Episode Guide

As dawn breaks over a new logging season in the Pacific Northwest, the Ax Men prepare for the battle that lies ahead. Behind every turn, danger lurks. To survive, they must escape falling trees and bone-crushing machinery, face impossible deadlines and the worst weather Mother Nature can throw at them.

Returning from last season are the J.M. Browning crew, last year's winners who don't know how to lose, and Pihl Logging, an unruly group of true-blue lifetime loggers. Upping this year's ante are two new competitors: Washington-based newcomers Rygaard Logging and S&S Aqua Logging, a team of underwater loggers who fish for logs in some of the most violent waters in the Pacific Northwest. When every log they pull could be their last, there's no room for mistakes.

The battle to be crowned king of the mountains has just begun and already men are bowing out of the race. Rygaard's greenhorn struggles to earn the respect of his crew, while Jay Browning's $30,000 gamble on new equipment craps out. Jimmy Smith and his new deckhand, son James, try to reel in the log of their lives. And one of the mountain's most beloved Ax Men will hang up his saw for good.

This week, Ax Men soars to new heights as a helicopter logging outfit enters the competition.

At Pihl, Dustin tries to talk his father into coming back to work for Pihl. Rygaard's greenhorn faces his fears when he must climb a 100-ft tree, and Jimmy and James grasp at straws as their prized log slips from their clutches.

At Rygaard, the bosses clash over greenhorn Brad Hewitt. Meanwhile, at the Pihl team, Dwayne is forced to do the job of a greenhorn.

To the east, R&R Conner Aviation must choose between safety and production. Jimmy Smith and son James are still waging war against the mammoth deadhead known as Moby Dick. Usually, three strikes and you're out ... but Jimmy plays by a different set of rules ...
   

The mountain's men face the firing squad. Rygaard's greenhorn fights to keep his job, but the bosses may pull the plug before he gets his chance. Jimmy heads into uncharted waters; hidden below the surface is a minefield that could sink his business for good. Dustin Dethlefs encounters a deadly scenario and, at R&R, a sudden fog rolls in and traps a pilot in zero visibility.

The mountain seeks its revenge. Weather traps R&R's helicopter pilot in the fog. Trees fight back against Pihl's timber fallers. Rivers mount their defense, threatening to rip Jimmy Smith's barge in half. As a result, at Rygaard, logging is turned upside down when they move to a new downhill logging site.

The tables are turned and the mountain's underdogs get their chance. Jimmy Smith finds the holy grail of underwater logs when he attempts to pull a dock out of the water. The men of Pihl Logging battle the biggest timber of their careers. Logging giant Rygaard falls victim to its greenhorn, and helicopter logging suffers under the direction of its new pilot.

Dead weight must be shed. Inexperienced hook tender Jesse Browning, junior pilot Steve Smith and greenhorn Brad Hewitt all have their heads on the chopping block. They've been struggling since day one, but their company bosses are out of patience and out of options. Only one will survive the week.

New faces are welcomed to the fraternity of men known as the Ax Men. Rygaard and Conner Aviation hope their new greenhorns fare better than the last class. At Pihl, a missing cutter sends the crew on a search mission, and tempers at S&S Aqua Logging reach crisis level.

The gap between winners and losers is narrowing. Rygaard's new greenhorn battles to prove himself, while Conner Aviation's substitute pilot gets wild with the chopper. Dwayne Dethlefs leaves Pihl Logging high and dry, while the Aqua Loggers are sunk by bad weather. At Browning, Jesse's crew tries to catch Rygaard's lead.

The final week of logging's toughest season begins. Impossible goals leave no room for error, as each crew races the clock. While Rygaard and Browning are locked in a fight to the finish, Conner Aviation battles for survival. At Pihl, one man will not survive the week.

As the logging season winds to a close, the drama heats up. Conner fights off defeat, while the men of Pihl fight each other. Jimmy's barge refuses to budge, and for Browning and Rygaard, eleventh hour catastrophes send the competition down to the wire.