Mike Pihl

The Ax Men return, facing tougher conditions than ever before. This season, industry titans Pihl Logging and Rygaard Logging tackle some of their most challenging jobs yet, attempting to thrive in a turbulent industry.

Danny Pihl relies on the experience of veteran cutters Dwayne and Chuck to take down massive old-growth trees. Craig Rygaard discovers son Jason made a catastrophic and costly miscalculation.

Jason Rygaard fights the weather while hauling heavy, slick trees on the steepest setting of the season; Danny Pihl and his veteran crew precisely drop 250-foot, old-growth cedars next to a group of cabins.

On the season finale of Ax Men, Jason Rygaard is racing to clear a hillside in time to fill four logging trucks; Jay R Harkness fights to control the untethered Tigercat on a steep, snow-covered mountainside.

Mike Pihl looks for help from a logging legend; Jason Rygaard faces his biggest test as the new boss and his father Craig's future at Rygaard logging is questioned; The Harkness crew battles winter storms and vertical terrain in the Cascade Mountains.

With only two weeks remaining in the season, the mountain is turned upside down. Browning bounces back, while Rygaard suffers a devastating loss. Jimmy's on thin ice at Collins.

The loggers struggle to get back on track after losing a man. At Browning, a weak cable threatens to kill half the crew, while the only remaining greenhorn at Rygaard is in the line of fire during a log-alanche.

Shelby's desperate dash for cash is halted when he crashes in the swamp. A monster gator stalks the S&S boys, pushing Jimmy to his breaking point. At Rygaard, Gabe competes against his own team and at Browning, Jay recruits DJ and Cody.

After an ill-fated road trip, Jimmy and James Smith arrive in Florida to tackle the dangerous black water of the American South, only to realize they're in way over their heads. Rygaard's greenhorns get a wake-up call when a cable snaps.

Jimmy and James come face-to-face with the 12-foot gator that has stalked them for weeks. In the swamps of Louisiana, Shelby goes solo on a challenging mission. At Rygaard, greenhorn Dave disappears.