Ice Road Truckers (2007) s03e03 Episode Script
Canadian Invasion
this is my first oversize Load.
narrator: And a rookie Trucker gets lost in an arctic Blow.
can't see a [bleep.]
thing Now.
Jimmy, how we doing? Jimmy, you doing all right? [wind blustering.]
narrator: At the top of the World [honk honk.]
There's a job only a few would Dare.
[exciting music.]
Just when you thought extreme Trucking couldn't get more Dangerous Ice road truckers take on Alaska.
[dramatic note.]
[aerosmith's living on the edge.]
we're living on the edge narrator: These are the Truckers who make their living On thin ice.
living on the edge you can't help yourself you can't help yourself living on the edge you can't help yourself from falling living on the edge narrator: Three weeks into The winter season on the dalton.
Of the 2,000 loads that carlisle Needs to move north to the oil Fields, only 500 have been Delivered.
And the clock is ticking.
A hill so slick they call it Oil spill.
It's an ice-covered slope that Has ended careersAnd lives.
[dramatic note.]
Tonight, jack jessee, one of Carlile's most dependable heavy Haulers, is rounding the top of Oil spill with a high-priority Load of 130-foot pipe.
As jack and his convoy ease down The hill, they spot trouble Ahead.
narrator: There's a pickup Truck stuck in a ditch with no Movement from inside the cab.
wow.
narrator: There are no Emergency services on the haul Road.
Jack is their only hope.
how you feeling? we're all right.
narrator: Luckily, the Passengers are unharmed.
But if left stranded, they will Certainly freeze in the subzero Cold.
can you tow me out? let me take a look.
It's about 30 below, so we can't Really leave 'em.
I mean, if you were to do Something like that, you could Actually sign their death Warrant by doing it.
narrator: Jack rigs a tow Strap and chains from the Stranded vehicle to his truck, But his truck is meant for heavy Haul, not towing.
if you get a steering tire Off into that snow or whatever, It'll suck you right off the Road.
narrator: In order to pull The vehicle out safely and keep His load of 130-foot pipe from Going in the ditch, jack angles The nose of his truck towards The accident while keeping his Trailer parallel to the road.
put him in reverse and tell Him just real, real easy.
Real easy.
Come on, spin the tire a Little.
Come onCome on Come on.
Oh! Almost.
Come on.
all right, whoa, whoa! narrator: He slides Dangerously close to the edge.
right now, my strap's too Long and I can't get close Enough to pull him up without Getting me too close to the Ditch.
The problem is my front end Literally doesn't have enough Friction on the ice.
narrator: Jack shortens the Tow strap and tries again.
[metal creaking.]
have him rev it a little More.
I need to try to get that wheel To spin if I can.
[revving.]
Come onCome on.
Come on, come on.
There we go.
Got him out.
Let's get him unhooked.
You guys have a good night.
All right, truck must go on.
Let's go.
narrator: Back on the road, Jack hopes to make up for lost Time, forging ahead through The last windswept icy stretch To deadhorse.
After 414 miles, finally, lights On the horizon.
we finally got to deadhorse.
Here's the carlile yard up Here in prudhoe.
We'll get in there, unhook from This trailer, and I'm going To bed.
It's been a long day, and I'm Tired.
It's about 30 below with a It's gonna be a cold one in the Truck tonight.
Just another day in paradise up Here.
narrator: As one epic run Comes to an end Two more are about to begin.
We're in carlile's yard in Fairbanks.
And we're preparing to leave On our first trip to prudhoe Bay.
[engine turns.]
okay.
She's ready to go.
I'm turning the key.
Don't believe it.
narrator: Hugh rowland and Alex debogorski have made it Through a week-long haul road Boot campJust to get a crack At the legendary dalton.
They passed the bar at carlile, But even so, their maiden voyage Will be closely supervised by Safety instructors.
[overlapping chatter.]
narrator: They're hauling Bound for deadhorse, the Gateway to the prudhoe bay oil Fields.
As usual, the polar bear is Eager to get a move on.
But alex gives his truck one Final inspection.
narrator: Hugh makes a break For it [honking.]
[laughing.]
narrator: Confident as ever.
everybody says they got a bad Road all over the world.
I'd like to try 'em, and this Is one that I've always wanted To try.
I'm ready to get at her.
I have all the confidence in the World I'm gonna succeed.
Everybody knows polar bears have The right of way.
[laughing.]
narrator: Back in the yard well, we're gonna put some More straps on this load.
Don't feel there's enough straps On it to make it safe.
This stage in life, I don't need To wreck nothing or have an Accident.
I don't need that kind of Excitement.
I got past that point in life Where, uh, a person acts as if He wants to get it over with as Fast as possible.
I'm at a point in life now where We're trying to stretch it out.
[laughing.]
narrator: Last season, alex's Run on the canadian ice roads Was cut short because of Critical heart trouble.
This season, he's out to prove He can make a comeback.
I kinda like to go do the job And get it done and go home Healthy without going home in a Stretcher.
narrator: To make it home Alive, alex isn't taking any Chances.
it's a lotta pipe.
It's 50,000 pounds, roughly.
The worst that can happen is The truck hits another truck Head-on or hits something, goes In the ditch and stops and the Pipe comes off and cuts the top Off the truck, goes into the Cab.
That's pretty well the worst That can happen.
Being dead's about the worst That can happen.
narrator: Alex departs for The great unknown with carlile Safety instructor phil crom, Headed for an ice road of steep Hills and sharp curves Unlike anything he's driven in His 37-year career.
this is like another driver's Test, except it's going to be The biggest challenge, I guess, Is to impress them that I can Drive the truck by myself Without having him there to help Me.
Hopefully, he will laugh at my Jokes.
[laughing.]
narrator: Back at carlile, Next up, 28-year-old lisa kelly.
While her truck gets a service, She attempts to up the stakes.
[telephone rings.]
dispatch.
This is tim.
it's lisa.
I need something going north.
I need something a little bit More difficult Only because I'm tired of Getting teased.
uh-huh.
well, there's these 6-foot Tires, and the man was here.
I said, "pretty cool.
" narrator: With bigger loads Comes a bigger paycheck $1,300 and up for a successful Haul.
for lisa to make it into Heavy haul, probably what she's Gonna have to prove to everyone Is that she's capable of running The haul road safely and with Challenging loads.
We've got a lot of oversized Loads out here in the yard, So she if makes it through this Winter and does well, that'll be A real feather in her cap for Her.
lisa gets her big chance With a 42,000-pound load Of truck tires.
oops.
[laughs.]
Air lines and my lights.
Six whole tires.
I'm feeling good right now.
