Jordan Jonas, Champion of Alone — The Art of Survival, Lessons from Nomadic Tribes, Hardship as the Path to Peace, How to Handle Rogue Wolverines, and Why Not to Photograph Attacking Bears (#853)
Jordan Jonas (@hobojordo (https://www.instagram.com/hobojordo/)) grew up on a farm in Idaho, rode freight trains across the US, spent time in remote Russian villages, fur trapped and travelled for several years with nomads in Siberia, and won Alone Season 6, after being the first contestant to truly thrive in the wilderness and harvest big game.
He now leads people from all over the world and all walks of life on extraordinary outdoor adventures, facilitating once-in-a-lifetime wilderness expeditions, hunts, family adventures, and team-building events.
He has a wife and three children and focuses on living life to its fullest with them.
Please enjoy!
This episode is brought to you by:
• Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: LiveMomentous.com/Tim (https://livemomentous.com/Tim)
• Monarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim
• Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim
• Cresset family office services for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: CressetCapital.com/Tim
Listen onSpotify
Listen onApple Podcasts
Listen onOvercast
Jordan Jonas, Champion of Alone — The Art of Survival, Lessons from Nomadic Tribes, Hardship as the Path to Peace, How to Handle Rogue Wolverines, and Why Not to Photograph Attacking Bears
Additional podcast platforms
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/853-jordan-jonas-champion-of-alone-the-art/id863897795?i=1000749316434), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4pZRgx736cFjdcTSzJVluW?si=-un2YoZSQtqgBWhrn_oF3w), Overcast (https://overcast.fm/+AAKebvq8low), Podcast Addict (https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2031148#), Pocket Casts (https://pca.st/timferriss), Castbox (https://castbox.fm/channel/id1059468?country=us), YouTube Music (https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuu6fDad2eJyWPm9dQfuorm2uuYHBZDCB), Amazon Music (https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9814f3cc-1dc5-4003-b816-44a8eb6bf666/the-tim-ferriss-show), Audible (https://www.audible.com/podcast/The-Tim-Ferriss-Show/B08K58QX5W), or on your favorite podcast platform.
Transcripts
• This episode (coming soon)
• All episodes (https://tim.blog/2018/09/20/all-transcripts-from-the-tim-ferriss-show/)
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Jordan Jonas
Website (https://www.jordanjonas.com/) | Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hobojordo/) | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hobojordo/) | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/hobojordo)
Products & Gear
• Jordan Jonas Siberian-Style Taiga Axe (https://www.jordanjonas.com/axe)
• Lake Missoula Tea Company Breakfast Tea (https://lakemissoulateacompany.com/)
• Ferro Rod Fire-Starting Tool (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S6F4RDC/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20)
• Survival Cord Paracord with Integrated Survival Strands (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ACL4K2Q/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20)
• VPA Two-Blade Broadheads (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNQVVLHZ/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20)
• Tenkara Fly-Fishing Rod (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5V6J4BV/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20)
• SKS Rifle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmgzsdW3zjI)
Experiences & Courses
• Jordan Jonas Wilderness Courses and Guided Trips (https://jordanjonas.com)
Movies & Television
• Alone (I recommend Season 6 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07S8YD7L4/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20) [Jordan’s winning season] and Season 7 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0FLKP92F3/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20).)
Books
• The Gulag Archipelago: An Experiment in Literary Investigation (https://amazon.com/gp/product/B0CHFZWSRD/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
• Man’s Search for Meaning (https://amazon.com/gp/product/0807014273/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20) by Viktor E. Frankl
Places
• North Idaho (https://www.northidaho.org/)
• Siberia, Russia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberia)
• Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Slave_Lake)
• Sheremetyevo International Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheremetyevo_International_Airport)
• Lake Urmia, Northwestern Iran (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Urmia)
• Baghdad, Iraq (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad)
• France (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France)
• Montana (https://visitmt.com/)
• Tennessee (https://www.tnvacation.com/)
• Trans-Siberian Railway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Siberian_Railway)
Indigenous Peoples & Cultures
• The Evenki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evenki_people)
• Assyrians (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_people)
• Kalahari Bushmen / San Trackers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_people)
Survival Skills & Concepts
• Single-Bevel Axe Grinding (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2023/06/27/carving-axe-primer/#:~:text=Bevels.,the%20bevel%20during%20the%20cut.)
• Feather Sticks / Axe Curls (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR_dV86ZzR4)
• Dead Standing Trees (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STwWNxhVFEI)
• Gillnetting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillnetting)
• Snaring (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapping)
• Squirrel Pole (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0s2PqBEm0E)
• Bow Drill Fire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_drill)
• Funneling / Fencing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJnzP1jDyCI)
• Moose Calling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lfk7wP15uQ)
• Trip Wire Alarm System (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ0R_sdaj8E)
• Tracking a Wounded Animal (https://www.huntstand.com/fieldnotes/deer/blood-trailing-deer-with-confidence/#:~:text=Consider%20a%20hopeful%20scenario%2C%20such,consider%20the%20following%20shot%20circumstances.)
