We can learn key survival and success lessons from his experiences. Many of these apply not only in extreme situations but in ordinary life.

He parachuted into the French Alps recently and landed on a glacier with huge cracks in the ice called crevasses. These could be 200 feet deep and are often hidden by snow.

A French hiker fell into a crevasse in this area three years ago. He was roped to two friends. He dragged both his companions in with him. All three died.

Bear tied knots in a rope and dragged a haversack full of snow behind him. When he fell into a crevasse one or two knots bit into the snow and stopped him plunging deeper into the crevasse. He then used a prussic loop to help him climb out.

The prussic loop is made by tying a length of rope to the rope that is holding you up. You tie the loop as high above you as you can and then step onto the rope at the bottom of the loop so that you can use at least one of your legs to power you upwards.

We all know how much easier it is to climb a rope if you can use your legs as well as your arms. In the martial arts, too, you are taught to use the power of your whole body to help you strike with power or help you escape a tight hold.

We should, then, use all the physical and mental power we have to achieve our goals.

Another key lesson is to avoid dangerous situations unless you have specialized knowledge that you can call on if the worst happens.

In some situations in life you can't have what you want. Bear said wistfully: "I could murder a cup of tea." But there was no time to have tea even if he had some with him which he hadn't.

Bear remarked that the best piece of weather advice he had ever been given was that clouds often behave how they look. If they look menacing they are menacing. There were menacing clouds overhead. No time for tea.

A snow storm was on its way. Bear had to find shelter. He made a small snow cave in the lee of a slope. He did not have a shovel but used what he had - the plastic backing of his parachute.

He dug a small hole and made a snow shelf to sleep on. The cold air would sink into the cold well below the shelf.

You lose 70 % of your body heat through the ground, so try to lie on some clothes or anything else you have with you. Bear dozed a little and tried to keep his fingers and toes moving.

In the morning there was an extra foot of snow and he had to dig himself out: 'That's the worse night I've ever had."

We take so much for granted. A warm bed is readily available to nearly all of us. A few days in a survival situation might make us appreciate all the comforts and facilities which we barely notice.

We complain about problems which would be magnified hugely if we had to fight for survival as well.

Bear had to keep moving and find his bearings again because the snow fall overnight had disguised the landscape. To reach the tree line below he would have to cross a frozen lake.

People die in frozen lakes every year. Bear jumped into a frozen lake to demonstrate how to survive.

The first threat to survival is known as Gasp Shock. The cold water causes people to take huge gasps of air. But if they gasp in water they could well drown. At least one kayaker has been found dead hanging upside down from the kayak.

I have been upside down in a kayak off the west coast of Scotland. I had trouble getting out of the narrow kayak and was starting to get concerned as I struggled to get out. Fortunately it was summer and the water was not that cold. I also realized that I could kick a hole in the kayak if I needed to.

Bear Grylls had to fight the shock of icy water by controlling his breathing and keeping calm. He was in danger of cardiac arrest from the cold water. However it is the gradual numbing sensation of the cold which kills most people. This weakens them so much that they lack the strength to crawl out.

Sometimes our lives are destroyed not by the sudden shocks we face but by the bad habits which slowly take over our lives and render us incapable of escape.

Bear crawled out the way he came in because he could be certain of solid ground that way. He kicked hard with his legs and pulled with his arms to lift himself out of the water. Again, he used the power of his whole body to help him survive.

Once out of the water, you need to take off all your wet clothes. You lose heat 25 times faster when you are wet than when you are dry. Bear stripped stark naked and rubbed his skin with some snow to absorb some of the moisture.

He jogged on the spot and did some press ups. He got a fire going and dried his clothes so that he could get moving again. His swift actions kept him alive.

Eventually, he reached the tree line and found an ant's nest. Their eggs are very nutritious. But it was too early for eggs. Bear commented on this disappointment:

"That is the essence of survival. You win some. You lose some. But you've just got to keep trying. Keep trying."

That is the essence of success in any sphere of life.

You also have to take every opportunity to eat in a survival situation. No burger restaurants are available so you make do with whatever is on the menu locally.

Tender pine roots have a texture like celery and contain vital calories. Spring buds on a pine tree gave Bear some more calories.

His next major obstacle was an enormous gorge with a hundred foot drop. He used an old rope bridge to cross - quite a risk. I'm not sure it was worth taking just to save a longer walk.

Bear used a Tyrolean traverse where you pull yourself along staying on top of the ropes but at one point he slipped under the ropes and pulled himself along underneath with his legs wrapped around the rope above. Again, he used all his body strength to survive.

He now made a shelter with pine branches near a tree. He also made a fire. He prepared well for the fire since it is no use starting a fire unless you have wood to keep it going.

He next made spruce tea which contains 8 times more vitamin C than orange juice. He also set some traps made of wire outside some nearby burrows.

Bear then tried for that important part of survival - a decent night's sleep.

His traps were empty in the morning and he moved on next day until he came across a chunk of forest which had been hit by an avalanche about two weeks before.

Bear knew that some animals must have died in the avalanche. The stench of a dead chamoix guided him to its dead body which was being eaten by maggots.

Maggots are really good protein. You bite the heads off and eat the bodies. Pound for pound, maggots have more protein than steak. Bear tucked in to the live maggots but did not eat the dead and rotting chamoix itself.

He then set up a fishing line in a hole in a frozen lake. It was a bit makeshift but Bear again commented that the essence of survival is to just keep trying. Keep trying anything you can think of to give you something to eat.

In survival situations, don't just rely on one source of food. Bear left the fishing hole and started to track a fox so that he could steal its kill which probably would have been rabbit.

I was reminded of the days I went hunting rabbits in the Isle of Man with my granddad. He would send his Lakeland terrier along a rabbit track in a gorse bush and then stand with his walking stick at the other side of the bush.

He killed many a rabbit as it rushed out to escape the dog. On one occasion he hit the dog instead of the rabbit but the dog survived. Rabbit was frequently on the menu at home.

Bear headed back to his fish trap and found that he had caught a trout which he ate raw. It would give him the strength to keep going. His policy of using more than one food source had worked out.

He spent the night in a little cave which would keep him out of the wind. Next day he climbed a tree to get his bearings.

His luck now turned and he saw some cross country skiers. He followed their tracks to civilisation and survival.

Bear commented that he had learned one thing:

"These mountains look beautiful and may be a great place for a holiday but they can be treacherous and they demand the utmost respect."

I learned several things:

Stay calm and use all your physical and mental powers when you are in a survival situation.

Learn what you have to learn to deal with disasters and be ready to face uncomfortable and tough situations.

Appreciate the simple things we take for granted like a cup of hot tea and a warm bed. Our lives are so much easier than they could be.

Beware of habits which can gradually weaken and paralyze your will so that you cannot break free and survive.

Don't be fussy about what you have to do to survive. Eat live maggots if necessary.

Don't rely on just one way of achieving your goals. Fish and hunt if you have to. You may not catch a rabbit but you might catch a fish.

Learn that you win some and you lose some. The essence of survival is to keep trying whatever happens.