Road to Season 2
Series 2, Episode 1 Unrated
SD
Back for a second season, the truckers venture to the most isolated and dangerous ice roads in North America, gunning their rigs over frozen rivers and ocean, 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. For a brief window of time each year the waterways freeze over, allowing engineers to create temporary roads over unforgiving terrain. This is the edge of the Earth, the last frontier for vital natural gas exploration, where the extraction of the trillion-dollar reserve trapped beneath the ice depends on the equipment that the truckers are hauling. Extreme Arctic conditions prevail in this unforgiving climate, but this year, driving over frozen ocean means no land for miles around, just ice all the way to the horizon. The truckers must tackle titanic forces of nature. The road is unstable, constantly shifting and breaking apart beneath the tires, creating tremendous cracks that can swallow a truck. It is a job that only a few would dare. Titans Hugh and Alex and upstarts Rick and Drew are ready to conquer the Arctic roads alongside the local veterans, but each man will face new challenges on and off the ice. Who will survive and who will fall prey to the treacherous ice roads of the Arctic?
Edge of the Earth
Series 2, Episode 2 Unrated
CC
SD
It is a job only a few would dare. This year, four ice road truckers, Hugh, Alex, Rick and Drew, return from last season to join Arctic veterans as they venture 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle to drive the most isolated and dangerous ice roads in North America. In the first episode, Hugh and Drew are introduced to their new boss, while Alex waits on his first load of the season. Rick runs into problems on his way up north, delaying his first ride on the ice. Throughout the season, they will be gunning their rigs, carrying up to 88,000 pounds over a highway made entirely of ice onto the Arctic Ocean, delivering vital materials to natural gas and mineral exploration sites.
Mechanical Mayhem
Series 2, Episode 3 Unrated
CC
SD
It's a new season and a new set of challenges for the ice road truckers--the drivers of the tundra who carry vital equipment to remote outposts located hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle during two months of every year before the road disappears. The truckers will venture to a new road--one that is actually located inside the Arctic Circle. The road is comprised of frozen river over ice, and even includes a 120-mile stretch over open ocean. Over the course of the season, we'll examine the history of the region, the building of the ice road (which includes an ice bridge), and will follow road maintenance crews as they struggle to keep the road safe and operable in sub zero temperatures. It is a race against the elements, against time, and against each other.
The Big Blizzard
Series 2, Episode 4 Unrated
CC
SD
Just five days into the Arctic adventure, Mother Nature is about to strike and wreak havoc on the ice roads. Making matters worse is a report of a trucker who has run off the road and is stranded on the weakest part. The storm will make the ice roads impassable and dangerous. Since safety of the drivers is of the utmost concern, the roads must be shutdown. The closure will cost the trucking companies and the gas exploration sites valuable money and time. Kurt, the no-nonsense boss of Northwind Industries, is testing Hugh's mettle. He's given Hugh the assignment of schooling young gun John on how to operate a vac-truck. Drew finally drives on the ice roads, but halfway through the haul, he gets sick and has to ride shotgun the rest of the day. Rick continues to wait for his truck to be fixed. He's had two accidents in four days and is not making any money.
Arctic Whiteout
Series 2, Episode 5 Unrated
SD
It's week two on the frozen tundra and the name of the game is Rig Move. MGM is breaking down camp and moving every last piece of equipment to a new base at Langley to continue exploring for natural gas. While Alex and Hugh continue to prove themselves, Rick's only drive is into the repair shop where he spends two days doing nothing but sitting around. Fellow southerner Drew finally takes his first big rig solo on the northern ice--to deliver junk food. Northern veteran Eric picks up a survival shack from the new site at Langley to return to Inuvik. His load is too high to fit under the power lines in Inuvik, so he spends the night on the ice with his load just outside of town. Just as the trucks are ready to roll for the big move, another storm strikes. Jerry is concerned about dangerous whiteout conditions. With lives and money on the line, the risk is too great and the move is called off.
