age of 23 he became the youngest Briton to ever scale Mt. Everest. On the way down at 19,000 feet he fell through a crevasse. He was knocked out. when he came to, he found himself hanging at the end of a rope. that rope and his partner saved his life.

The first book he wrote was "Facing Up". In America the name was the "Kid who climbed Everest". He has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the Oprah Show.

In 2003, Bear successfully completed another feat. He lead a team across the North Atlantic Artic Ocean in a small open rigid inflatable boat. Suffering weeks of cold weather and icebergs, the expedition was filmed for a documentary. The funds raised went for The Prince's Trust Fund for charity. He wrote another book called "Facing the Frozen Ocean."

In 2005 Bear did a documentary called "Escape to the Legion." It followed him and 11 other men in the French Foreign Legion for a month. During this time they were faced to endure the hardships of training in the desert.(Sahara). After this, he did an 8 part documentary for the Discovery Channel in the US called "Man vs Wild." These episodes would show individuals how to survive if they are placed in unfamiliar surroundings with no help. A second season was added after the first.

Also in 2005, Bear was awarded an honorary title by the Honorary Commission of First Sea Lord and Admiralty Board of the Royal Navy. It was the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and approved by the Queen.

In 2007 he became the first person to use a powered para glider to sail above Mt. Everest. He raised one million dollars for the Global Angels Charity by doing this. The charity looks over some of the poorest children in the world.