Throng

Tuesday 26th January 8.00pm

The documentary series exploring one of the world’s most dangerous professions continues. In this episode, Hugh embarks on his first solo run up the Dalton Highway. Alex struggles to get going. Lisa faces a whiteout on a mountain pass. And Jack takes a trip over the Arctic Ocean.

This season, veteran Canadian drivers Alex Deborgorski and Hugh ‘The Polar Bear’ Rowland tackle the Dalton Highway in Alaska. The boys join six other truckers who hope to earn big money plying the 414-mile route across mountains and tundra to the oilfields of Deadhorse. This scenic highway, built in 1974 to service the Trans-Alaskan oil pipeline, has claimed countless lives over the years. Can the current crop of ice road truckers stay safe as they deliver vital supplies to the coast?

For his first solo trip on the road, Hugh will be travelling in convoy with instructor Phil Kromm. Before leaving Fairbanks, Hugh fills his tank with $1,000-worth of fuel for the 400-mile trip. “We’re full of motion lotion and we’re ready to rock and roll,” he says. Hugh’s first challenge comes on the two-mile downward slope known as the Beaver Slide. He fails to cut his speed and comes dangerously close to Phil’s truck. “If you don’t respect this road, you’re taking your life in your hands,” he says. “Could be somebody else’s life.”

Despite his close call, Hugh repeats his mistake on the highest part of the Dalton. The Atigun Pass winds through the mountains at an altitude of 4,700 feet, with a sheer drop on one side. Hugh crests the pass at speed and has to perform a risky gear change to stop himself sliding into Phil. “Dammit, just be careful,” says Phil. “I got lucky,” Hugh admits.

Alex, meanwhile, is struggling to get off the mark. A broken trailer forces him to seek an alternative load. “Problems are part of the job,” he says, ruefully. Finally, Alex is ready to set off in partnership with veteran driver Jack McCahan. Alex’s task is to deliver pipes weighing 46,000lbs to Prudhoe Bay. Unfortunately, the late start costs the boys valuable time and when Jack suggests they stop overnight in Coldfoot, Alex has no choice but to park his truck.

Elsewhere, Lisa Kelly continues up the highway with her first heavy load – a set of huge tyres. Lisa’s trailer is so wide a pilot car is sent ahead to warn oncoming traffic she is approaching. However, several southbound trucks do not heed the warning and race past her truck with inches to spare. Before climbing the Atigun Pass, Lisa struggles to place heavy chains on her wheels. “Most challenging part of my job – being little and not having the muscle other people have,” she says.

Lisa clears the pass in a whiteout but is forced to go the rest of the way on her own when her pilot car becomes stuck. Crossing a stretch of Arctic tundra called the Bluffs, Lisa finds herself face to face with an unwelcome Phase 3 storm. “This is by far the most intense trip ever,” she says. Crawling along in the dark at 5mph, can she make it to Deadhorse safely?

Also this week, Jack Jessee steers his way out of a storm to reach his destination. The last 50 miles of the drive take him eight hours. Before he can return to Fairbanks, Jack is ordered to deliver a set of pipes to an offshore oil rig in the Arctic Ocean. This journey will take him across a genuine ice road. The speed limit is just 10mph to ensure that drivers do not go through the ice. “There’s a limited amount of time to get that oil rig loaded up with things they can’t fly in in the summer,” Jack says. How will he fare on the flat ocean ice?