Lost on Ice
Series 2, Episode 6 Unrated
CC
SD
After the storm clears, most of the truckers are ready to roll--all except Rick, who is on the verge of quitting and looks to Hugh for advice. For a second time, Jerry attempts the MGM camp move, including the transport of an expensive 50-ton derrick. He's assigned two of his best truckers to the task, which includes a risky practice called "Two Trucking," where the cargo is simultaneously loaded onto two trucks--one to provide the main power, and the other to keep the derrick from fishtailing around curves in the road. This awkward and massive load could tax the ice to its breaking point. At the same time, Alex embarks on a run to Aput, an unfamiliar location. When he misses his turn off, he is lost, confused, and out of communication in a place where one wrong turn can find him on fragile ice.
Hundred Ton Haul
Series 2, Episode 7 Unrated
CC
SD
The truckers have delivered the fragile 135-foot derrick to the new MGM exploration site, but before it can be erected, they must also transport the 80-ton substructure that will form its base. At 160,000 pounds, the base must be broken into separate loads, the combined weight of which makes them the heaviest--and most dangerous--loads the ice will face all season. Veteran trucker Bear Swenson and Arctic Ice Road rookie Alex Debogorski are entrusted with the challenge. This is the heaviest load of Alex's ice road career. Compounded by on-going and increasing health problems, the pressure on this trucker is rising fast.
Man Down
Series 2, Episode 8 Unrated
SD
Bear and Eric must haul a boiler and a flare stack--two critical pieces of equipment--to Langley at the same time that a polar bear is spotted in the area. In this region of the Arctic, polar bears have been known to kill humans, so the truckers must now be on guard against this new danger. Rick is irate about a 5-day-long trip that his bosses assign him, and his frustration mounts along with his threats to quit. Alex's health continues to deteriorate and he must be med-evaced to the Yellowknife hospital, his fate unknown.
A Trucker's Farewell
Series 2, Episode 9 Unrated
CC
SD
After being Med-Evaced to Yellowknife hospital, Alex receives a grim diagnosis that could mean the end of his Ice Road season. Rick is also complaining of health issues, and again threatens to quit if his boss won't let him take time off to see a doctor. With nearly all of the rookies out for the count, the Arctic veterans take on the challenge of hauling the final loads of the rig move. Bear must load up the P-Tank, a critical part used to measure the amount of waste gas emitted by a drilling rig. And Eric sets off on a slow journey to transport a mud pump from Aput to Langley. Weighing in at 100,000 lbs., the massive size of this complicated piece of machinery requires a speed limit of just 16 mph--any faster and Eric would risk damaging the already taxed ice road.
A Rookie Fumbles
Series 2, Episode 10 Unrated
CC
SD
It's a race against time to dismantle the Mallik Research site before the ice road melts, but while scientists are on the verge of an historic breakthrough, the truckers are starting to haul away equipment piece-by-piece. Hugh is given the challenging task of training a new driver, Isaac Lenny, whose driving test is just days away. The first lesson gets off to a rocky start, which is a bad omen for Isaac's chances of making it as a trucker. One of the trucks in Rick's convoy has mechanical trouble, forcing the driver to decide whether to abandon his rig or continue on, risking hypothermia and even death. Drew embarks on a box-truck run, which is not as prestigious as driving the big rigs, but will deliver a crucial corrosion inhibitor to the people of Aklavik, a tiny community on the Mackenzie River.
Highway Maggots
Series 2, Episode 11 Unrated
SD
With the sun beating down on the ice, the road is melting at an accelerating rate. This means that it's all hands on deck for the demobilization of the drilling sites at Langley and Mallik, which must be broken down and hauled away before they're swallowed up by Arctic waters. Northwind owner Kurt leaves his office behind and jumps into a truck to contribute to the effort. Kurt meets a convoy of "highway maggots" on the way and has nothing but choice words for this group of "scab" drivers from the south. Trucker Jim volunteers for a dangerous mission; he'll haul three sled trailers at once, carrying two diesel tanks and drilling supplies in one mega-load. With the close of the season in sight, Eric and Hugh continue to vie for the title "King of the Ice Road." Eric holds the lead for the moment, but Hugh is making a final push that might put him out in front.
