Mountain Men: Who are Chance and Soraya Painter?
In this article, we introduce you to the two newest cast members of the hit Sky HISTORY TV show: Mountain Men.
After more than a decade on air, Mountain Men continues to captivate audiences by shining a light on what it really means to be self-sufficient. The long-running reality series follows several individuals and families who have chosen to live in some of the harshest environments in North America.
The latest season introduces two new faces, Chance and Soraya Painter – a young couple in their 20s who have swapped modern conveniences for starting a family in the Alaskan wilderness. Their determination to raise their three sons off the beaten track is one of the most exciting additions to the show in recent years.
Keep reading as the Sky HISTORY team explains everything you need to know about the new cast members.
Who are Chance and Soraya Painter?
In many ways, Chance and Soraya Painter were born to be Mountain Men. Before joining the cast, they both loved the outdoors and practiced self-sufficient living. Chance spent much of his childhood building basic survival skills, most notably trapping and hunting. Driven by a strong desire for an off-the-grid lifestyle, he eventually moved to Alaska, where he lived off the land in isolated cabins.
Originally from Oregon, Soraya is used to evergreen forests, rugged coastline and snow-capped mountains. In episodes, she’s spoken about moving to Alaska to pursue a simpler, more grounded lifestyle, where she could raise a family on her terms. Her passion for community, food preservation and traditional homemaking made her transition from the Beaver State to the Last Frontier surprisingly easy.
The two met in Alaska and bonded over a shared love of nature and adventure, which they’ve passed onto their three sons: Otter, Omaciw and Eider. The couple’s Instagram page is full of family snaps – a baby babbling in a rawhide moose bassinet, smiling children hunting and fishing and afternoons spent foraging blueberries.
It's fair to say, Chance and Soraya were already living as Mountain Men long before joining the hit TV show and it’s this authenticity that’s made them an instant hit with fans around the world.
Image: Mountain Men
Parenting off the grid
Up until now, most of the Mountain Men cast have been seasoned survivalists and expert hunters, with years of experience under their belts. Take Tom Oar – the beloved veteran has been trapping, tanning and tracking since the 1970s, when he and his wife settled in Montana’s remote Yaak Valley.
Eustace Conway is another household name. He founded the 1,000-acre Turtle Island Preserve in North Carolina, an environmental education centre and wildlife sanctuary focused on natural living.
So, what makes Chance and Soraya different? Above all else, they’re the youngest family on the show, which poses unique challenges. Rather than drawing from decades of experience, they have to use their intuition to survive. It’s impossible not to root for the new parents as they overcome the elements with three small children in tow.
Parenthood is the main theme that the Painters bring to the show. Although there have been families before, Chance and Soraya offer a more detailed snapshot into parenting in extreme conditions and outside the mainstream education system. Viewers can follow their journey as they teach their boys to fish, forage and stay safe in the wild.
A uniquely remote location
Alongside parenting challenges, the Painters are one of the most isolated families on the show, living deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Their environment is a mixture of deep snow, thinning ice and unpredictable storms – not to mention the ever-present threat of bears, moose and wolves that share the land they live on.
This level of isolation raises the stakes of even the simplest tasks. Securing food for winter, keeping the children warm and protecting their cabin against rapidly changing weather become matters of life or death, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats.
What’s next for the Painter family?
As the season continues, viewers can expect to see the Painter family form deeper connections to the Alaskan wilderness – especially the children, who have never known any other life. Recent episodes show Chance and Soraya focusing heavily on passing down the skills their boys will need to thrive, from hunting and fishing to building their own unique forms of transport.
To follow the Painters’ remarkable journey and watch how they continue to survive the elements, make sure to tune in to the new series of Mountain Men on Sky HISTORY.
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