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(wind whooshing)
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(dramatic music)
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(engines revving)
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In the Arctic Circle,
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in the North of Russia,
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there are roads which only exist for a few weeks each year.
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Conditions in the ice are extreme.
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If you take the winter road, you do so at your home peril.
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In Siberia,
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many roads are made not of tarmac, but of ice and snow.
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The winter road linking Salekhard and to Nadym,
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is only passable from December to April.
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But when spring arrives
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on the border between Taiga and Tundra,
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temperatures rise from minus 50 to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
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It's the beginning of the end for the road of ice.
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Yuri Sirbu knows this road like no other.
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He's accompanying a heavy haulage back to Salekhard,
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his hometown.
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In spring,
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water flows across the frozen ground
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turning the road into an icy peast.
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The two drivers need to cross a dangerous section.
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(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
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The top is dangerous.
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We can slide down and stay at the bottom.
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Keep to the bottom, drive slowly in first gear.
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Is this part dangerous?
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No, you just have to be careful.
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Stay on this track over there and just keep going on and on.
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(both speaking in foreign language)
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Many people try to take the upper part of the road
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and slide down.
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Sometimes they even overturn and fall to the side.
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It's a really tricky part.
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You have to be very precise when driving.
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Leoni Padalka specializes
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in heavy haulage driving.
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He has to maneuver the heavily laden lorry across the ice.
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(eerie music)
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The lorry almost makes it at the little rise,
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but the last bits of the slope is too steep
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and too slippery.
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It's for moments like this that Yuri Sirbu is with him.
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(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
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We need to make the rope longer
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because I'm on a slope and so is he.
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I need to get further up the Hill.
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The articulated lorry only makes it
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across the hill with the help of the second vehicle.
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As long as the makeshift extension, the tow rope holds.
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(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
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We need to get the wheels off the ice,
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and then you try going in second gear.
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(engine revving)
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(dramatic music)
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(lorry horn hooting)
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The drive
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from Salekhard to Nadym and back takes five days,
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if the weather complies.
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It's only during the winter months
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that the men can transport urgently needed goods
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between the towns.
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Right now they need a streak roll in Salekhard.
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The drivers reached the city in the evening.
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Founded as a Cossack fortress,
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Salekhard today lives off
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the vast gas fields of this region.
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The gas reserves are among the biggest in the world,
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and have made the town an affluent community.
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Despite the extreme temperatures,
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some 40,000 people live here.
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On the outskirts of the town,
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the company premises of Yamaloftodor,
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the regions road building contractor can be found.
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Yamaloftodor, is responsible
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for building and maintaining the regions few roads.
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The company employs Leoni Padalka and Yuri Sibru as drivers.
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They are glad it has got a little colder.
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At minus 30 degrees their work becomes easier.
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Before the temperatures rise again,
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and the road sinks into the mud,
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they have to drive one last heavy haulage across.
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They urgently need an asphalt paver
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at the other end of the winter road in Nadym.
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Before they can set off,
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the 15 ton machine needs to be loaded onto the trailer.
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(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
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If the track widths are not the same,
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the machine can support topple over.
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It's so heavy, it's impossible to load it back up.
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In order to make sure the load
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doesn't slide off on route,
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the men painstakingly secured it on the trailer.
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Good preparation
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is the very least they can do to get across the ice road.
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Yuri Sibru loves the North,
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but he also knows it's dangerous.
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(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
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You can freeze to death very quickly.
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You won't even feel it.
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You'll look for an escape,
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for you to clasp but every straw to get out
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and reach your destination to solve your problem.
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That you're very much afraid.
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(engine revving)
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The convoy will be traveling on this road
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without any contact with the outside world for several days.
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There is no mobile phone reception.
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If you want to take the winter road,
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you have to know about the dangers.
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Everyone registers at the entrance.
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The convoy consists of four vehicles.
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The lorry with its heavy load is followed by a bulldozer,
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which is supposed to clear the way in case of an emergency.
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Then does a lorry with building materials.
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At the back is Yuri Sirbu securing the convoy.
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Salekhard is situated in the autonomous
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Yamalo-Nenets region,
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right on the Ob river in the Arctic Circle.
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The winter road to Nadym is some 300 kilometers long,
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and leads through marshland and across several rivers.
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It's the only road which connects Salekhard
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with the outside world.
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At the other end of the road in Nadym,
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Konya Progarov and Yigor Stephaninca,
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want to risk the drive across the winter road.
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The two share an unusual passion.
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They love driving cross country,
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away from regular roads.
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For the summer,
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they're planning on off road trip across Russia.
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They want to use the winter road,
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to test themselves and their cars
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in the most extreme conditions.
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(man speaking in foreign language)
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Well they told us
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not to let any more lorries pass.
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We'll wait until tonight.
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The boss wanted to call back then,
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he said that maybe
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we won't let any more lorries pass from now on.
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How's the road?
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Is it slippery?
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Yes.
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Will we get through with the Jeep?
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Yes, you will.
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Why won't you let any more lorries pass?
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It's warm, it's thawing.
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How long for?
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Until 6 PM.
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Alright, thanks.
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(wind whooshing)
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The two off-road drivers are from Nadym,
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and have never made it all the way
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to the neighboring town of Salekhard.
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Now at the end of the winter,
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they have picked the most unpleasant time for their trip.