Man vs. Ice
Series 2, Episode 12 Unrated
SD
Rising temperatures are melting away the ice road, making it a dash to the finish line for the crew breaking down the Langely site. Every last piece of equipment must be transported down the ice to Inuvik before the Arctic waters reclaim the road. Hugh is hauling an unsteady load of heavy gauge cable, making his rig so back-heavy that he struggles to get traction on the slippery surface. One wrong move could spell disaster for Hugh, but also for rookie Devon Neff, who makes his debut run at a time when the road is at its most fragile. And as the action escalates on the road, Rick finds himself in familiar territory - Gruben's garage. He has loads to pick up, but yet again this season, they'll have to wait until his truck is repaired.
The Big Thaw
Series 2, Episode 13 Unrated
CC
SD
Warming temperatures are causing overflows all over the ice road, and with water rushing through cracks in the ice, hauling loads just got a lot more dangerous. Jody and Brett take on the challenge of removing the 66-ton derrick from the Langley site. The massive rig will have to be two-trucked; one truck will make the entire journey traveling backwards. Although maintenance crews create a detour around the overflow, Jody and Brett still need the help of a pilot car to navigate their double load along its winding turns. Forced to wait for the pilot car to arrive, the truckers sit with 200,000 pounds of dead weight on weakened ice, with freezing ocean water below. Hugh is hauling one of the only standard-sized loads of the day, so while everyone else is stuck driving at 15 mph, the Polar Bear is running full steam ahead. Unencumbered by speed restrictions, Hugh is trying to use his last few days in the Arctic to secure his reputation as the only Southern driver who has what it takes to make it in the North.
Road to the Finale
Series 2, Episode 14 Unrated
SD
A one-hour special recap of the new season for the ice road truckers--the drivers of the tundra who carry vital equipment to remote outposts located hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle during two months of every year before the road disappears. It is a race against the elements, against time, and against each other.
The World Crumbles
Series 2, Episode 15 Unrated
SD
Hugh and Eric are neck-in-neck in their race to claim dominance over the ice road, but with only days before the end of the season, time is running out and the ocean waters are closing in. As the truckers race to remove every last piece of equipment from the Langley site, an Arctic whiteout threatens to halt operations, and may mean the difference between winning and losing in the load count. This handful of die-hard truckers pushes for every last load, but as the world around them crumbles, someone will be kicked off the ice.
Off the Ice
Series 2, Episode 16 Unrated
CC
SD
Sit down with the men of "Season 2" who dare to drive over the frozen ocean and river waters of the Arctic, and learn why they risk their lives for the job. Explore the history of the ice roads with the man who founded them in Canada's Northwest Territories, John Denison. He and the truckers explain how the roads were first built and how modern technology has changed the way they are constructed. The truckers discuss how ordinary highway trucks are transformed to endure the harsh Arctic climate, and how vital the road is for the local communities and the prospects for oil and natural gas exploration in the region. Get the truckers' perspective on the issues that everyone wants to know more about: How are the roads in Inuvik different from the diamond mine roads in Yellowknife, and what are the dangers of each? And what do the truckers really think about one another? After a brief chat about the history of the winter roads, the truckers are joined by Gavin Brennan, one of the camera men who documented their lives for two months. Gavin talks about some of the difficulties of shooting in forty below as well as the difficulties of being in such close quarters with moody truckers for hours on end. Steve prompts the guys to tackle the elephant in the room: Drew's problems with Hugh. Did Drew quit or was he fired? Would Hugh ever hire him to drive the ice roads again? After this tension is out of the way, Steve points out that Hugh had his own setbacks this season, and the truckers discuss the accident that resulted a small but serious ammonium nitrate spill. TJ certainly came a long way in his rookie season. He talks about his first frightening night on the road in a whiteout and the rest of the guys give him props for sticking it out. After all, they each had a rookie year and they're not too macho to talk about it.
Portions of content provided by Tivo Corporation - © 2024 Tivo Corporation