I just took some caffeine, so We're gonna shoot for the moon.
narrator: Lisa's mission To run with the big boys And let them know she's on the Rise.
you like my load? I'm pretty impressed.
Big trucking now.
oh, yeah, yeah.
I'm glad you're impressed.
That's why I did it.
narrator: But hauling heavier Loads could prove to be more Than she bargained for.
Lisa approaches the dalton's First major challengethe taps.
A terrifying 56 miles of steep And twisted curves that test The skills of every driver Especially hvy haulers.
boy, this thing's so heavy.
I'm so used to putting my foot Into it and it actually like Picks up speed.
here come the next all righty, we're just Hitting the daltonNow.
There we are.
I'm zeroed out.
and the fun begins.
you know it.
narrator: Lisa's pilot car Driver leads the way.
okay, great.
Our job is to stay ahead of the Load, stay out far enough in Front of the driver so that we Can get traffic pulled over Off of the road.
narrator: And today, a sudden Spike in temperature has made The road dangerously slick.
well, it's like 29 right now.
All winter it's like 40 below, And it's nice and icy and Frozen and they water the road And stuff.
And then it warms up And then it gets really Slippery.
This temperature's always Real funEspecially for your First time with a heavy load Like this.
I'm going up 2,5.
yeah, okay.
Lisa, hug the curve.
It's real slick.
ooh, this is kind of slick.
Where's the traction? OhCrap.
narrator: On the dalton's First icy stretch of steep and Twisted curves, lisa kelly has Lost all traction.
where's the traction? Come on, honey.
We can do it.
Oh! Oh, [bleep.]
.
Just kidding.
narrator: As she struggles For control on the ice A southbound pickup truck comes Barreling towards her.
uh-oh.
Holy crap.
Oh, get over.
Jeez! [honking.]
Whoo.
This is not good.
This road is scary today.
Okay, we got traction now.
Here we go.
We survived that one.
I'm gonna chain up because I Slid pretty much all the way up That.
yeah, I thought you might Have a problem on that one.
narrator: Throwing a set of Cold is not everyone's idea of Fun.
yay! I love this part.
narrator: But then again, Lisa is not your average ice Road trucker.
if the chains are too loose And they get slapped and stuff, They tend to break links.
I try to keep them snugged up Pretty good.
You don't want 'em too snug, 'cause then they'll start Wearing on the tires.
narrator: Lisa rigs two sets Of chains to the tires of the Truck's front drive axle, which Does all the work and requires The extra traction.
okay, good to go.
narrator: With the chains on, Lisa gears up for the big hills Ahead.
it looks like it's closed.
The wind's picking up.
That's not a good sign.
narrator: 70 miles north of Fairbanks [horn honks.]
Hugh "the polar bear" rowland is Poised to be the first of the Two canadians to make it onto The ice road.
oh, I think alex is gonna Start to slow down now.
You know, he's getting up there, And he's getting pretty long in The tooth.
[laughing.]
But I'll probably have to pass Him like usual a couple of times Today [laughs.]
While he's napping.
[laughing.]
narrator: But before he can Take on the deadly curves ahead, He's got to double-check that His load is secure.
every time we stop, I'll Check these straps, every time.
narrator: While hugh does his Final check [horn hwnking.]
His old rival passes him by.
[horn honks.]
[laughing.]
[horn honking.]
I've been trying to look After myself here.
No time to look after hugh.
[laughing.]
narrator: Hugh is left in the Dust as alex blazes on towards The most important test of his Career, where one mistake could End in disaster.
there's been a lot of deaths Over the last 30 years on this Road.
yeah, little cross there just To remind you.
yeah, there's several of Them up and down the road.
Driver coming north, they come Around that corner too fast, Flopped over in the road and Went through the guardrail and Over the bank.
You know, there's so much to Contend with all the time now Out here.
narrator: Alex approaches the Final stretch before the dalton Begins.
Up ahead, 414 miles of the World's most extreme trucking And alex is still getting used To an unfamiliar transmission.
He normally drives an 18-speed Gearbox.
Now he's using a super ten, Which requires shifting with a Hand splitter.
And if you don't get it right, You could easily miss a gear.
got to get used to using that Transmission, that super ten.
To me, that's my biggest Challenge.
yeah, go ahead and wind her Up.
You got a short, but it's a Pretty steep pitch here.
[gears grinding.]
[truck stalls.]
son of a bitch.
narrator: The 37-year veteran Misses a gear, stalling the Truck just three miles from the Start of the haul road.
all right, here we go again.
narrator: While alex crawls Up the hill [horn honking.]
[laughing.]
narrator: The polar bear Takes back the lead and charges Ahead to the ice.
and that right there is one Mile.
That's the start of the dalton Right there.
This corner down here took out Several trucks in the last Couple yearsbad wrecks, really Bad wrecks.
It's all you can do to keep Yourself on the road, you know? Drive the truck and don't crash, And we'll be in good shape.
right on.
you want to be down to about, You know, 35 when you go around This corner.
yeah.
narrator: Hugh doesn't heed The warning.
His tires lose traction around The sharp curve.
I made it around that one.
I don't know how I made it Around that one.
[laughing.]
narrator: Tony doesn't want To take any more chances.
go ahead and peel off right Here and get on off the road Here.
narrator: He orders hugh to Pull over and into the Passenger's seat.
He'll have to see the road Before he'll be allowed to drive It.
they want professional Drivers, but what the [bleep.]
is Going on here? narrator: 110 miles up the Road, rookie driver tim freeman And his mentor, george spears, Prepare for the slick descent Called beaver slide.
It's two miles of 11% grade, The equivalent of driving Straight down a ski slope, and Braking is not advised.
this is the first snow Flurries we've come across Today.
Hopefully, from what everybody Says, it shouldn't be too bad.
I don't think we're gonna have a Real problem with it.
narrator: It's only tim's Second trip ever on the ice.
On his first trip, tim survived A brake failure, a near head-on Collision, and a blinding Whiteout.
But tim's challenges have only Just begun.
I can'tabsolutely can't see The road down here.
[bleep.]
.
here's your phase three, Boys.
a phase three is when you Can't see [bleep.]
.
narrator: 110 miles from Fairbanks is one of the dalton's Longest and steepest hills Two miles of 11% grade covered In ice, known as the Beaver slide.
[horn honking.]
I'll get tim gathered up, and We'll start easing down off Here.
narrator: Veteran George spears and rookie driver Tim freeman have just begun the Long descent.
It's enough to test a trucker's Skill on a clear day, and today They're in a phase-three Blizzard.
a phase three is when you Can't see [bleep.]
, okay? Uh, the visibility's not very Good right now.
still coming, george.
I can't see a [bleep.]
thing, Though.
I wasn't expecting it to be This bad.