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There is neither accommodation
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nor any restaurants along these 300 kilometers.
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They have to look after themselves.
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(car hooting)
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(man speaking via radio call using foreign language)
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It's started to thaw,
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the snow's getting heavier.
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We'll hope for the best.
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I heard the weather forecast.
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They forecast temperatures above zero.
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Best thing would be to drive at night.
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It'll probably be colder then.
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During the day it will be pretty wet.
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We've thought it through,
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we're well-prepared.
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We double check everything several times
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before we embark on a tour like this,
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it's the only way.
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We value our life and our health very much.
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(gentle music)
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The road leads across a river.
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In just a few weeks time,
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barges will be traveling here instead of cars,
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but for now the ice holds.
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Weather beaten pylons and deformed rail tracks
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remind us of Starlin's superpower fantasies,
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which were thwarted by the eternal cold of Northern Siberia.
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After World War II,
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the dictator wanted to build a railway line
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along the Arctic Circle.
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The secret project was called Stalin's railway,
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or the route of death.
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More than 100,000 Gulag prisoners,
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were exposed to the cold with no protection.
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Extreme driver Yigor Stefarinka,
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sees the camps for the first time.
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(wind whooshing)
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(gentle music continues)
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Starlings railway was never in operation.
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Two weeks after Stalin's death, work stopped.
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(lorry engine revving)
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At the other end of the winter road,
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Yuri Sirbu has veered off the right path.
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Even experienced drivers have a hard time
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recognizing where the road ends and deep snow begins.
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At the course of the day, it becomes warmer again.
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(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
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There's no traction between
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snow and wheels.
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The snow is like soap, the wheels just spin.
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Because of the angle,
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it would take him hours
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to get out of the situation by himself.
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The edge of hard press snow,
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makes it hard to get the wheels back on solid ground.
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(lorry engine revving)
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(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
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You need to understand
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that the temperatures of the air, the ground and the snow
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are all different,
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and that it's all interconnected.
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Only then you can come to a conclusion,
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and make a decision on which way to take best.
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Right now he needs less air in his tires.
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Yuri's path takes him back into deep snow.
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He wants to make the road wider.
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With his Russian Ural trunk
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which is specially designed for heavy territory,
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he can change the air pressure in the tires
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while he's driving.
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(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
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With less air,
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the tires are like the paws of a bear.
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When a bear steps on branches,
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you'd think they break, but they don't.
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They don't even make a sound.
235
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This also applies to the tires of the Ural.
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(engine revving)
237
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Now the vehicle has created the necessary space for itself,
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and feels like a fish in water.
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You just need to keep calm and be patient.
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Don't get hectic
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Every year in November,
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Yuri forges the road into the deep snow.
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Centimeter by centimeter,
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day by day,
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until he has made a fresh track
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across the 300 kilometers from Salekhard to Nadym.
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(upbeat dramatic music)
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Ivan and Grigory Ataman are on the way home.
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There were selling reindeer meat on the market in Salekhard,
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and bought some groceries.
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The two brothers are Tundra nomads,
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and members of the Nenets people.
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Ivan and Grigory,
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live in a small settlement,
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some 130 kilometers outside of Salekhard,
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right in the middle of the Tundra.
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They need a snowmobile or a sledge to get to their tents.
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Snowmobiles are fast but tiring.
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After 40 kilometers,
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the nomads stopped for a tea break.
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This is not just so they can recover.
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The Nenets stop in sacred places.
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To Grigory Ataman and his people,
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a road is not just a road.
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(Grigory speaking in foreign language)
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We always stop over there
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and make an offering.
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Sometimes we also throw coins in passing too.
269
00:15:49,210 --> 00:15:51,460
You mustn't destroy any branches around here.
270
00:15:55,030 --> 00:15:56,680
There are no Petro stations
271
00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:57,940
in the Tundra.
272
00:15:57,940 --> 00:15:59,860
Therefore Nenets brothers,
273
00:15:59,860 --> 00:16:02,223
always take a bottle of petrol with them.
274
00:16:03,330 --> 00:16:06,660
They want to reach their little settlement before nightfall.
275
00:16:06,660 --> 00:16:10,053
The last 30 kilometers will lead them through deep snow.
276
00:16:11,203 --> 00:16:15,000
(Grigory speaking in foreign language)
277
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:16,830
Without this road it took us much longer
278
00:16:16,830 --> 00:16:18,590
to get to the town.
279
00:16:18,590 --> 00:16:21,520
Sometimes as long as two or three days.
280
00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:22,660
Back in those days,
281
00:16:22,660 --> 00:16:23,720
when there was no road,
282
00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,800
our sledges would get stuck in hilly territory.
283
00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:28,583
Today it's the road of life for us.
284
00:16:33,300 --> 00:16:36,360
Yuri Sirbu and his convoy of colleagues,
285
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,580
make sure the road will remain passable.
286
00:16:39,580 --> 00:16:40,540
On each trip,
287
00:16:40,540 --> 00:16:41,860
they chain pipes,
288
00:16:41,860 --> 00:16:45,000
which will be welded together to their lorries.
289
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,560
These makeshift four ton rollers,
290
00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:51,330
level and compact the snow which would otherwise break up,
291
00:16:51,330 --> 00:16:54,923
blow away, and become impassable within a few days.
