about us

OUR STORY

After the devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina, Chris Slife founded Survival U in hopes of inspiring others to be better prepared for future disasters, and to greatly improve their chances of survival.  Chris knew that in order to help others, he first needed to educate himself. It rapidly became obvious that much of the available information was useless in actual survival situations, so he diligently sought out legitimate, professional instruction. During his search he connected with top mentors in the field of survival, including Peter Kummerfeldt, and father-son duo Skip and Brett Stoffel. All of whom trained Chris in proven survival techniques.


Chris now runs a Survival Education Program for the Coeur d’Alene School District, regularly instructs new members of his county’s Search and Rescue Team (SAR), and continues to share his growing collection of survival resources and techniques on the Survival U, YouTube channel.

In 2023, to further expand the reach of Survival U, Chris teamed up with father-son duo John and Luke Thow. John’s company J.Thow Designs has specialized in bringing content to life since 1986.

 

OUR APPROACH

Survival U is dedicated to helping people survive in wilderness environments. We define wilderness as any area more than an hour away from medical and basic services. This includes remote locations miles from the nearest town or disaster-stricken areas where such services are unavailable.

In any survival situation, we must answer two fundamental questions:

  1. How do I protect my brain’s ability to make good decisions?
  2. How do I get rescued?

The answer is: Awareness + Preparedness + Adaptation = Our Best Odds for Survival. A successful survivor is aware of what to expect, prepares accordingly, and adapts to the situation. While no one can guarantee survival in every disaster, following this formula significantly increases your chances.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

We want to be clear that we are promoting a positive, professional approach to being prepared. None of this information is intended to be scary or sensationalistic. We highly encourage you, your family and friends to get outside, explore and enjoy the Great Outdoors. Multiple studies show that outdoor activities are part of a healthy lifestyle, and as an added bonus, help prepare you for survival situations.