This kind of conditions will put A lot of guys, period, in the Ditch.
[bleep.]
.
narrator: With visibility This bad, tim could drive off The road at any moment.
[bleep.]
.
timmy, just take it real Easy and watch for one Delineator on one side, one on The other.
narrator: Delineators Identify the edge of the road.
They're generally staggered Every 100 feet.
don't steer too far either Direction.
Just stay right down the middle.
I'm kind of slowed down here, Timmy.
I got my backup lights on and Stuff.
Tim, can you still see me all Right? this is bad.
[bleep.]
me.
we're stoppin' to wait for Tim here so he can get caught Up.
Timmy, how we doing? narrator: George loses radio Contact with the rookie.
uh, tim? Tim? Timmy? Timmy, you doin' all right? [horn honking.]
Yeah, that's me, tim.
I see you right there.
oh, wow.
you wanted some wind, you got It.
[chuckling.]
I didn't think it was gonna be That bad.
well, we were driving down One of the steepest, straightest Grades on the road, couldn't see [bleep.]
nothing in front of us.
I was shaking all the way down.
Um, I've never driven on flat Land in visibility that poor, Where I didn't say, "[bleep.]
It," and found a spot to pull Off, not to mention an 11% grade Downhill.
narrator: Once again, George's 30-year history on this Road proved invaluable to the Rookie.
man, he really kicked ass Coaching me down through there.
Uh, kept his cool so I could Keep mine.
I owe him dinner at coldfoot.
Whoo.
narrator: Back at the start Of the dalton, hugh's hopes of Driving the haul road have been Shattered.
After speeding around a slick Curve He must forfeit the wheel and Ride shotgun.
Carlile safety instructor Tony molesky is taking over.
he just took off out of here, Phil.
You can't just mash your motor And go up the hill all the time.
The guys really got to watch it And just ease it on up at, like, Half throttle.
You got something to play with, You know? narrator: Five miles back [gears grinding.]
Alex struggles with the Unfamiliar super ten Transmission.
it just takes time and miles.
I'm gonna get heckled whether I do it right or wrong, but Doing it wrong or having a Problem, I'm gonna get heckled That much more.
[laughing.]
I would imagine.
Our qualcomm just went off, Telling us there's a message to Read.
you're kidding.
Uh-oh, am I in trouble? narrator: Haul road trucks Are equipped with an emergency Bulletin system.
The alert is for an arctic storm Up ahead.
the weather can change in Five miles or five minutes Anywhere in the state of alaska.
Blowing snow is dangerous in a Lot of ways.
One, you can't see.
You can run off the road and Flop over.
You can crash into the person in Front of you that you're trying To follow, 'cause you can't see Them.
potential for disaster.
narrator: With the storm Closing in, phil decides he Can't risk it with a new driver.
we'll switch places.
I'll drive forfrom here.
I think you can get a better Look at it watching it first.
narrator: He's a legend on The ice roads of canada, but in Alaska, alex is treated just Like any other rookie.
Like hugh, he's forced to ride Shotgun for the rest of the Trip.
The legend of the dalton is not Only known among truckers.
The road itself is a feat of Engineering.
Alaskan wilderness, it was built In 1974 in just six months to Aid the construction of the Trans-alaskan pipeline.
Total cost of the roadover $150 million.
Built on frozen soil and paved With I, the dalton is key to The world's oil supply.
if the frozen ground stays Frozen, then the road will Remain passable.
The oil will continue to flow.
narrator: Back from his last Heavy haul up the ice road, Jack jessee wastes no time Getting to his next challenge An oversized load bound for the this is a pipe rack that one Of the oil companies have asked Us to transport to alpine.
narrator: The structural pipe Rack is used for oil production.
It attaches multiple oil-well Heads to the trans-alaskan Pipeline system.
one and two and then one and Two in the back.
it's obviously very critical.
Production will suffer if it's Not there.
what did you say, uh, the Overhang on each side? as long as we get it centered On the trailer, it'll be good.
yeah, we got to get this one On the road.
The schedule is tight this year.
We have a lot of loads to get To prudhoe in a short window Of time.
it's, uh, 16 feet wide, Right at 17 feet high.
Center of gravity on this Particular load is probably About ten feet in the air, You know, doing a lot of this.
So we added some more chains and Pulled it straight down to get Some good down pressure on it so It stays on the trailer.
narrator: As dusk approaches, Jack makes the load legal for Travel over the ice road.
we met all the requirements Of our permitflags, oversize Signs, reflective tape to run at Night.
So I'm getting in, and let's go.
[horn honks.]
narrator: The 16-foot wide Pipe rack takes up the entire Lane and over half of the Oncoming lane.
Road, man.
You can't get overconfident on This road, because about the Time you get overconfident and Think you know everything there Is to know about this road, They're gonna be scraping you up Out of the ditch.
narrator: Jack is making good Time, when suddenly all traffic Comes to a standstill.
copy that.
[hums.]
Okay, debbie, so what's the Story? Scott? Whoever.
narrator: A spun-out truck Up ahead is blocking the Northbound lane.
so there's plenty of room on The other side of him for a Normal eight, six-wide load, but Not for my 16-feet wide load That I've got.
narrator: Jack has no choice But to wait, burning time and Money.
male narrator: 75 miles north Of fairbanks, jack jessee is Stopped dead in his tracks.
A spun-out truck is blocking the Road.
[sighs.]
I just lost my momentum coming Up here.
narrator: And jack's Oversized load is too wide to Pass.
this guy, he's not in a good.
He's in a curve going uphill, And nobody can see him from Either direction.
So if two trucksif another one Going up the hill and one coming Down the hill and they all meet In the same place, I mean, it's Gonna be a horrendous crash, So [horn honks.]
narrator: The driver can't Get enough traction on the ice To move out of the way.
he doesn't have the proper Chains to get himself up the Hill, so I've got to put some in A pilot car so we can take him Up there so he can get off the Hill so I can get by him.
yup.
All right, let's head it up the Hill.
all right.
Good luck, scott.
Between the three of 'em up Here, somebody ought to know how To put tire chains on.
but everybody's gotta get Educated, so yeah, but they're doing it at My expense right now.
yeah.
and I don't like that.
narrator: If the wheels Aren't turning, nobody's Earning, and if the truck can't Clear the hill, jack may be Forced to return to fairbanks.
frustrating, I guess.
It's mostly frustrating for me Because he didn't have what he Needed to do the job.
Uh, he's only got single-rail Tire chains, which means his Only chain he can put on there Goes over one tire.
So when we put chains on, we put 'em over a group of two tires.
That may work fine down in the States, you know, on the Pavement, but up here you've Gotta have three-railers.
And you gotta have enough to go Over every tire.
