Ice Road Rescue

Aye, aye, aye...

He needs to drive.

Slowly forward.

When you have a driver like this,

you must always be very careful,

'cause maybe you lose your finger.

These Norwegian roads are

some of Europe's most dangerous.

Whether it's in the northern wilderness,

or the southern fjords,

drivers face down hostile conditions.

Stop, stop!

People are crazy!

It's enough to send even the best of them over the edge.

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

Throughout Norway,

an elite force of rescue workers

keep the country on the move,

in the coldest winter for a decade.

It's a winter storm.

Nice summer holiday.

No, it's not.

They confront new threats.

Bjoern and me don't like competition.

Fight new battles.

I'm now back and ready for some action.

And bring on the next generation of road warriors.

You have great eyesight.

To keep the ice roads open.

Hey! Hey! Hey!

We don't want to die here.

Uh-oh!

Hey!

God bless the winter.

Hello, welcome to winter in Norway again.

Woo-hoo!

This winter is going to be crazy, but I'm ready to fight.

In the south of Norway, in Odda,

Thord Paulsen runs a rescue and repair business

with 35 staff,

and a fleet of 20 rescue trucks.

We must control the mountains.

It's a big team,

covering a territory of over 4,300 square kilometers.

THORD (off-screen): Now my company start to get very big.

So, now we have a lot of road to take care of.

Thord's next job is taking him to Sowda.

A 150 kilometer drive.

THORD (off-screen): We get the phone, and they tell us that we need to

come because there is a truck,

with garbage inside, who need help.

A 25 ton refuse truck was working on

a narrow mountain road, when it hit ice, lost grip,

and slid back into a deep ditch.

It's a challenging rescue, so Thord calls in Andrzej,

who's worked with him for over 13 years.

THORD (off-screen): Me and Andrzej always working good together.

We think about everything.

We don't want to do bad work for somebody.

They're a top team,

but first they have to get there.

So far so good.

If you're driving out here,

then it's maybe the last thing you do.

After two hours of difficult driving,

they arrive.

Woo-hoo!

I have a little challenge.

The driver tells Thord what happened.

I was driving up the hill, but it was so slippery that

the snow chains jumped off the tires.

No road around? No.

The refuse truck blocks a single track road

leading to mountain cabins.

It's the only access route, with steep sides that risk

the truck tipping over.

Now that I'm coming here,

I see that there is no chance to pass it.

Thord had hoped to get his tow truck to the front,

but with his first plan in tatters,

he now needs to rethink how he's going to rescue

the refuse truck.

1,000 kilometers north, in Overhalla,

24-year-old Ole Henrik,

is a fourth-generation ice road rescuer.

With his father, Jo Roger, he controls an area covering

1,700 kilometers of road.

And keeping ahead of the competition means

investing in the best equipment,

including their 110,000 euro rotator truck,

with four-wheel drive,

and a state-of-the-art swiveling winch.

We are stronger than ever.

It's late afternoon and Ole Henrik's monitoring

the emergency calls.

OLE HENRIK (off-screen): I got a phone call that a hook loader has, uh, tried

to go uphill, but then spun out,

and start to slide backwards.

A fully-loaded crane truck was on

a back road, delivering hay to a farm,

when it didn't make the hill.

Losing grip on the untreated surface,

it slid back, jack-knifed,

and careered into the crash barrier.

Complicating an already challenging rescue,

the trailer leans at a 30 degree angle,

close to an electricity cable.

OK, I'll be right there.

This is a two-truck mission and

joining Ole Henrik is Christoffer.

He's the newest member of the Overhalla crew,

with eight years’ experience

as a mechanic and road rescuer.

It's good to be back to driving a tow truck.

I have done this for several years ago before.

Christoffer takes the red rescue truck,

with two winches capable of hauling out a 40 ton load.

But because this rescue might be difficult to access,

Ole Henrik sets out in the rotator truck.

They rendezvous on scene,

approaching the back road from both sides,

to get to the tow trucks into position.

We can add a strap on the other side to hold it.

Yes, better to drag from this side, than straight up.

OLE HENRIK (off-screen): When we arrive, uh, I see that the truck and

trailer has scissored.

It's the rail guard that is holding the trailer.

Ole Henrik spots another complication.

The crane lift is at risk of getting crushed during the rescue.

OLE HENRIK (off-screen): I can see, right away,

it's going to be a challenge.

It's a big problem that we have not much space to work on.

I have to figure out how I can get the rotator to stand

where I want it to be.

Ole Henrik now has a choice.

Option one is to place the rotator truck further away,

on a farm track that runs parallel to the road.

OLE HENRIK (off-screen): There is a road, further up,

but there is insecurities about if I can use it with

the length of the wire.

The winch wires may not reach.

And even if they do,

longer wires are more difficult to control.

Option two is to get up close.

By gambling on driving the rotator truck

onto the soft verge,

which may not take its weight.

I'm seeing that it's no problem.

I can get there.

But I need some speed.

He takes option two.

I'm going to position the truck, uh,

so I can stand there the whole, whole mission.

From the position close by,

Ole Henrik will run a wire to a strap running around

the trailer, to stabilize it.

The red tow truck will attach a wire to the front of the cab.

As the red truck winches forward,

the rotator will pull the trailer away from the crash barrier

and straighten the hay truck out onto the road.

But first, Ole Henrik has to get the rotator truck into position.

I need some speed to get this truck out in the field.

He takes a high-speed run-up.

Oh!

Hidden beneath the snow is a deep ditch.

The 20 ton rotator truck hit it hard,

at over 30 kilometers an hour.

It felt like I was flying for one second,

and everything went dark.

The truck seems okay,

but he's not out of trouble.

Now I'm stuck.

Should I try to pull you?

I don't think you'll be able to.

Ole Henrik tries driving out.

Are you kidding me?

But his wheels just spin in the deep snow.

I thought they were moving on the other side, but they're not.

OLE HENRIK (off-screen): I am stuck, so I need help.

We will try with the, the heavy tow truck,

but it's uphill.

Ole Henrik starts up the red truck.

He needs to reposition it,

to get a better angle on the winch.

The red truck's rear-end has slide off the road edge.

Now both rescue trucks are stuck.

Everything has to be difficult today.

This is Friday the 13th.

Woo-hoo! I have a little challenge.

In the high mountains,

150 kilometers from Odda,

a 25 ton refuse truck has crashed into a ditch,

on an icy mountain road.

No road around? No.

Thord and Andrzej planned to drive to the front,

and tow the refuse truck out forwards,

but the road is narrow, with steep sides.

We have no chance to do it,

because we don't have enough space.

So we don't can do it like this.