292
00:17:01,425 --> 00:17:03,410
(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
293
00:17:03,410 --> 00:17:04,243
To make a good road
294
00:17:04,243 --> 00:17:07,110
you need to build it above the Tundra.
295
00:17:07,110 --> 00:17:10,833
We want the winter road to be similar to a normal road.
296
00:17:12,790 --> 00:17:15,033
Normal roads have a firm base.
297
00:17:16,540 --> 00:17:18,810
Here we have a base of snow.
298
00:17:18,810 --> 00:17:22,153
We keep driving across new snow so it increases in height.
299
00:17:23,020 --> 00:17:25,380
Once the road is above the level of the Tundra,
300
00:17:25,380 --> 00:17:27,930
you needn't worry about blizzards and wind anymore.
301
00:17:29,399 --> 00:17:32,732
(gentle dramatic music)
302
00:18:05,430 --> 00:18:06,310
The best time
303
00:18:06,310 --> 00:18:09,750
for driving on a winter road is at nighttime.
304
00:18:09,750 --> 00:18:10,740
With their headlights,
305
00:18:10,740 --> 00:18:12,680
the drivers can make out bumps
306
00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,093
sooner than in the diffused daylight.
307
00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:19,000
The convoy is making good progress,
308
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:20,950
but then Yuri and his colleagues
309
00:18:20,950 --> 00:18:23,563
encounter lorry which has had an accident.
310
00:18:24,650 --> 00:18:27,950
The driver has been stuck since lunchtime.
311
00:18:27,950 --> 00:18:30,610
No one has been able to help him.
312
00:18:30,610 --> 00:18:32,650
His attempts to free himself,
313
00:18:32,650 --> 00:18:34,743
have only dunk him deeper into the snow.
314
00:18:39,900 --> 00:18:41,580
(man speaking in foreign language)
315
00:18:41,580 --> 00:18:44,030
I miscalculated and veered off the road.
316
00:18:44,030 --> 00:18:46,170
There was a blizzard and I couldn't see anything.
317
00:18:46,170 --> 00:18:48,120
And I overturned and slid off the road.
318
00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:53,877
Yuri wants to pull the lorry out
319
00:18:53,877 --> 00:18:55,550
with a rope.
320
00:18:55,550 --> 00:18:59,250
The wheel loader also pushes it from behind.
321
00:18:59,250 --> 00:19:01,573
The lorry is not moving at all.
322
00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:10,443
Try to start the engine.
323
00:19:12,472 --> 00:19:15,222
(engine revving)
324
00:19:17,370 --> 00:19:18,600
It's complicated.
325
00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:19,640
If we could start it,
326
00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:21,540
the power of the engine would help us.
327
00:19:22,510 --> 00:19:24,590
Right now it's like a dead weight.
328
00:19:24,590 --> 00:19:27,340
Without the engine running, it's practically immovable.
329
00:19:33,740 --> 00:19:35,690
Due to the cold temperatures,
330
00:19:35,690 --> 00:19:38,910
the vehicles are never switched off on the winter road.
331
00:19:38,910 --> 00:19:41,270
Not even on longer breaks.
332
00:19:41,270 --> 00:19:44,620
The drivers know once the engine cools off,
333
00:19:44,620 --> 00:19:47,680
there is nothing they can do without outside help.
334
00:19:54,226 --> 00:19:56,976
(engine revving)
335
00:19:57,830 --> 00:19:59,592
Everyone out of the way.
336
00:19:59,592 --> 00:20:02,342
(engine revving)
337
00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:31,180
The rescue mission
338
00:20:31,180 --> 00:20:34,190
has delayed the convoy considerably.
339
00:20:34,190 --> 00:20:38,273
On the winter road punctuality is a luxury.
340
00:20:38,273 --> 00:20:39,980
(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
341
00:20:39,980 --> 00:20:42,370
Nowadays it's each to their own.
342
00:20:42,370 --> 00:20:44,803
The North doesn't forgive these mistakes.
343
00:20:46,370 --> 00:20:48,580
On your own you won't get far in the Tundra
344
00:20:48,580 --> 00:20:49,993
in this kind of frost.
345
00:20:51,790 --> 00:20:53,910
I don't know how strong a man has to be here
346
00:20:53,910 --> 00:20:55,323
to get by without help.
347
00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:58,230
Sooner or later,
348
00:20:58,230 --> 00:21:00,843
everyone needs the help of a friend or a colleague.
349
00:21:06,740 --> 00:21:08,650
10 kilometers further on,
350
00:21:08,650 --> 00:21:10,610
there's another accident.
351
00:21:10,610 --> 00:21:12,870
Yuri is not surprised.
352
00:21:12,870 --> 00:21:16,203
The black ice here has been the downfall of many a driver.
353
00:21:20,734 --> 00:21:23,230
This lorry has been stuck for three days now.
354
00:21:23,230 --> 00:21:25,800
Several attempts to help him have failed.
355
00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:27,150
The heavy load has pulled the lorry
356
00:21:27,150 --> 00:21:29,003
deeper and deeper down the slope.
357
00:21:31,980 --> 00:21:33,503
Try second gear.
358
00:21:36,460 --> 00:21:38,180
Yuri quickly realizes that
359
00:21:38,180 --> 00:21:40,180
they can't help him either,
360
00:21:40,180 --> 00:21:41,730
but the lorry blocks their way.
361
00:21:43,450 --> 00:21:45,965
He needs to stay where he is, damn it.
