You've watched him battle the odds on History's Ice Road Truckers. Now read Hugh "The Polar Bear" Roland's own storm-by-storm account of surviving and conquering the infamous ice roads of the Arctic. Join Hugh in the front seat of his truck as he shares his most chilling, adrenaline-fueled tales of the world's most dangerous job. Every year, a fleet of truckers travels beyond the northern equatorial line to the Arctic Circle, battling subzero temperatures and perilous conditions. Though treacherous, it is a region heavily endowed with natural resources. Locating this abundance of natural gas, conflict-free diamonds, and gold is relatively easy; extracting and transporting these goods is another matter entirely. The elite truckers chosen to deliver materials vital to these efforts spend two months traveling distances greater than Western Europe on naturally formed roads of ice that is only sixteen inches thick. It is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. For more than twenty years, Hugh Rowland has survived the ice roads like none other. Each year when the temperature plummets, Rowland leaves his family in Vancouver, Canada, to drive 1,900 miles to Yellowknife, where he will begin his odyssey. Facing the threat of perilous avalanches, hundred-foot cliffs, and the ever-present danger of cracking through the ice, Hugh must push himself to the limit. The payoff is sweet, but Rowland isn't in it just for the money; he is driven by the camaraderie, the call to adventure, and the chance to battle the odds year after year. From the first snowstorm to the final thaw, On Thin Ice traces the history of ice road trucking, chronicles Rowland's preparation for the trek, and follows him through his perilous journey along the infamous ice roads. Take a ride with Rowland as he recounts tales of epic breakdowns and breathtaking heroism that are just a daily part of the job. In this classic battle of man and machine versus cruelest nature, only the strong will survive to see their payday, their families, and the chance to do it all over again . . . on thin ice. WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER . . . "You've never experienced winter until you've lived through one in the far north. It starts in October and doesn't let up until mid-April. The temperatures drop to minus 70, with winds blowing 60 miles an hour. At that temperature, you throw a pot of boiling water or coffee into the air and it will instantly vaporize and turn into snow. It's cold as hell, but it's also full of riches: silver, gold, uranium, diamonds, and oil worth tens of billions of dollars. Locating these treasures in the frozen tundra is the easy part. Getting them out of the ground and bringing them from the frozen wasteland to civilization is a lot tougher. That's my job." -- From Ice Road Truckers

Loyalties, beliefs, love, family ties: all are tested to the limit in one of the most devastating moments of human history: the siege of Leningrad during World War II. Boris Aleksandrovich, a well-meaning bureaucrat, thinks he can negotiate between idealism and politics. His daughter, Natasha, learns otherwise when, as a young woman in love, she is almost crushed by her father's compromises. Watching all this unfold is Irina. Wise, ironic, marvelous Irina, whom Boris had persuaded to go on an ill-fated voyage to the Arctic Circle, where she barely survived. When she arrives back in Leningrad, he feels honor bound to find her a position within his family circle. Irina comes to understand how love for another may, in the end, be more powerful and more profound than blind loyalty to an idea. Exciting and heroic, peopled with wonderfully complex characters, Ice Road is a masterpiece. A finalist for the Orange Prize.

Not every road can be perfectly paved and dry. In fact, some roads are made of ice! These ice roads are needed to get supplies to faraway and often dangerous places where snow and ice are constant threats. From truckers battling wintry conditions to deliver construction supplies to people in places like Alaska simply trying to get to work on time, readers will love exploring how people use ice roads to safely drive from place to place. Through full-color photographs showing how these roads are made and maintained, readers take an inside look at some impressive transportation navigation in some of Earth’s deadliest places.

From floating ice to snowstorms - meet the adrenalin junkie and death-defying star of the History Channel and Five USA's hit show ICE ROAD TRUCKERS. 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 -70°C, 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.

Not every road can be perfectly paved and dry. In fact, some roads are made of ice! These ice roads are needed to get supplies to faraway and often dangerous places where snow and ice are constant threats. From truckers battling wintry conditions to deliver construction supplies to people in places like Alaska simply trying to get to work on time, readers will love exploring how people use ice roads to safely drive from place to place. Through full-color photographs showing how these roads are made and maintained, readers take an inside look at some impressive transportation navigation in some of Earth’s deadliest places.

Inside one of the world's most dangerous jobs with the star of History's top-rated reality show, Ice Road Truckers The highest-rated reality show ever to hit the History channel, Ice Road Truckers follows the heart-pounding adventures of the tough-as-nails truckers who risk peril every day to deliver goods and supplies in Alaska and across Canada's frozen north. Alex shares tales of his adventures-and misadventures-in the north, and explain, in his own entertaining voice, how he got to where he is today-working class hero, bona-fide celebrity, and the improbable star of a smash-hit television show. Alex is a natural storyteller who knows how to spin tales about his colorful life growing up in the backwoods. Whether he's recounting tales about his hair-raising confrontations with bears, calculating the strength of newly formed ice, divulging the secrets of providing security in a bar room full of combative, drunken miners, or saving the life of another trucker, he keeps you wanting more. The first inside look at industry legend and fan favorite Alex Debogorski, a devout Christian, father of 11 children, and the world's best known truck driver Includes thrilling adventures and behind-the-scenes insights that you won't find on the show Features sidebars that explain the facts about ice roads, from how they're made to when and why they splinter and break King of the Road gives fans of Ice Road Truckers a deep look inside the life and times of the show's biggest rising star.

Does driving a 100,000-pound truck across frozen water sound like a smart idea? No, but some people make their living doing this. Ride along with ice road truckers and discover the unique ÒroadÓ hazards they face.