We actuallywe laugh if Somebody says they've got Singles to put on.
I don't think I can get my Arms in there any better than You can.
guess not.
this isthis is definitely Gonna make for a long night.
narrator: After nearly three Hours, the spun-out truck is Cleared from the road, and jack Is ready to blaze a trail north.
okay, debbie, we're ready to Roll.
Blow that smoke out.
Let's go.
narrator: 253 miles up the Ice road, alex and phil crom Are heading north toward the Dalton's most epic challenge Atigun pass.
this is atigun pass that You're looking at.
well, that's a pretty Impressive climb right there.
it's two and a half miles up This side and two and half down The other side.
it's steep, and there's a Drop-off on the right and a Mountain on the left.
yeah, um, this time a year, One thing you gotta watch out For is avalanches.
One of our guys here six or Seven years ago was coming up, An avalanche hit him.
Ripped the sleeve off the Chassis.
Twisted up and mangled the truck And cab and buried it.
Picked him up and set him over The bank there and survived it.
He must have been awful lucky, 'cause it's a long ways down, And there's nothing down there But rocks.
And I don't mean little ones.
They're boulders.
it's pretty impressive.
It'll be a challenge to go up Here now.
First of all, gotta make that Shift.
[horn honks.]
see, somebody spun out here.
We're gonna get on their marks.
[suspenseful music.]
Hang on a second.
I gotta holler at tony.
You get below the pipe crossing, Tony oh, okay.
narrator: Just behind phil And alex are hugh and driving Instructor tony molesky.
if you do break loose really Bad, it'll wanna take off on You.
And down the hill you go.
Like a toboggan, you know? if you go off one of them Banks, youyou're gonna die.
Your load's gonna take the cab Of the truck off.
well, it looks like somebody Ran off the road right there.
[radio chattering.]
somebody put it in the ditch There.
there's a bad deal.
Really bad wreck.
Went down and rolled over twice.
Totaled a brand-new truck and Tanker.
After seeing that, it makes a Guy kinda slow down, you know? oh, yeah.
a guy just gets that feeling And slows down, you know? yeah.
just out of respect or Whatever.
narrator: It's a warning the Rookies can't ignore.
Nearly every mile of this rugged Terrain has taken a trucker's Life.
The convoy pushes through the Night to deadhorse.
Three hours later, they arrive At the carlile terminal.
go around the end of the Airport here, in prudhoe bay.
narrator: Alex and hugh may Not have driven the full trip, But they experienced many of its Perils firsthand.
all it was was a load of Pipe, but we'd never drove the Road before, so the biggest Challenge was just going down The road for the first time.
I mean, you don't know the Road after one trip, but you Know the potential of the road.
And on this one you're not gonna Go through the ice and drown, But you're gonna go off a cliff And die.
[laughing.]
you better hurry up, because You're gonna be getting up in an Hour.
narrator: Next time hugh and Alex face the ice, they'll have To drive it alone.
Lisa kelly slowly pushes ahead With her first ever oversized Load.
we're hauling these tires, These huge tires.
narrator: She's being tested At every turn.
where's the traction? narrator: First she slid Clear across the ice.
oh, [bleep.]
.
It's spinning.
narrator: Now the unforgiving Alaskan weather is whipping up Another storm.
got the wind blowing across The road.
We got a few snowdrifts on the Southbound side.
narrator: Gusting at nearly Lisa's load with a terrifying Force.
I don't like those tires Hanging out like that.
I'mI'm going, "hmm," worrying About it.
I want it back on the trailer.
let me know when you got it Hooked.
got it? yeah.
narrator: She tightens the Straps to their limit.
there.
That's as tight as that one's Going for me.
I'm just too strong for this.
hoping they'll hold up Against the oncoming storm.
the wind isn't making it any Warmer.
narrator: But when she goes For the last strap [breathes heavily.]
male narrator: 200 miles North of fairbanks, there's a Trucker down.
[breathes heavily.]
narrator: A ratchet broke, Hurtling lisa kelly to the Frozen ground.
oh, you all right? Lisa? what happened? Sorry.
I had a little technical Problem.
[laughs.]
That stupidI don't know what Happened.
I was tightening it down, and That portable fell off the I mean, something, like, bent The metal or something, and it Came off.
oh.
Yeah, they'll do that sometimes.
They'll pop loose.
so I got to roll around on The ground a little bit, you Know.
there you go.
Let's go to coldfoot.
show my true ballet-ness.
there you go.
narrator: With her load Secure, lisa gets back on the Ice.
all I heard was "50-mile-an-hour winds.
" [laughs.]
narrator: The storm is Pounding the road with snow and Ice, forcing her to chain up Again in the bitter cold.
next time you see me, my hair Will be a disaster.
Ah, it's cold! Okay, record time.
all righty.
Boy, you're getting pretty good At slinging them chains, huh? are you timing me? Are my times getting better? I'm not timing you, but it Sure is taking a lot less time.
You're getting really good at That.
narrator: With added Traction, lisa forges ahead.
it's starting to snow more.
Starting to blow more.
Yeah, good thing we chained.
Whoo.
Thank gosh.
[horn honks.]
I remember when it was 30 it was Blowing trailers over.
narrator: 50-mile-per-hour Wind has put countless trucks in The ditch.
In an instant, a sudden gust Could send lisa over the edge.
uh, yeah, the wind's getting More aggressive.
narrator: As lisa nears Coldfoot, she and her pilot car Decide it's unsafe to push any Further.
yeah, I doubt we're gonna hit Atigun before midnight, Anyway.
yup, I agree.
Coldfoot works for me.
narrator: They call it quits, And take shelter from the storm.
The truck stop has the only Phone on the 500-mile journey.
hey, hon? We're at coldfoot right now, And we finally made it here, And there's a storm brewing up North, so, um, it might not even Clear till tomorrow night.
So if you don't hear from me for A while, that's why.
We're gonna be stuck here at Coldfoot for a while.
Yeah.
So I just thought I'd let you Know so you don't worry.
narrator: After just one week Of the ice road season, veteran George spears and jack jessee Have each completed two loads, And the two canadian recruits Have yet to pull their weight in Alaska.
Still on the road, just 70 miles South of deadhorse, a Phase-three storm has cleared All trucks off the dalton.
Except for one.
Jack jessee and his pilot cars Are caught in the eye of the Storm.
so the storm's moving in Really fast.
It's gonna get pretty intense Our here tonight.
narrator: Visibility is near Zero.
but right now the problem is There are no delineators.
So 50 miles will take you eight Hours.
narrator: If jack stops now, He could be stranded in the Storm.
He has no choice but to push Forward.
I can't see anything.
I can't see the road.
I can't even see a set of Headlights in front of me.