362
00:21:45,965 --> 00:21:47,090
We'll carefully go past him
363
00:21:47,090 --> 00:21:49,630
so we won't squash him if we slide.
364
00:21:49,630 --> 00:21:51,147
We've cleared it all .
365
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,040
We give up, uncouple.
366
00:21:58,180 --> 00:22:00,040
The convoy carefully drives
367
00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,480
past the unfortunate vehicle.
368
00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:03,800
After a few meters,
369
00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:05,933
the wheel loader starts to slide.
370
00:22:10,010 --> 00:22:10,843
I told him,
371
00:22:10,843 --> 00:22:11,717
"You need to drive at the bottom,
372
00:22:11,717 --> 00:22:14,000
at the very bottom so you won't slide."
373
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:15,113
And he replies, "Very well,"
374
00:22:15,113 --> 00:22:17,572
only to proceed to drive a different route.
375
00:22:17,572 --> 00:22:21,690
(lorry hooting)
(engine revving)
376
00:22:21,690 --> 00:22:23,550
The convoy has been on the road
377
00:22:23,550 --> 00:22:25,063
for 14 hours.
378
00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:28,000
Despite their exhaustion,
379
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,283
the drivers make use of the favorable nighttime conditions.
380
00:22:32,430 --> 00:22:34,000
They continue to find their way
381
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,522
through the cold and snow until dawn.
382
00:22:36,522 --> 00:22:39,855
(gentle dramatic music)
383
00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,430
(wind whooshing)
384
00:22:57,600 --> 00:22:59,920
Very few creatures come survive
385
00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:03,090
the hostile environment of the Arctic circle.
386
00:23:03,090 --> 00:23:05,280
Extreme differences in temperature,
387
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:06,330
blizzards,
388
00:23:06,330 --> 00:23:07,613
permafrost soil.
389
00:23:08,490 --> 00:23:09,550
The Nenets people
390
00:23:09,550 --> 00:23:12,257
have come to terms with the adversities of nature.
391
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,370
The brothers Ivan and Grigory Ataman,
392
00:23:18,370 --> 00:23:20,570
reach their little settlement of three tents
393
00:23:20,570 --> 00:23:22,510
on the previous evening.
394
00:23:22,510 --> 00:23:25,080
Together they take a breakfast of tea,
395
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,393
and raw frozen reindeer meat.
396
00:23:28,500 --> 00:23:33,100
Some 40,000 Nenets live in the region of Yamalo-Nenets,
397
00:23:33,100 --> 00:23:34,819
named after them.
398
00:23:34,819 --> 00:23:37,323
In their language, nenets, means man.
399
00:23:38,220 --> 00:23:40,910
Some of them have preserved the old culture.
400
00:23:40,910 --> 00:23:42,780
They live as nomads of the Tundra,
401
00:23:42,780 --> 00:23:45,423
with their tents they move from place to place.
402
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,170
The Nenets practice straight division of labor.
403
00:23:52,170 --> 00:23:54,460
The women are responsible for the tents,
404
00:23:54,460 --> 00:23:56,370
the food and the children.
405
00:23:56,370 --> 00:23:59,063
The men take care of the reindeer and the hunting.
406
00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,740
Reindeer are the Nenets treasure.
407
00:24:03,740 --> 00:24:06,750
Many nomad families have thousands of the animals
408
00:24:06,750 --> 00:24:08,330
at their disposal.
409
00:24:08,330 --> 00:24:11,033
Tents and clothing are made from reindeer hides.
410
00:24:11,033 --> 00:24:11,866
(dog barking)
411
00:24:11,866 --> 00:24:13,718
Nothing else keeps you as warm.
412
00:24:13,718 --> 00:24:17,385
(snowmobile engine revving)
413
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:25,360
The dogs are restless.
414
00:24:25,360 --> 00:24:28,340
They can feel that they will be hunting today.
415
00:24:28,340 --> 00:24:29,870
Spring is coming,
416
00:24:29,870 --> 00:24:32,710
and soon Grigory, Ivan and their friend,
417
00:24:32,710 --> 00:24:35,470
will start heading for the summer meadows up North
418
00:24:35,470 --> 00:24:36,563
with their herds.
419
00:24:37,490 --> 00:24:39,110
This means the herd,
420
00:24:39,110 --> 00:24:42,110
which has been living independently of its owners,
421
00:24:42,110 --> 00:24:44,332
needs to be rounded up again.
422
00:24:44,332 --> 00:24:47,082
(dramatic music)
423
00:25:08,630 --> 00:25:12,950
Grigory is the owner of 3,000 reindeer.
424
00:25:12,950 --> 00:25:15,580
They are able to withstand colder temperatures
425
00:25:15,580 --> 00:25:17,930
than any other farm animal.
426
00:25:17,930 --> 00:25:22,010
First, the men want to coach some individual animals.
427
00:25:22,010 --> 00:25:24,163
The animals can smell trouble.
428
00:25:25,421 --> 00:25:27,929
(wind whooshing)
429
00:25:27,929 --> 00:25:30,679
(engine revving)
430
00:25:32,612 --> 00:25:35,930
With their snowmobiles Grigory and his brother,
431
00:25:35,930 --> 00:25:39,270
round up the animals and herd them towards the others,
432
00:25:39,270 --> 00:25:41,800
who are waiting with their lassos.
