Off the Ice Ice Road Truckers : Season 1 Episode 12

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.