Ax Men: Season 1

MAN VS. MOUNTAIN - RISK AND REWARD. Deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, rugged men make their living doing one of the deadliest jobs in the world... logging. Meet four companies trying to survive each day. Pihl Logging a rag-tag group of loggers based in Vernonia, Oregon. Gustafson Logging a close-knit crew working one of the most dangerous jobs in the region. J.M. Browning the best of the best. Stump Branch Logging the young guns with a lot to prove. These are the Ax Men. STORM SEASON STRIKES - THE BIG HIT. As a storm closes in on the Oregon coast, the Ax Men race to stay one step ahead. Jesse continues to push the J.M. Browning crew to meet its looming deadline, while muddy roads trap trucks on their way to the Stump Branch site. Robby battles for control of the Gustafson crew. Pihl Logging feels the effects of the slumping lumber market as fears of a global recession are realised. MARKET MELTDOWN - REVERSAL OF FORTUNE. The Ax Men are reeling from the news of upcoming layoffs. A couple of hours from civilisation Gustafson Logging tries to get back on track on the Challenge site, whilst discovering the site is aptly named. Browning races to meet a big deadline. Pihl Logging is now under the gun to finish their Pig Farm job, and to find more work. Stump Branch could be heading for their most successful season ever, but will old equipment be their downfall? A LOGGER S THANKSGIVING - BLACK FRIDAY. As Thanksgiving arrives, some loggers have more to be thankful for than others. Winter weather strikes and the men of Pihl lose one man after another to illness. The season's first snow is a warning of things to come for the Stump Branch crew and mistakes and inexperience put profits and lives at risk. The Browning gang is back together, but Jay is forced to lay-off some of his staff. Back from a devastating two-week layoff, the Gustafson crew now face a nearly impossible deadline. STORM OF THE CENTURY - PICKING UP THE PIECES - THE FINAL HAUL. In a fury of hurricane-force winds and rain, the Oregon coast is pummelled by the worst storm in 25 years and Vernonia is declared a national disaster area as flood waters overtake the town. Darrell must act fast to save his house from falling trees as the town of Astoria descends into a blackout. As the farreaching devastation caused by the storm is measured, the future of the industry is in jeopardy. As logging's toughest season winds down, the battle is far from over. THE CLOSE CALL - LOGGERS UNDER FIRE. Stump Branch tests a new but more dangerous logging strategy... and it poses great danger to the men in the rigging. The Pihl men play while the bosses are away, but when they lose a crucial member of the team it puts the completion of the Pig Farm job in jeopardy. Browning Logging is a team divided. Jesse struggles to prove himself to his father... but faulty equipment isn't helping matters. A mistake on the Gustafson crew may end one man's career.