Naman Shrestha
Amazon Prime’s ‘Hard North‘ is a survival documentary series that takes us on four different adventurous journeys of five aspiring homesteaders through different Canadian wildernesses. While going through extreme conditions in the rugged landscapes, the participants’ bushcraft skills and knowledge of survival were put to the test. Among the five young Canadians, Billy Rioux was one of the outstanding participants who gained the attention of many.
Billy Rioux Developed a Passion for the Wilderness From a Young Age
Born into a household with a history of bush crafting and cabin-building, Billy Rioux was more likely to inherit the passion and skills from his father and grandfather, both of whom built a cabin in 1975 and at the beginning of the 20th century, respectively. From his early days, he was not interested in school and instead preferred to spend time and connect with nature, which always gave him a sense of belonging. Growing up, he saw his father spend a lot of time in the woods hunting and camping. He learned several things about surviving in the wild from him.
At the age of 19, Billy embarked on his first extensive adventure, traveling across Canada to Alaska, hiking, climbing, and paddling. He even lived off his van for an entire year as he traveled to the western parts of the continent. Later, with just a single penny in his pocket, he explored 16 European countries. All these experiences only made him fall deeper in love with the adventures that the wilderness holds. So, in 2007, when he was 25 years old, he moved out of the city and constructed a log cabin all by himself in the woods, following the footsteps of his father and grandfather. It took him more than two summer months to complete building the house. Initially, he planned to live in the cabin for just a year, but since he felt right at home, he extended his stay.
Billy Rioux is a Brand Ambassador of a Clothing Brand Who Continues to Stay Close to Nature
Instead of chasing his passion blindly, Billy Rioux also prioritized his education and professional career. In 2001, he completed a course about Wildlife Protection from École de foresterie et du bois de Duchesnay, Quebec. For a year or so, he worked as a consultant at Production Slalom et Production Rivard in Montreal, Quebec, from 2010 to 2011. In 2012, he not only began pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in History at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), but he also worked at Pedro da Sylva Heritage group. Inc. et Vista-Global Production in Trois-Pistoles, Québec.
For his Master’s degree in History, he attended Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR). Meanwhile, he also had a short stint at Zone3 as a Consultant from January 2017 to August 2017. Billy served as a Brand Ambassador for KEEN before switching to N12 productions, where he was employed as a TV presenter. Currently, he is the Brand Ambassador of BIG BILL and a part-time lecturer at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi.
He also maintains a YouTube channel called Billy Rioux Adventurer, which he started back in 2012 while he was residing in his cabin. In his videos, he imparts his vast knowledge about wilderness survival and history while embarking on different adventures. In 2019, he also published his bushcraft book titled ‘Bushcraft, La Survie Relax.’ In the summer of 2023, he participated in an event organized by Commission de la capitale national at Place des Canotiers in Quebec, where he discussed unknown aspects of maritime history and showcased the replicas of historical boats that he had built over the years. In late 2023, he expressed his gratitude for being the brand ambassador of BIG BILL.
Read More: Emily Veilleux and Gilbert Chookomoolin: Where Are the Hard North Participants Now?
