Ben Fogle heads to the slopes for the season premiere of New Lives in the Wild, with the TV presenter meeting snowboarding star Mike Basich in a first-look clip at the upcoming episode.
The season 17 premiere sees Fogle head to Sierra Nevada mountain range in the US to visit Basich, who left the sport of snowboarding to pursue a quieter life at his hand-built log cabin.
In the sneak-peek clip, which can be shared exclusively by RadioTimes.com, Fogle chats to Basich about his choice to give up his career to “reconnect with the natural environment”.
When asked whether he misses competition, Basich says: “No. Full freedom. I’ve never felt better. The snow is going this way, I’m going to follow it.”
The clip also teases moments later in the episode, including how the ex-professional “got his kicks by pushing his body to the edge” by jumping out of helicopters before embarking on a “life-changing project”.
“I had a fire about a year ago, the whole place burned inside,” the American snowboarder says. “That’s the one thing I can’t get back is time for my kids, so that’s a hard thing to process and accept to know that I’ve got to figure something else out.”
In the episode, Fogle joins Basich at his log cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where they “explore the mountain on skis” and “embrace Mike’s genius in mechanics, metalwork and woodwork”.
Later on in the season, the TV presenter will be heading to the Australian rainforest, the Californian desert and a remote valley in Uruguay.
Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild airs on Tuesday 3rd January at 9pm on Channel 5.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.