433
00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:45,250
They tried to catch the male lead animals.
434
00:25:45,250 --> 00:25:47,360
Reindeer hooves are very broad,
435
00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:49,203
and they can move fast in deep snow.
436
00:26:07,620 --> 00:26:10,350
As soon as they caught the first reindeer,
437
00:26:10,350 --> 00:26:13,320
they tather them to the wooden slays.
438
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:17,590
They need to get used to that task as working animals again.
439
00:26:17,590 --> 00:26:20,193
The rest of the herd follows them voluntarily.
440
00:26:34,150 --> 00:26:35,200
Soon it will be impossible
441
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,720
to drive around on the snowmobiles.
442
00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:39,713
Then we won't be able to go into town.
443
00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:41,850
Once it thaws,
444
00:26:41,850 --> 00:26:43,883
everything gets waterlogged.
445
00:26:43,883 --> 00:26:46,030
The road becomes impassable.
446
00:26:46,030 --> 00:26:48,690
Now we take those reindeer to the herd.
447
00:26:48,690 --> 00:26:51,340
Then we catch the younger ones and train them up too.
448
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,180
The first slay is ready to go.
449
00:26:56,180 --> 00:26:57,630
Soon the Nenets will ride
450
00:26:57,630 --> 00:27:00,150
hundreds of kilometers up North on them,
451
00:27:00,150 --> 00:27:03,763
always following the cold into the vast Tundra.
452
00:27:07,510 --> 00:27:12,440
The drivers use the roof of Yuri's Ural as a refrigerator.
453
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:15,490
The convoy has driven until the morning.
454
00:27:15,490 --> 00:27:16,980
Before they can carry on,
455
00:27:16,980 --> 00:27:19,193
they need to put a good meal on the table.
456
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:23,425
The delicacy of the North is called muksum.
457
00:27:23,425 --> 00:27:25,463
A fish whose home is the Ob river.
458
00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:28,574
Yuri cuts up the raw fish,
459
00:27:28,574 --> 00:27:31,873
as Nenets tradition dictates, into small strips.
460
00:27:38,420 --> 00:27:40,150
It's freshly frozen.
461
00:27:40,150 --> 00:27:43,483
The fish is for internal use with salt and pepper.
462
00:27:44,630 --> 00:27:46,610
Vodka is desirable too.
463
00:27:46,610 --> 00:27:49,633
Without Vodka it's not perfect, but you can eat it anyway.
464
00:27:51,810 --> 00:27:53,010
The night was cold.
465
00:27:53,010 --> 00:27:55,143
The wheel valves are frozen.
466
00:27:59,650 --> 00:28:00,930
We let the air out of the tires
467
00:28:00,930 --> 00:28:03,070
so the car can cope better with the winter road.
468
00:28:03,070 --> 00:28:04,750
So it won't get damaged.
469
00:28:04,750 --> 00:28:07,560
If there's less air in the tires, it's easier to drive,
470
00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,353
and you've got a better grip between the snow and wheel.
471
00:28:12,340 --> 00:28:15,090
Halfway between Nadym and Salekhard,
472
00:28:15,090 --> 00:28:16,750
there is a station.
473
00:28:16,750 --> 00:28:19,683
Yuri and the others want to reach the station today.
474
00:28:20,538 --> 00:28:23,288
(dramatic music)
475
00:28:29,707 --> 00:28:32,374
(lorry hooting)
476
00:28:33,690 --> 00:28:36,490
Many drivers make use of the last days
477
00:28:36,490 --> 00:28:38,730
when the road is still passable.
478
00:28:38,730 --> 00:28:41,350
Soon it will be closed.
479
00:28:41,350 --> 00:28:43,020
For the next eight months,
480
00:28:43,020 --> 00:28:46,910
transports will have to take place by plane or ship.
481
00:28:46,910 --> 00:28:49,063
The road disappears as it were.
482
00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,853
The only reminders are the wrecks of the unlucky lorries.
483
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,410
An oncoming driver tells Yuri
484
00:29:02,410 --> 00:29:04,793
about conditions on the rest of the way.
485
00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:08,880
They say the roads in Nadym is bad,
486
00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:10,080
will out convoy make it?
487
00:29:11,850 --> 00:29:13,560
It will probably get through though,
488
00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:14,960
if not use the ropes,
489
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:16,430
you can get through on the tracks.
490
00:29:16,430 --> 00:29:18,190
Have you been getting through okay?
491
00:29:18,190 --> 00:29:19,073
Yeah.
492
00:29:20,310 --> 00:29:22,383
The road is like soap it's turned warm.
493
00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,043
I'll string up and carry on now.
494
00:29:29,490 --> 00:29:31,063
Have a good trip.
495
00:29:37,670 --> 00:29:39,800
In the North of Siberia,
496
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:43,103
the permafrost soil is hundreds of meters deep.
497
00:29:43,980 --> 00:29:44,900
On top,
498
00:29:44,900 --> 00:29:46,550
there are vast swamplands
499
00:29:46,550 --> 00:29:48,483
which the winter road leads through.
500
00:29:49,330 --> 00:29:50,500
Parts of them thaw
501
00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:54,470
when temperatures reach 15 degrees below zero.
502
00:29:54,470 --> 00:29:55,550
In some areas,
503
00:29:55,550 --> 00:29:57,890
even experienced drivers like Yuri,
504
00:29:57,890 --> 00:29:59,350
find it hard to make out
505
00:29:59,350 --> 00:30:01,525
whether the road is still passable at all.