• Fat as the Bottleneck of Survival (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53543/#:~:text=Animals%20are%20equipped%20with%20fat,fat%20based%20on%20physiological%20demands.)
• Rabbit Starvation (https://theprepared.com/blog/rabbit-starvation-why-you-can-die-even-with-a-stomach-full-of-lean-meat/)
• Spruce Sap as Wound Treatment (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mr-A4XTwGbw)
• Elevated Food-Storage Platform (https://www.instagram.com/reels/Czyw1OQO5uY/)
• Offense vs. Defense Mindset (https://www.inlander.com/culture/jordan-jonas-has-faced-down-moose-bears-wolverines-and-the-bitter-cold-and-he-wants/article_8bc6c58f-8836-590e-8450-5309a2303bcb.html#:~:text=Sure%2C%20he%20experiences%20plenty%20of,and%20whoops%20a%20victory%20cry.)
People
• Viktor Frankl (https://www.viktorfranklinstitute.org/about-viktor-frankl/)
• Janahlee Jonas (https://www.instagram.com/p/DMDcZQyRGPp/)
• Jordan’s Grandparents (https://www.instagram.com/p/DTeCUArkjMc/?hl=en&img_index=1)
• Jordan’s Mother (https://www.instagram.com/p/DJhXgSpPe2N/?img_index=1)
• Jesus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus)
• Jack Kornfield (https://tim.blog/2023/07/28/jack-kornfield-3/)
• Shawn Ryan (https://shawnryanshow.com/pages/bio)
• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1970/solzhenitsyn/biographical/)
• Joseph Stalin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin)
• Justus Walker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXGBg_9VV4w)
Animals
• Reindeer (aka Caribou) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reindeer)
• Wolverine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine)
• Moose (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose)
• Siberian Brown Bear (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Siberian_brown_bear)
• Llama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llama)
• Sable (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sable)
This episode is brought to you by Momentous high-quality creatine! I’ve long benefitted from creatine for athletic and gym performance, and now I’m increasing my daily intake to enjoy the cognitive benefits as well. A pilot study in Alzheimer’s patients demonstrated that supplementing can increase brain creatine levels in just 8 weeks, improving measures of memory, reasoning, and attention. And a double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that creatine can restore aspects of memory and attention within hours in adults who are sleep deprived. I use Momentous Creatine made with Creapure®, which is sourced from Germany and has the strictest lab standards to ensure it’s at least 99.9% pure. And try Momentous’s Creatine Chews—clean chewable tablets with 1 gram of Creapure® creatine per chew (http://livemomentous.com/Tim)—and their whey protein isolate (https://www.livemomentous.com/pages/tim-ferriss?utm_campaign=Tim+Ferriss&utm_medium=partnerships&utm_source=sponcon#section-tims-favorite-products) and magnesium threonate (https://www.livemomentous.com/pages/tim-ferriss?utm_campaign=Tim+Ferriss&utm_medium=partnerships&utm_source=sponcon#section-tims-favorite-products:~:text=Tim%27s%20Favorite%20Products%20For%20Sleep), all of which meet their same, exacting standards. Check out Momentous for yourself and get 35% off your first subscription order with code TIM at LiveMomentous.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Monarch (http://monarchmoney.com/tim)! Traditional budgeting apps can help, but they don’t compare to the complete financial command center you get with this episode’s sponsor, Monarch (http://monarchmoney.com/tim). Monarch was named The Wall Street Journal’s Best Budgeting App of 2025, and it’s the top-recommended personal finance app by users and experts, with more than 30,000 5-star reviews. Get control of your overall finances with Monarch. Use code TIM at monarchmoney.com/Tim for half off your first year (http://monarchmoney.com/tim).
This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 5 Ultra (http://eightsleep.com/Tim). It cools, it heats, and now it elevates, automatically. With the best temperature performance to date, Pod 5 Ultra ensures you and your partner stay cool in the heat and cozy warm in the cold. And now, listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show can get $350 off (http://eightsleep.com/Tim) of the Pod 5 Ultra for a limited time! Click here to claim this deal and unlock your full potential through optimal sleep (http://eightsleep.com/Tim).
This episode is brought to you by Cresset Family Office (http://cressetcapital.com/tim)! Cresset offers family office services for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs. They handle the complex financial planning, uncertain tax strategies, timely exit planning, bill pay and wires, and all the other parts of wealth management that would otherwise pull me away from doing what I love most: making things, mastering skills, and spending time with the people I care about. Schedule a call today at cressetcapital.com/Tim (http://cressetcapital.com/tim) to see how Cresset can help streamline your financial plans and grow your wealth.
I’m a client of Cresset. There are no material conflicts other than this paid testimonial. All investing involves risk, including loss of principal.
The post Jordan Jonas, Champion of Alone — The Art of Survival, Lessons from Nomadic Tribes, Hardship as the Path to Peace, How to Handle Rogue Wolverines, and Why Not to Photograph Attacking Bears (#853) (https://tim.blog/2026/02/11/jordan-jonas/) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss (https://tim.blog).
- Reference: https://tim.blog/2026/02/11/jordan-jonas/
Write a comment