And thisthis ain't gonna get Any better.
narrator: And a rookie Trucker gets lost in an arctic Blow.
can't see a [bleep.]
thing Now.
Jimmy, how we doing? Jimmy, you doing all right? [wind blustering.]
narrator: At the top of the World [honk honk.]
There's a job only a few would Dare.
[exciting music.]
Just when you thought extreme Trucking couldn't get more Dangerous Ice road truckers take on Alaska.
[dramatic note.]
[aerosmith's living on the edge.]
we're living on the edge narrator: These are the Truckers who make their living On thin ice.
living on the edge you can't help yourself you can't help yourself living on the edge you can't help yourself from falling living on the edge narrator: Three weeks into The winter season on the dalton.
Of the 2,000 loads that carlisle Needs to move north to the oil Fields, only 500 have been Delivered.
And the clock is ticking.
A hill so slick they call it Oil spill.
It's an ice-covered slope that Has ended careersAnd lives.
[dramatic note.]
Tonight, jack jessee, one of Carlile's most dependable heavy Haulers, is rounding the top of Oil spill with a high-priority Load of 130-foot pipe.
As jack and his convoy ease down The hill, they spot trouble Ahead.
narrator: There's a pickup Truck stuck in a ditch with no Movement from inside the cab.
wow.
narrator: There are no Emergency services on the haul Road.
Jack is their only hope.
how you feeling? we're all right.
narrator: Luckily, the Passengers are unharmed.
But if left stranded, they will Certainly freeze in the subzero Cold.
can you tow me out? let me take a look.
It's about 30 below, so we can't Really leave 'em.
I mean, if you were to do Something like that, you could Actually sign their death Warrant by doing it.
narrator: Jack rigs a tow Strap and chains from the Stranded vehicle to his truck, But his truck is meant for heavy Haul, not towing.
if you get a steering tire Off into that snow or whatever, It'll suck you right off the Road.
narrator: In order to pull The vehicle out safely and keep His load of 130-foot pipe from Going in the ditch, jack angles The nose of his truck towards The accident while keeping his Trailer parallel to the road.
put him in reverse and tell Him just real, real easy.
Real easy.
Come on, spin the tire a Little.
Come onCome on Come on.
Oh! Almost.
Come on.
all right, whoa, whoa! narrator: He slides Dangerously close to the edge.
right now, my strap's too Long and I can't get close Enough to pull him up without Getting me too close to the Ditch.
The problem is my front end Literally doesn't have enough Friction on the ice.
narrator: Jack shortens the Tow strap and tries again.
[metal creaking.]
have him rev it a little More.
I need to try to get that wheel To spin if I can.
[revving.]
Come onCome on.
Come on, come on.
There we go.
Got him out.
Let's get him unhooked.
You guys have a good night.
All right, truck must go on.
Let's go.
narrator: Back on the road, Jack hopes to make up for lost Time, forging ahead through The last windswept icy stretch To deadhorse.
After 414 miles, finally, lights On the horizon.
we finally got to deadhorse.
Here's the carlile yard up Here in prudhoe.
We'll get in there, unhook from This trailer, and I'm going To bed.
It's been a long day, and I'm Tired.
It's about 30 below with a It's gonna be a cold one in the Truck tonight.
Just another day in paradise up Here.
narrator: As one epic run Comes to an end Two more are about to begin.
We're in carlile's yard in Fairbanks.
And we're preparing to leave On our first trip to prudhoe Bay.
[engine turns.]
okay.
She's ready to go.
I'm turning the key.
Don't believe it.
narrator: Hugh rowland and Alex debogorski have made it Through a week-long haul road Boot campJust to get a crack At the legendary dalton.
They passed the bar at carlile, But even so, their maiden voyage Will be closely supervised by Safety instructors.
[overlapping chatter.]
narrator: They're hauling Bound for deadhorse, the Gateway to the prudhoe bay oil Fields.
As usual, the polar bear is Eager to get a move on.
But alex gives his truck one Final inspection.
narrator: Hugh makes a break For it [honking.]
[laughing.]
narrator: Confident as ever.
everybody says they got a bad Road all over the world.
I'd like to try 'em, and this Is one that I've always wanted To try.
I'm ready to get at her.
I have all the confidence in the World I'm gonna succeed.
Everybody knows polar bears have The right of way.
[laughing.]
narrator: Back in the yard well, we're gonna put some More straps on this load.
Don't feel there's enough straps On it to make it safe.
This stage in life, I don't need To wreck nothing or have an Accident.
I don't need that kind of Excitement.
I got past that point in life Where, uh, a person acts as if He wants to get it over with as Fast as possible.
I'm at a point in life now where We're trying to stretch it out.
[laughing.]
narrator: Last season, alex's Run on the canadian ice roads Was cut short because of Critical heart trouble.
This season, he's out to prove He can make a comeback.
I kinda like to go do the job And get it done and go home Healthy without going home in a Stretcher.
narrator: To make it home Alive, alex isn't taking any Chances.
it's a lotta pipe.
It's 50,000 pounds, roughly.
The worst that can happen is The truck hits another truck Head-on or hits something, goes In the ditch and stops and the Pipe comes off and cuts the top Off the truck, goes into the Cab.
That's pretty well the worst That can happen.
Being dead's about the worst That can happen.
narrator: Alex departs for The great unknown with carlile Safety instructor phil crom, Headed for an ice road of steep Hills and sharp curves Unlike anything he's driven in His 37-year career.
this is like another driver's Test, except it's going to be The biggest challenge, I guess, Is to impress them that I can Drive the truck by myself Without having him there to help Me.
Hopefully, he will laugh at my Jokes.
[laughing.]
narrator: Back at carlile, Next up, 28-year-old lisa kelly.
While her truck gets a service, She attempts to up the stakes.
[telephone rings.]
dispatch.
This is tim.
it's lisa.
I need something going north.
I need something a little bit More difficult Only because I'm tired of Getting teased.
uh-huh.
well, there's these 6-foot Tires, and the man was here.
I said, "pretty cool.
" narrator: With bigger loads Comes a bigger paycheck $1,300 and up for a successful Haul.
for lisa to make it into Heavy haul, probably what she's Gonna have to prove to everyone Is that she's capable of running The haul road safely and with Challenging loads.
We've got a lot of oversized Loads out here in the yard, So she if makes it through this Winter and does well, that'll be A real feather in her cap for Her.
lisa gets her big chance With a 42,000-pound load Of truck tires.
oops.
[laughs.]
Air lines and my lights.
Six whole tires.
I'm feeling good right now.
I just took some caffeine, so We're gonna shoot for the moon.
narrator: Lisa's mission To run with the big boys And let them know she's on the Rise.
you like my load? I'm pretty impressed.
