Paul "Bear" Barendregt - A Pararescue Legend Discusses Training, Daring Missions, and Heli Skiing in Alaska

In this episode, Jen and Dyana chat with Heli Ski Guide and Former Pararescue Specialist, Paul "Bear" Barendregt. After enlisting in the Air Force right out of high school, Bear later joined the Alaska Air National Guard in 2000 and has since emerged as one of the most distinguished and recognizable pararescuemen in Alaska's wilderness rescue community.  With an impressive track record, he's directly responsible for saving 106 lives and assisting an additional 43 survivors across 91 challenging rescue missions in Alaska. Moreover, his expertise extends beyond Alaska's borders, having deployed worldwide for combat rescue missions and humanitarian aid efforts. These days, he's sharing his wealth of experience as a Heli Ski Guide, leading adventurous backcountry skiers through some of Alaska's most remote and wild mountain ranges. In this episode, they touch on some of his most daring rescue missions, the challenges of training, and what it’s like skiing some of the greatest mountain ranges in the world.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 4:38 How Dyana met Bear
• 6:57 How Bear got involved with the Air Force Pararescue
• 12:34 What was Pararescue training like?
• 15:21 The training that almost made Bear quit
• 16:40 The responsibilities of PJs
• 19:04 Standard protocol for emergency calls
• 21:30 Rescue missions on Denali
• 22:05 How PJs work with local search and rescue teams
• 25:06 Female PJs
• 26:02 Bear's proudest mission
• 30:12 Bear's most difficult mission
• 34:19 Common reasons civilians get rescued
• 37:53 How Bear and his team maintained focus and resilience during stressful situations
• 41:00 How Bear's experience as a PJ molded his life
• 45:36 Advice all people should know about survival
• 50:55 Being a helicopter ski guide
• 57:30 Bear's final piece of advice