Shivangi Sinha
History Channel’s ‘Alone’ requires a mix of luck and skills to become the longest-standing person in the wilderness and win. In season 13, Žiga Ogorelec secured a big advantage right from the beginning, which set him up for success in the days that followed. Many of his personal requirements were met, and he remained safe and sound despite growing hardships. His perseverance helped him reach the top three positions, giving him a fair advantage that could help him last the longest.
Žiga Ogorelec Hunted a Large Moose That Gave Him an Edge Over Others
Žiga Ogorelec chose to leave a ferrocerium rod out of his ten-item loadout in exchange for another survival item. This meant that throughout his time in the Arctic wilderness, every fire had to be started using friction alone. With his background in freshwater ecology and bushcraft experience, Žiga was prepared to take on the demanding conditions. Rather than rushing into the competition, Žiga used the early days to establish his camp and develop a broader food strategy. His defining moment came when he shot a moose near his camp. Instead of immediately pursuing the wounded animal, he patiently followed its blood trail and gave it time. After the moose crossed a body of water overnight, Žiga continued the tracking process and recovered it.
The kill provided him with a huge supply of meat, fat, hide and other raw materials. As the season progressed, Žiga’s moose reserve helped keep him stable while the field continued to shrink. However, he still had to deal with the constant challenge of making friction fires. By the final stretch, he started carefully rationing the remaining moose meat and extracting as much fat as possible to withstand the worsening cold. His resourcefulness to make one major opportunity count helped Žiga reach the final three and remain one of the strongest contenders for the win.
Žiga Ogorelec is a Respected Biologist Pursuing His PhD Today
Žiga Ogorelec studied at the University of Ljubljana, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in General Biology from 2009 to 2012. He followed with a Master’s degree in Ecology and Biodiversity from 2012 to 2015. During his studies, he also spent the 2011–12 academic year in Essen, Germany, as an Erasmus student, completing 60 ECTS in English and German. In 2017, Žiga moved to Germany to pursue a PhD in Aquatic Biology and Limnology at the University of Konstanz, which he completed in 2021. His research interests include limnology, fish-zooplankton interactions, bioremediation and sustainable aquaculture.
Since May 2021, Žiga has been working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Institute of Biology. Alongside his academic pursuits, he has developed extensive experience in survival and outdoor skills. He began working as an instructor of survival training and wilderness skills in 2009 and has more than 20 years of experience with freshwater and marine angling and spearfishing. He also completed 15 weeks of basic military training with the Slovenian Armed Forces in 2014. His interests have taken him around the world as well. After university, Žiga spent a year traveling across 34 countries on five continents, cycling approximately 19,000 kilometers. His experiences show his adventurous and outdoors-oriented nature, which has pushed him to take on new challenges every once in a while.
Žiga Ogorelec’s Family Has Supported His Passion for the Outdoors
Alongside his academic career, Žiga also co-founded a bushcraft and survival school, named Gozdovništvo – Bushcraft and Survival School, in 2014. He runs with his younger brother, Miha, and serves as the Chief Instructor himself. The brothers have shared a passion for survival and wilderness skills for years and have undertaken many excursions together. Žiga also shares his outdoor knowledge through his Science of Survival YouTube channel and Instagram. He lives with his wife and their young son, Bor, in a love-filled home in Ljubljana, Slovenia. His family has remained an important part of his life. His wife’s support has allowed him to follow his adventurous spirit and he is forever grateful for that.
Read More: Aaron Barnard: Where is the Alone 13 Contestant Now?
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