Big trucking now.
oh, yeah, yeah.
I'm glad you're impressed.
That's why I did it.
narrator: But hauling heavier Loads could prove to be more Than she bargained for.
Lisa approaches the dalton's First major challengethe taps.
A terrifying 56 miles of steep And twisted curves that test The skills of every driver Especially hvy haulers.
boy, this thing's so heavy.
I'm so used to putting my foot Into it and it actually like Picks up speed.
here come the next all righty, we're just Hitting the daltonNow.
There we are.
I'm zeroed out.
and the fun begins.
you know it.
narrator: Lisa's pilot car Driver leads the way.
okay, great.
Our job is to stay ahead of the Load, stay out far enough in Front of the driver so that we Can get traffic pulled over Off of the road.
narrator: And today, a sudden Spike in temperature has made The road dangerously slick.
well, it's like 29 right now.
All winter it's like 40 below, And it's nice and icy and Frozen and they water the road And stuff.
And then it warms up And then it gets really Slippery.
This temperature's always Real funEspecially for your First time with a heavy load Like this.
I'm going up 2,5.
yeah, okay.
Lisa, hug the curve.
It's real slick.
ooh, this is kind of slick.
Where's the traction? OhCrap.
narrator: On the dalton's First icy stretch of steep and Twisted curves, lisa kelly has Lost all traction.
where's the traction? Come on, honey.
We can do it.
Oh! Oh, [bleep.]
.
Just kidding.
narrator: As she struggles For control on the ice A southbound pickup truck comes Barreling towards her.
uh-oh.
Holy crap.
Oh, get over.
Jeez! [honking.]
Whoo.
This is not good.
This road is scary today.
Okay, we got traction now.
Here we go.
We survived that one.
I'm gonna chain up because I Slid pretty much all the way up That.
yeah, I thought you might Have a problem on that one.
narrator: Throwing a set of Cold is not everyone's idea of Fun.
yay! I love this part.
narrator: But then again, Lisa is not your average ice Road trucker.
if the chains are too loose And they get slapped and stuff, They tend to break links.
I try to keep them snugged up Pretty good.
You don't want 'em too snug, 'cause then they'll start Wearing on the tires.
narrator: Lisa rigs two sets Of chains to the tires of the Truck's front drive axle, which Does all the work and requires The extra traction.
okay, good to go.
narrator: With the chains on, Lisa gears up for the big hills Ahead.
it looks like it's closed.
The wind's picking up.
That's not a good sign.
narrator: 70 miles north of Fairbanks [horn honks.]
Hugh "the polar bear" rowland is Poised to be the first of the Two canadians to make it onto The ice road.
oh, I think alex is gonna Start to slow down now.
You know, he's getting up there, And he's getting pretty long in The tooth.
[laughing.]
But I'll probably have to pass Him like usual a couple of times Today [laughs.]
While he's napping.
[laughing.]
narrator: But before he can Take on the deadly curves ahead, He's got to double-check that His load is secure.
every time we stop, I'll Check these straps, every time.
narrator: While hugh does his Final check [horn hwnking.]
His old rival passes him by.
[horn honks.]
[laughing.]
[horn honking.]
I've been trying to look After myself here.
No time to look after hugh.
[laughing.]
narrator: Hugh is left in the Dust as alex blazes on towards The most important test of his Career, where one mistake could End in disaster.
there's been a lot of deaths Over the last 30 years on this Road.
yeah, little cross there just To remind you.
yeah, there's several of Them up and down the road.
Driver coming north, they come Around that corner too fast, Flopped over in the road and Went through the guardrail and Over the bank.
You know, there's so much to Contend with all the time now Out here.
narrator: Alex approaches the Final stretch before the dalton Begins.
Up ahead, 414 miles of the World's most extreme trucking And alex is still getting used To an unfamiliar transmission.
He normally drives an 18-speed Gearbox.
Now he's using a super ten, Which requires shifting with a Hand splitter.
And if you don't get it right, You could easily miss a gear.
got to get used to using that Transmission, that super ten.
To me, that's my biggest Challenge.
yeah, go ahead and wind her Up.
You got a short, but it's a Pretty steep pitch here.
[gears grinding.]
[truck stalls.]
son of a bitch.
narrator: The 37-year veteran Misses a gear, stalling the Truck just three miles from the Start of the haul road.
all right, here we go again.
narrator: While alex crawls Up the hill [horn honking.]
[laughing.]
narrator: The polar bear Takes back the lead and charges Ahead to the ice.
and that right there is one Mile.
That's the start of the dalton Right there.
This corner down here took out Several trucks in the last Couple yearsbad wrecks, really Bad wrecks.
It's all you can do to keep Yourself on the road, you know? Drive the truck and don't crash, And we'll be in good shape.
right on.
you want to be down to about, You know, 35 when you go around This corner.
yeah.
narrator: Hugh doesn't heed The warning.
His tires lose traction around The sharp curve.
I made it around that one.
I don't know how I made it Around that one.
[laughing.]
narrator: Tony doesn't want To take any more chances.
go ahead and peel off right Here and get on off the road Here.
narrator: He orders hugh to Pull over and into the Passenger's seat.
He'll have to see the road Before he'll be allowed to drive It.
they want professional Drivers, but what the [bleep.]
is Going on here? narrator: 110 miles up the Road, rookie driver tim freeman And his mentor, george spears, Prepare for the slick descent Called beaver slide.
It's two miles of 11% grade, The equivalent of driving Straight down a ski slope, and Braking is not advised.
this is the first snow Flurries we've come across Today.
Hopefully, from what everybody Says, it shouldn't be too bad.
I don't think we're gonna have a Real problem with it.
narrator: It's only tim's Second trip ever on the ice.
On his first trip, tim survived A brake failure, a near head-on Collision, and a blinding Whiteout.
But tim's challenges have only Just begun.
I can'tabsolutely can't see The road down here.
[bleep.]
.
here's your phase three, Boys.
a phase three is when you Can't see [bleep.]
.
narrator: 110 miles from Fairbanks is one of the dalton's Longest and steepest hills Two miles of 11% grade covered In ice, known as the Beaver slide.
[horn honking.]
I'll get tim gathered up, and We'll start easing down off Here.
narrator: Veteran George spears and rookie driver Tim freeman have just begun the Long descent.
It's enough to test a trucker's Skill on a clear day, and today They're in a phase-three Blizzard.
a phase three is when you Can't see [bleep.]
, okay? Uh, the visibility's not very Good right now.
still coming, george.
I can't see a [bleep.]
thing, Though.
I wasn't expecting it to be This bad.
This kind of conditions will put A lot of guys, period, in the Ditch.