506
00:30:01,525 --> 00:30:04,858
(gentle dramatic music)
507
00:30:13,705 --> 00:30:15,030
(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
508
00:30:15,030 --> 00:30:16,650
It's still okay at the moment,
509
00:30:16,650 --> 00:30:19,500
but sometimes the water comes up to my feet in the cabin.
510
00:30:28,490 --> 00:30:30,240
In some places the mortar is up
511
00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,550
to one and a half meters deep.
512
00:30:32,550 --> 00:30:35,673
The difficult bit is that you don't know what's underneath.
513
00:30:38,637 --> 00:30:40,110
In the spring there's water coming
514
00:30:40,110 --> 00:30:42,250
from above and from below so,
515
00:30:42,250 --> 00:30:45,890
the ice is no longer solid, and it breaks.
516
00:30:45,890 --> 00:30:48,723
It can cave in anytime, really anytime.
517
00:30:52,696 --> 00:30:53,960
The convoy has reached
518
00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:57,640
the little station halfway between Salekhard and Nadym.
519
00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,600
Many people take a brief break there
520
00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,550
before they tackle the second part of their trip.
521
00:31:02,550 --> 00:31:05,510
A reserve fund of petrol helps those drivers
522
00:31:05,510 --> 00:31:08,030
who underestimated the high petrol consumption
523
00:31:08,030 --> 00:31:09,530
on the winter road.
524
00:31:09,530 --> 00:31:13,823
Yuri's ural uses more than 50 liters per hundred kilometers.
525
00:31:15,540 --> 00:31:19,800
Vasili Volkov guards the station and the petrol.
526
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:22,120
He's a hermit of the winter road.
527
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:23,560
For eight months each year,
528
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:25,340
he's completely alone.
529
00:31:25,340 --> 00:31:26,700
For the other four months,
530
00:31:26,700 --> 00:31:28,530
when the winter road is in use,
531
00:31:28,530 --> 00:31:31,253
his hut is a popular meeting place for truckers.
532
00:31:35,910 --> 00:31:38,510
One of the drivers tells of his accident
533
00:31:38,510 --> 00:31:40,213
just short of the station.
534
00:31:41,180 --> 00:31:44,320
This morning his lorry overturned.
535
00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:46,563
He was carrying a load of Petrol.
536
00:31:47,700 --> 00:31:50,910
Fellow drivers freed him from the broken vehicle ,
537
00:31:50,910 --> 00:31:51,743
and brought him here.
538
00:31:51,743 --> 00:31:52,576
(cat meows)
539
00:31:52,576 --> 00:31:54,110
(man snoring)
540
00:31:54,110 --> 00:31:57,350
(man speaking in foreign language)
541
00:31:57,350 --> 00:32:00,930
My first thought was, damn this is it.
542
00:32:00,930 --> 00:32:01,980
I thought I was dead.
543
00:32:03,052 --> 00:32:04,802
And this was the end.
544
00:32:07,740 --> 00:32:10,463
Then I wondered, is this what heaven looks like?
545
00:32:12,020 --> 00:32:13,960
Everything was upside down.
546
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:15,320
You see nothing.
547
00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:17,110
There's snow everywhere.
548
00:32:17,110 --> 00:32:18,580
Are you still alive or not?
549
00:32:18,580 --> 00:32:19,580
You just don't know.
550
00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:23,043
No one knows.
551
00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:27,050
In the old days they forced us to drive.
552
00:32:27,050 --> 00:32:28,883
Now we do it of our own free will.
553
00:32:30,420 --> 00:32:33,293
Yes. Now we do it of our own free will.
554
00:32:36,511 --> 00:32:38,059
(wind whooshing)
555
00:32:38,059 --> 00:32:40,809
(dramatic music)
556
00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:43,840
Temperatures rise
557
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:46,590
to five degrees below zero.
558
00:32:46,590 --> 00:32:49,460
Blizzards are increasingly likely.
559
00:32:49,460 --> 00:32:51,270
The wind picks up.
560
00:32:51,270 --> 00:32:54,793
Within a few hours the road is covered in loose snow.
561
00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,533
The road markings on either side disappear.
562
00:32:59,540 --> 00:33:02,320
Off road drivers Konya and Yigor,
563
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:03,960
find it more and more difficult
564
00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:06,956
to drive their cars across the blown away road.
565
00:33:06,956 --> 00:33:10,539
(dramatic music continues)
566
00:33:19,420 --> 00:33:23,590
The front axle of Konya's vehicle has hit deep snow.
567
00:33:23,590 --> 00:33:25,970
He won't be able to get out again by himself.
568
00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:28,083
Yigor has to help him.
569
00:33:30,290 --> 00:33:32,460
The wind has become very strong.
570
00:33:32,460 --> 00:33:34,300
It blows snow onto the road so
571
00:33:34,300 --> 00:33:36,523
we can expect more snowdrifts.
572
00:33:39,219 --> 00:33:41,150
We'll have to keep pulling the other one out
573
00:33:41,150 --> 00:33:42,633
a few more times.
574
00:33:46,417 --> 00:33:49,584
(car engines revving)
575
00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:55,750
The jot of the start
576
00:33:55,750 --> 00:33:57,930
pulls off part of the rope holder,
577
00:33:57,930 --> 00:34:01,010
but at least Konya's car has come unstuck.
