On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts and Survival with the Ice Road Truckers

Synopsis

Every year a fleet of men travel to the Arctic Circle, a region heavily endowed with natural resources. Locating the abundance of natural gas, conflict-free diamonds and gold is relatively easy - but extracting and transporting these goods is another matter entirely. The truckers picked to deliver these precious commodities spend two months traveling hundreds of miles on a naturally formed road of ice. It is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. For more than 20 years, Hugh Rowland has survived the ice roads like no other. Known by the ice road trucking community as 'The Polar Bear' - a reference to his legendary stamina, strong personality, bearish attitude and prowess on the ice - Rowland has performed amazing feats and survived spectacular wrecks to become the undisputed king of the ice road truckers. Each year when the temperature plummets to -70degreeC, Rowland leaves his family, home and successful excavation business north of Vancouver, Canada, to drive 1900 miles to Yellowknife, where he throttles up for another ice road season. ON THIN ICE traces the history of ice road trucking, the preparation for the trek and follows Rowland through his nine week journey across the infamous Ice Road. From the first snowstorm to the final thaw, this adrenalin-filled book follows his journey to the edge of endurance and back. It's an extraordinary look at an extreme life.