The History Channel Announces New Series "Ax Men" to Debut March 9  2/26/08

From Deep in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest Comes an American Original… AX MEN Set for Debut March 9, 2008 at 10PM ET/PT on History

New Series Explores Rough and Tumble Logging Industry of Pacific Northwest

New York, NY, February 2008 - The first ever non-fiction series about the treacherous life of Pacific Northwest timber cutters, AX MEN, premieres Sunday, March 9 at 10pm ET/PT on History. From History and Original Productions, the same team responsible for the mega hit, Ice Road Truckers, this series looks at the legacy that the pioneers of our country laid for the present and future generations of loggers.

Deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, rugged men make their living doing one of the most dangerous jobs in history… Logging. Their mission: to retrieve timber perched on mountainsides too steep to access with machines. But this is no easy task.

For more than a hundred years, larger than life characters, many of whom are members of logging families that go back to the time when the West was being settled - have spent their days among towering trees and powerful machines and their nights in outposts far from the comforts of civilization. Ax Men will tell remarkable stories detailing the history of the logging industry, showing how technology has transformed life for today's logger, while the struggle of man versus nature stays the same.

Over the course of thirteen episodes, Ax Men follows four logging crews through a season in the remote forests of northwest Oregon. Plagued by mechanical failures, relentless weather-including a hurricane that ripped through the area- and violent and unpredictable terrain, these brave men risk their lives retrieving the very timber we depend upon to build our country. Snapped cables, runaway logs and treacherous machinery are among the many dangers that threaten the lives and safety everyday. Anything and everything can go wrong on these sites and the price of even the simplest mistake can mean death.

The four crews of Ax Men: " Pihl Logging - Pihl Logging has been the lifeblood of Vernonia, Oregon for almost 25 years. Almost everyone in town - all 2,300 of them - knows someone who relies on company owner Mike Pihl to keep their family fed. Pihl Logging is comprised of a group of men who like to trade jibes with each other almost as much as they like to cut timber. Mike's son-in-law Kelly is being groomed to take over the business one day, but the real heart of the operation is 30-year veteran timber cutter Dwayne Dethlefs. Rounding out the crew is Dwayne's son Dustin, greenhorn Cody Davis, site boss Todd Cutright, and a host of other colorful characters.

" J.M. Browning Logging - Operating out of Astoria, Oregon, no-nonsense, all-business Jay Browning started his company from the ground up. Logging is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet, and Jay Browning knows it. He lost his hand in a logging accident and now wears a prosthetic, but prides himself on not accepting any of the workers comp checks that followed the ordeal. Taking handouts isn't Jay Browning's style. J.M. Browning has the most powerful equipment, the most skilled workers and secures the biggest jobs in town. Jay is idolized by his employees, including son Jesse. Jesse's been sweating away in the woods for seven years in hopes that he will earn the right to take over his father's business one day.

" Stump Branch Logging - 32-year old company owner Melvin Lardy eats, sleeps and breathes logging. He's been in the business for more than a decade, but recently landed a monstrous job that could be his big break - if it doesn't break him in the process. Melvin's equipment is the logger's beginner set - a collection of rusted hunks of metal that stop at a moment's notice and shut down production without warning. Melvin has always succeeded where others have failed, though, and he's hoping his luck will hold out on this job. Part of his success depends on greenhorn Michael, who's been on the job only one month. Michael is working alongside his childhood buddies at Stump Branch, but lifelong friendship won't get him anywhere when it comes to learning the logging business. Michael is catching on quickly, but this business doesn't cut anyone a break.

" Gustafson Logging - Darrell Holthusen is the Superman of logging. By day, he oversees multiple job sites for one of the biggest companies in Astoria, Oregon. By night, Darrell coaches pee-wee football, counsels underprivileged youth, and is a devoted family man. Darrell's definition of a successful job is one that allows his men to return to their families each night unharmed. Gustafson Logging's newest job, aptly named "The Challenge," is one of the steepest and most inaccessible jobs they have ever attempted. To help him get the job done, Darrell is relying on Robby Motsinger, his yet-unproven crew chief, who must step up if he's going to earn the respect of Darrell and the other men of Gustafson Logging.

History.com will supplement Ax Men with a comprehensive minisite featuring more than 50 shortform pieces detailing the tools of the trade, where the lumber goes, the intricacy of the hand signals that loggers use and their origins; a 3-D interactive tour of the logging areas in Ax Men; a detailed history of logging; video and text bios of the loggers; a log burling game; the science of wood; a photo gallery; a plant a tree widget; and an episode guide with show descriptions and tune in info. Ax Men is produced by Original Productions. Executive producers for Original Productions are Thom Beers and Philip Segal. Executive producers for History are David McKillop and Dolores Gavin.

Source: History Channel Press Release

 

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