Get the Scoop on Serious Andes!

In this latest installment of the multi-award-winning Serious adventure series, eight young people live rough at altitude to return rare spectacled bears to the wild. They also attempt to go higher than any team their age, tackling the 20,000-foot volcano Cotopaxi.

Chosen from a record 36,000 applicants, the eight young adventurers take on an extreme expedition to the Andes mountains in Ecuador. Braving the elements, they climb to 13,000 feet (4,000 meters), where they build a huge pre-release enclosure for captive spectacled bears. Teetering on the brink of extinction, these rare animals are found only in the Andes and take their name from the distinctive white markings around their eyes. The main threat to spectacled bears is the destruction of their habitat — cloud forests, which are cut down for grazing. Cubs are also taken as pets.

The courageous kids help bring two bears, Beto and Leo, to the enclosure and later release them to the wild. They also attempt to become the youngest team to climb Cotopaxi (19,34 feet; 5,897 meters), one of the world's highest active volcanoes. With the constant threat of altitude sickness and frostbite, it's the toughest challenge ever taken on by a Serious team. Not all the adventurers will make it to the summit.

The eight team members include:
Joshua, age 12, from Twickenham, Middlesex
Will, age 15, High Wycombe, Bucks
Matt, age 14, from Addlestone, Surrey
Liam, age 14, Addlestone, Surrey
Caitlin, age 13, from Glasgow
Erin, age 15, from Bo'ness, nr Edinburgh
Kylie, age 15, from Middlesborough
Sarah, age 15, from London