[bleep.]
.
narrator: With visibility This bad, tim could drive off The road at any moment.
[bleep.]
.
timmy, just take it real Easy and watch for one Delineator on one side, one on The other.
narrator: Delineators Identify the edge of the road.
They're generally staggered Every 100 feet.
don't steer too far either Direction.
Just stay right down the middle.
I'm kind of slowed down here, Timmy.
I got my backup lights on and Stuff.
Tim, can you still see me all Right? this is bad.
[bleep.]
me.
we're stoppin' to wait for Tim here so he can get caught Up.
Timmy, how we doing? narrator: George loses radio Contact with the rookie.
uh, tim? Tim? Timmy? Timmy, you doin' all right? [horn honking.]
Yeah, that's me, tim.
I see you right there.
oh, wow.
you wanted some wind, you got It.
[chuckling.]
I didn't think it was gonna be That bad.
well, we were driving down One of the steepest, straightest Grades on the road, couldn't see [bleep.]
nothing in front of us.
I was shaking all the way down.
Um, I've never driven on flat Land in visibility that poor, Where I didn't say, "[bleep.]
It," and found a spot to pull Off, not to mention an 11% grade Downhill.
narrator: Once again, George's 30-year history on this Road proved invaluable to the Rookie.
man, he really kicked ass Coaching me down through there.
Uh, kept his cool so I could Keep mine.
I owe him dinner at coldfoot.
Whoo.
narrator: Back at the start Of the dalton, hugh's hopes of Driving the haul road have been Shattered.
After speeding around a slick Curve He must forfeit the wheel and Ride shotgun.
Carlile safety instructor Tony molesky is taking over.
he just took off out of here, Phil.
You can't just mash your motor And go up the hill all the time.
The guys really got to watch it And just ease it on up at, like, Half throttle.
You got something to play with, You know? narrator: Five miles back [gears grinding.]
Alex struggles with the Unfamiliar super ten Transmission.
it just takes time and miles.
I'm gonna get heckled whether I do it right or wrong, but Doing it wrong or having a Problem, I'm gonna get heckled That much more.
[laughing.]
I would imagine.
Our qualcomm just went off, Telling us there's a message to Read.
you're kidding.
Uh-oh, am I in trouble? narrator: Haul road trucks Are equipped with an emergency Bulletin system.
The alert is for an arctic storm Up ahead.
the weather can change in Five miles or five minutes Anywhere in the state of alaska.
Blowing snow is dangerous in a Lot of ways.
One, you can't see.
You can run off the road and Flop over.
You can crash into the person in Front of you that you're trying To follow, 'cause you can't see Them.
potential for disaster.
narrator: With the storm Closing in, phil decides he Can't risk it with a new driver.
we'll switch places.
I'll drive forfrom here.
I think you can get a better Look at it watching it first.
narrator: He's a legend on The ice roads of canada, but in Alaska, alex is treated just Like any other rookie.
Like hugh, he's forced to ride Shotgun for the rest of the Trip.
The legend of the dalton is not Only known among truckers.
The road itself is a feat of Engineering.
Alaskan wilderness, it was built In 1974 in just six months to Aid the construction of the Trans-alaskan pipeline.
Total cost of the roadover $150 million.
Built on frozen soil and paved With I, the dalton is key to The world's oil supply.
if the frozen ground stays Frozen, then the road will Remain passable.
The oil will continue to flow.
narrator: Back from his last Heavy haul up the ice road, Jack jessee wastes no time Getting to his next challenge An oversized load bound for the this is a pipe rack that one Of the oil companies have asked Us to transport to alpine.
narrator: The structural pipe Rack is used for oil production.
It attaches multiple oil-well Heads to the trans-alaskan Pipeline system.
one and two and then one and Two in the back.
it's obviously very critical.
Production will suffer if it's Not there.
what did you say, uh, the Overhang on each side? as long as we get it centered On the trailer, it'll be good.
yeah, we got to get this one On the road.
The schedule is tight this year.
We have a lot of loads to get To prudhoe in a short window Of time.
it's, uh, 16 feet wide, Right at 17 feet high.
Center of gravity on this Particular load is probably About ten feet in the air, You know, doing a lot of this.
So we added some more chains and Pulled it straight down to get Some good down pressure on it so It stays on the trailer.
narrator: As dusk approaches, Jack makes the load legal for Travel over the ice road.
we met all the requirements Of our permitflags, oversize Signs, reflective tape to run at Night.
So I'm getting in, and let's go.
[horn honks.]
narrator: The 16-foot wide Pipe rack takes up the entire Lane and over half of the Oncoming lane.
Road, man.
You can't get overconfident on This road, because about the Time you get overconfident and Think you know everything there Is to know about this road, They're gonna be scraping you up Out of the ditch.
narrator: Jack is making good Time, when suddenly all traffic Comes to a standstill.
copy that.
[hums.]
Okay, debbie, so what's the Story? Scott? Whoever.
narrator: A spun-out truck Up ahead is blocking the Northbound lane.
so there's plenty of room on The other side of him for a Normal eight, six-wide load, but Not for my 16-feet wide load That I've got.
narrator: Jack has no choice But to wait, burning time and Money.
male narrator: 75 miles north Of fairbanks, jack jessee is Stopped dead in his tracks.
A spun-out truck is blocking the Road.
[sighs.]
I just lost my momentum coming Up here.
narrator: And jack's Oversized load is too wide to Pass.
this guy, he's not in a good.
He's in a curve going uphill, And nobody can see him from Either direction.
So if two trucksif another one Going up the hill and one coming Down the hill and they all meet In the same place, I mean, it's Gonna be a horrendous crash, So [horn honks.]
narrator: The driver can't Get enough traction on the ice To move out of the way.
he doesn't have the proper Chains to get himself up the Hill, so I've got to put some in A pilot car so we can take him Up there so he can get off the Hill so I can get by him.
yup.
All right, let's head it up the Hill.
all right.
Good luck, scott.
Between the three of 'em up Here, somebody ought to know how To put tire chains on.
but everybody's gotta get Educated, so yeah, but they're doing it at My expense right now.
yeah.
and I don't like that.
narrator: If the wheels Aren't turning, nobody's Earning, and if the truck can't Clear the hill, jack may be Forced to return to fairbanks.
frustrating, I guess.
It's mostly frustrating for me Because he didn't have what he Needed to do the job.
Uh, he's only got single-rail Tire chains, which means his Only chain he can put on there Goes over one tire.
So when we put chains on, we put 'em over a group of two tires.
That may work fine down in the States, you know, on the Pavement, but up here you've Gotta have three-railers.
And you gotta have enough to go Over every tire.
We actuallywe laugh if Somebody says they've got Singles to put on.
