Ice Road Truckers

(referring to his boss Hugh Rowland) Rick Yemm: If I can beat Hughie, I can brag all year long that I have beaten the polar bear and I can come up here next year and tell all these guys, everyone that we see up here, the guys in shops, the guys everywhere, and they'll all know, that the rookie beat the polar bear.

Rick Yemm: The only fear or concern I got is that Hughie is gonna beat me. I'm pretty sure its gonna happen, but I'm gonna try my darndest to not let it happen.

Narrator: Each day the truck is down, it can cost $1,400 for a lost load, plus the cost of repairs.

Narrator: Beneath a frozen lake in the tundra, lies a billion dollars of unearthed gems. This is the Snap Lake mine of the De Beers corporation.

Jay Westgard: The key is to be quick and then you don't get cold.

Narrator: These are not conditions that De Beers is accustomed to, it's the company's first mine outside of South Africa where it never snows, much less hits -35.

Alex Debogorski: You know what the good thing is about this weather? You can see your breath, that way you know your still breathing.

Alex Debogorski: Driving through a storm is kind of, I look forward to it once in awhile because of the boredom.

Alex Debogorski: We always hear on the radio, "Oh its slippery, oh its slippery". Well, its an ice road, ice is slippery (laughs).

Hugh Rowland: I'm just happy to get back on the road and go make some money. That's what I do and I do it well. Everybody will be crying that I'm back on the road.

Hugh Rowland: Okay, were just gonna fire the truck up here and try her out, see if the fix is good. Cross everybody's nuts (crosses fingers).

Alex Debogorski: It was jammed for like five miles. Hugh Rowland: That's what happened? I heard about that. I heard it was closed for a while but, ey, it's a good thing I come by, they opened it up for me. Alex Debogorski: Maybe your smell that got them out of your way.

Hugh Rowland: Jesus, ice roads is a son of a bitch.