The Untold Truth of ‘Mountain Men’ Star – Marty Meierotto
Early Career
Feeling stifled by the stiff competition in the Wisconsin fur industry and its limited resources, Marty and his brother decided to relocate to Alaska. The two drove up to Alaska in 1985 where they prepared to restart their lives.
The opportunities in Alaska were scarce at first, Marty having to work multiple jobs and initially living in a tent. He worked as a janitor in Fairbanks, as well as a logger and a construction worker. This allowed him to save enough money to eat, purchase fur traps, and then build himself a cabin.
Fur Trapper
Eventually, Meierotto was able to quit his jobs and dedicate himself to fur trapping full time. He built an additional three cabins along his trapping line, choosing the best locations for his work.
He works collecting fur during the winter months – November through to March – with a focus on lynx fur, considered amongst the best quality fur found in the wild. While it generally has a mixture of black and brown spots on a white background, its value rises exponentially the whiter the fur is. Despite the intense menial labor involved in the trapping and collecting process, a lynx fur only sells for approximately $70. This means that Marty has to make a substantial number of trappings to support himself and his family.
Smokejumper
With the quality of fur heavily reliant on the weather, fur collecting is not a job that can sustain Meierotto all year round. During the summer months that generally run from April until October, Marty works as a smokejumper for the Alaskan fire service, meaning that Marty is deployed to parachute into the scene of fires where he can begin the process of putting it out.
“Mountain Men”
History Channel premiered “Mountain Men” on 31 May 2012. The show initially had a cast of three characters, but has since evolved and changed.
Alongside Marty Meierotto were Eustace Conway – a survival skills teacher and firewood harvester in North Carolina – and Tom Oar, an ex-rodeo cowboy who lives in the Montana Mountains with his family. The show follows multiple storylines, exploring the impact and drama of life in various mountainous regions.
Marty Meierotto frequents his cabin on the Northern Alaskan Slopes near the Draanjik river every month during the winter. Flying his customized Piper PA-18A-150 Super Club aircraft to his cabin, he spends the winter combing his traps on the mountainside to turn a profit. He navigates the cold in his snowmobile with no assistance whatsoever.
There have been several hair-raising events in his history on the show, including a near ‘plane crash, and saving a crew member from frostbite.
Leaving “Mountain Men”
Marty decided to leave the show after the 7th season, saying that “I don’t want the rest of me to be on camera because, at the end of the day, I am just a trapper.” He wanted to spend more time with his wife and daughter, and make sure that his life was about more than just television and entertainment. He will continue to work in the fur trade, but for now, his adventures will not be caught on camera.