I don't think I can get my Arms in there any better than You can.
guess not.
this isthis is definitely Gonna make for a long night.
narrator: After nearly three Hours, the spun-out truck is Cleared from the road, and jack Is ready to blaze a trail north.
okay, debbie, we're ready to Roll.
Blow that smoke out.
Let's go.
narrator: 253 miles up the Ice road, alex and phil crom Are heading north toward the Dalton's most epic challenge Atigun pass.
this is atigun pass that You're looking at.
well, that's a pretty Impressive climb right there.
it's two and a half miles up This side and two and half down The other side.
it's steep, and there's a Drop-off on the right and a Mountain on the left.
yeah, um, this time a year, One thing you gotta watch out For is avalanches.
One of our guys here six or Seven years ago was coming up, An avalanche hit him.
Ripped the sleeve off the Chassis.
Twisted up and mangled the truck And cab and buried it.
Picked him up and set him over The bank there and survived it.
He must have been awful lucky, 'cause it's a long ways down, And there's nothing down there But rocks.
And I don't mean little ones.
They're boulders.
it's pretty impressive.
It'll be a challenge to go up Here now.
First of all, gotta make that Shift.
[horn honks.]
see, somebody spun out here.
We're gonna get on their marks.
[suspenseful music.]
Hang on a second.
I gotta holler at tony.
You get below the pipe crossing, Tony oh, okay.
narrator: Just behind phil And alex are hugh and driving Instructor tony molesky.
if you do break loose really Bad, it'll wanna take off on You.
And down the hill you go.
Like a toboggan, you know? if you go off one of them Banks, youyou're gonna die.
Your load's gonna take the cab Of the truck off.
well, it looks like somebody Ran off the road right there.
[radio chattering.]
somebody put it in the ditch There.
there's a bad deal.
Really bad wreck.
Went down and rolled over twice.
Totaled a brand-new truck and Tanker.
After seeing that, it makes a Guy kinda slow down, you know? oh, yeah.
a guy just gets that feeling And slows down, you know? yeah.
just out of respect or Whatever.
narrator: It's a warning the Rookies can't ignore.
Nearly every mile of this rugged Terrain has taken a trucker's Life.
The convoy pushes through the Night to deadhorse.
Three hours later, they arrive At the carlile terminal.
go around the end of the Airport here, in prudhoe bay.
narrator: Alex and hugh may Not have driven the full trip, But they experienced many of its Perils firsthand.
all it was was a load of Pipe, but we'd never drove the Road before, so the biggest Challenge was just going down The road for the first time.
I mean, you don't know the Road after one trip, but you Know the potential of the road.
And on this one you're not gonna Go through the ice and drown, But you're gonna go off a cliff And die.
[laughing.]
you better hurry up, because You're gonna be getting up in an Hour.
narrator: Next time hugh and Alex face the ice, they'll have To drive it alone.
Lisa kelly slowly pushes ahead With her first ever oversized Load.
we're hauling these tires, These huge tires.
narrator: She's being tested At every turn.
where's the traction? narrator: First she slid Clear across the ice.
oh, [bleep.]
.
It's spinning.
narrator: Now the unforgiving Alaskan weather is whipping up Another storm.
got the wind blowing across The road.
We got a few snowdrifts on the Southbound side.
narrator: Gusting at nearly Lisa's load with a terrifying Force.
I don't like those tires Hanging out like that.
I'mI'm going, "hmm," worrying About it.
I want it back on the trailer.
let me know when you got it Hooked.
got it? yeah.
narrator: She tightens the Straps to their limit.
there.
That's as tight as that one's Going for me.
I'm just too strong for this.
hoping they'll hold up Against the oncoming storm.
the wind isn't making it any Warmer.
narrator: But when she goes For the last strap [breathes heavily.]
male narrator: 200 miles North of fairbanks, there's a Trucker down.
[breathes heavily.]
narrator: A ratchet broke, Hurtling lisa kelly to the Frozen ground.
oh, you all right? Lisa? what happened? Sorry.
I had a little technical Problem.
[laughs.]
That stupidI don't know what Happened.
I was tightening it down, and That portable fell off the I mean, something, like, bent The metal or something, and it Came off.
oh.
Yeah, they'll do that sometimes.
They'll pop loose.
so I got to roll around on The ground a little bit, you Know.
there you go.
Let's go to coldfoot.
show my true ballet-ness.
there you go.
narrator: With her load Secure, lisa gets back on the Ice.
all I heard was "50-mile-an-hour winds.
" [laughs.]
narrator: The storm is Pounding the road with snow and Ice, forcing her to chain up Again in the bitter cold.
next time you see me, my hair Will be a disaster.
Ah, it's cold! Okay, record time.
all righty.
Boy, you're getting pretty good At slinging them chains, huh? are you timing me? Are my times getting better? I'm not timing you, but it Sure is taking a lot less time.
You're getting really good at That.
narrator: With added Traction, lisa forges ahead.
it's starting to snow more.
Starting to blow more.
Yeah, good thing we chained.
Whoo.
Thank gosh.
[horn honks.]
I remember when it was 30 it was Blowing trailers over.
narrator: 50-mile-per-hour Wind has put countless trucks in The ditch.
In an instant, a sudden gust Could send lisa over the edge.
uh, yeah, the wind's getting More aggressive.
narrator: As lisa nears Coldfoot, she and her pilot car Decide it's unsafe to push any Further.
yeah, I doubt we're gonna hit Atigun before midnight, Anyway.
yup, I agree.
Coldfoot works for me.
narrator: They call it quits, And take shelter from the storm.
The truck stop has the only Phone on the 500-mile journey.
hey, hon? We're at coldfoot right now, And we finally made it here, And there's a storm brewing up North, so, um, it might not even Clear till tomorrow night.
So if you don't hear from me for A while, that's why.
We're gonna be stuck here at Coldfoot for a while.
Yeah.
So I just thought I'd let you Know so you don't worry.
narrator: After just one week Of the ice road season, veteran George spears and jack jessee Have each completed two loads, And the two canadian recruits Have yet to pull their weight in Alaska.
Still on the road, just 70 miles South of deadhorse, a Phase-three storm has cleared All trucks off the dalton.
Except for one.
Jack jessee and his pilot cars Are caught in the eye of the Storm.
so the storm's moving in Really fast.
It's gonna get pretty intense Our here tonight.
narrator: Visibility is near Zero.
but right now the problem is There are no delineators.
So 50 miles will take you eight Hours.
narrator: If jack stops now, He could be stranded in the Storm.
He has no choice but to push Forward.
I can't see anything.
I can't see the road.
I can't even see a set of Headlights in front of me.
And thisthis ain't gonna get Any better.