578
00:34:01,010 --> 00:34:04,110
I drove quite a deep track into here.
579
00:34:04,110 --> 00:34:05,390
It's only 30 meters
580
00:34:05,390 --> 00:34:07,600
to the other side of the snowbank.
581
00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:10,093
They could make it if they drive faster.
582
00:34:11,030 --> 00:34:12,410
The men start wondering
583
00:34:12,410 --> 00:34:15,540
if they will make it back home this winter.
584
00:34:15,540 --> 00:34:18,140
If they have to leave their vehicles behind,
585
00:34:18,140 --> 00:34:19,683
they'll never see them again.
586
00:34:26,220 --> 00:34:27,830
The convoy drivers
587
00:34:27,830 --> 00:34:31,153
also find it hard to keep control over what's going on.
588
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:39,860
The snow is wet and slippery.
589
00:34:39,860 --> 00:34:42,220
The lorry carrying the asphalt machine,
590
00:34:42,220 --> 00:34:44,800
won't make it up the hills on its own.
591
00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:46,330
When attempting to tow it,
592
00:34:46,330 --> 00:34:49,283
the wheel loader also starts to slide.
593
00:34:50,670 --> 00:34:53,830
Once they've dug it out, they start a second attempt
594
00:34:53,830 --> 00:34:57,650
in getting the articulated lorry across the hill.
595
00:34:57,650 --> 00:34:59,963
They need to cross several hills in a row.
596
00:35:05,470 --> 00:35:09,390
Again, the wheels start spinning after a few minutes.
597
00:35:09,390 --> 00:35:12,593
35 tunnels rotating on the spot.
598
00:35:15,810 --> 00:35:16,980
We need more speed.
599
00:35:16,980 --> 00:35:19,510
If we go faster we can pull the lorry up the hill.
600
00:35:19,510 --> 00:35:22,460
The rope needs to remain at full stretch.
601
00:35:22,460 --> 00:35:23,920
If it stops at the bottom of the Hill,
602
00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:26,070
you can't pull it up, it stuck.
603
00:35:26,070 --> 00:35:27,470
You can only do it together.
604
00:35:28,590 --> 00:35:29,760
I'll use fourth gear,
605
00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:31,598
it'll be faster that way.
606
00:35:31,598 --> 00:35:33,870
If I go in second gear, I'll get stuck.
607
00:35:33,870 --> 00:35:35,053
You're simply too slow.
608
00:35:38,310 --> 00:35:39,930
There are several hundred weights
609
00:35:39,930 --> 00:35:42,380
of bottom ash in the lorry.
610
00:35:42,380 --> 00:35:45,113
It's a survival aid for winter road drivers.
611
00:35:46,300 --> 00:35:47,770
Bucket by bucket,
612
00:35:47,770 --> 00:35:50,310
the drivers put down a trail in the snow,
613
00:35:50,310 --> 00:35:53,103
so that the wheels can grip at the next attempt.
614
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,343
The team carefully rolls back to the bottom of the hill.
615
00:36:04,290 --> 00:36:08,453
Then both drivers will go at full speed simultaneously.
616
00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:19,500
Again, the lorry grinds to a halt,
617
00:36:19,500 --> 00:36:21,010
but right at that moment,
618
00:36:21,010 --> 00:36:24,013
the bulldozers wheels catch hold in the snow.
619
00:36:25,331 --> 00:36:28,164
(engines revving)
620
00:36:57,313 --> 00:36:59,430
In the Nenets settlement,
621
00:36:59,430 --> 00:37:02,940
the problems of the winter road go unnoticed.
622
00:37:02,940 --> 00:37:04,170
The Tundra nomads
623
00:37:04,170 --> 00:37:07,550
have been living in the Arctic for thousands of years.
624
00:37:07,550 --> 00:37:08,950
Like every year,
625
00:37:08,950 --> 00:37:11,450
they quietly prepare for spring.
626
00:37:11,450 --> 00:37:13,453
Some of the slays need mending.
627
00:37:20,570 --> 00:37:22,480
Once every two weeks,
628
00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:26,870
Ivan and Grigory slaughter a reindeer for their own use.
629
00:37:26,870 --> 00:37:28,943
They need all hands on deck for that.
630
00:37:30,919 --> 00:37:32,970
(dog barking)
631
00:37:32,970 --> 00:37:34,000
They have to be quick,
632
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:36,540
or the meat will freeze under the knife,
633
00:37:36,540 --> 00:37:38,790
and the men won't be able to skin the animal.
634
00:37:39,850 --> 00:37:42,730
Reindeer meat, reindeer blood and fat,
635
00:37:42,730 --> 00:37:45,947
are basic foodstuffs as well as a source of income.
636
00:37:51,970 --> 00:37:55,250
Ivan and Grigory take the snowmobiles into town
637
00:37:55,250 --> 00:37:57,600
for the last time this year.
638
00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:01,380
There, they sell reindeer meat and frozen fish.
639
00:38:01,380 --> 00:38:04,893
They use the proceeds to buy supplies for the coming months.
640
00:38:09,130 --> 00:38:10,270
There's another one who got stuck,
641
00:38:10,270 --> 00:38:11,340
the poor guy slid.
642
00:38:11,340 --> 00:38:13,043
Shall we try it from the top?
643
00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:19,140
Off roaders Kolya and Yigor,
644
00:38:19,140 --> 00:38:20,860
are standing in front of a slope
645
00:38:20,860 --> 00:38:22,990
which is completely frozen over.
646
00:38:22,990 --> 00:38:25,253
Some lorries have slid off and blocked away.
647
00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:28,923
May I offer you my hand, sir?
648
00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:32,730
This hill is particularly treacherous
649
00:38:32,730 --> 00:38:33,880
if you leave the track.
650
00:38:35,620 --> 00:38:36,750
Do you wanna drive along here?
651
00:38:36,750 --> 00:38:37,653
Yes.
652
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:41,200
In the last days
653
00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:43,490
when the winter road is still open,
654
00:38:43,490 --> 00:38:46,900
no vehicle makes it through without problems.
655
00:38:46,900 --> 00:38:51,491
The icy peast becomes a slide for man and machine.
656
00:38:51,491 --> 00:38:54,241
(dramatic music)
657
00:39:11,024 --> 00:39:13,780
Konya and Yigor don't want to wait several days
658
00:39:13,780 --> 00:39:15,660
for the road to become free again.
659
00:39:15,660 --> 00:39:18,610
They look for an alternative route around the blocked area.
660
00:39:20,510 --> 00:39:22,270
Do you see how much water there is?
661
00:39:22,270 --> 00:39:23,293
We could sink here.
662
00:39:24,970 --> 00:39:26,900
I can't imagine how we would get around that bit
663
00:39:26,900 --> 00:39:29,831
with the two trees over there, no idea.
664
00:39:29,831 --> 00:39:30,949
To the right.
665
00:39:30,949 --> 00:39:33,616
To the right.
666
00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:37,411
Centimeter by centimeter,
667
00:39:37,411 --> 00:39:40,560
Yigor advances on the thin ice.
668
00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:42,773
Kolya, secures the car on the side.
669
00:39:59,175 --> 00:40:00,320
At that moment,
670
00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:02,713
an oncoming vehicle blocks their way.
671
00:40:03,910 --> 00:40:05,320
What now?
672
00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:06,250
Why do you drive along here
673
00:40:06,250 --> 00:40:08,233
without checking the area first?
674
00:40:10,927 --> 00:40:12,780
The way in front is blocked,
675
00:40:12,780 --> 00:40:15,160
but they can't go back either.
676
00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:17,480
There are very few options left,
677
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:21,093
to avoid having to leave the car behind until next year.
678
00:40:28,170 --> 00:40:30,610
The men want to try using a cable winch
679
00:40:30,610 --> 00:40:34,376
and ease the car down the slope sideways.
680
00:40:34,376 --> 00:40:37,459
(car engine revving)
681
00:40:56,630 --> 00:40:58,770
We've managed the tricky icy bit,
682
00:40:58,770 --> 00:41:00,100
I'm happy.
683
00:41:00,100 --> 00:41:01,650
I don't wanna sleep anymore.
684
00:41:01,650 --> 00:41:03,880
I'm not hungry or thirsty anymore,
685
00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:05,919
at last we can keep going.
686
00:41:05,919 --> 00:41:08,502
(gentle music)
687
00:41:15,410 --> 00:41:16,620
For the near future,
688
00:41:16,620 --> 00:41:19,820
a modern railways is planned between Salekhard and Nadym
689
00:41:19,820 --> 00:41:22,120
along the old Starling railway.
690
00:41:22,120 --> 00:41:23,770
Will there ever be a paved road
691
00:41:23,770 --> 00:41:26,720
that makes traveling between the two towns easier?
692
00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:27,743
No one knows.
693
00:41:30,690 --> 00:41:32,857
Yuri and his colleagues have made it.
694
00:41:32,857 --> 00:41:35,360
The convoy reaches the control station.
695
00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:38,193
From there it's just a few more kilometers into town.
696
00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:42,570
You're from here, right?
697
00:41:42,570 --> 00:41:43,860
You have one car?
698
00:41:43,860 --> 00:41:44,823
Three.
699
00:41:47,540 --> 00:41:48,633
Good luck.
700
00:41:50,690 --> 00:41:52,700
Yuri can't imagine a life
701
00:41:52,700 --> 00:41:54,913
without that road and the snow.
702
00:41:55,858 --> 00:41:57,370
(Yuri speaking in foreign language)
703
00:41:57,370 --> 00:42:00,220
This road is like a treat for me.
704
00:42:00,220 --> 00:42:03,740
The winter road would always remain the winter road.
705
00:42:03,740 --> 00:42:05,230
If you work here with good people
706
00:42:05,230 --> 00:42:06,773
you won't ever feel fatigued.
707
00:42:07,750 --> 00:42:09,310
Of course you'll get tired,
708
00:42:09,310 --> 00:42:11,280
but you're always in a good mood.
709
00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:12,820
It's fun.
710
00:42:12,820 --> 00:42:16,513
You do a job which you sometimes doubted you can succeed at.
711
00:42:17,570 --> 00:42:19,620
You wonder how you've achieved this much.
712
00:42:21,060 --> 00:42:21,893
But it's a fact,
713
00:42:22,910 --> 00:42:24,793
we've made it without much ado.
714
00:42:26,359 --> 00:42:29,109
(dramatic music)
52484
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