All language subtitles for Travel.Quest.With.Bill.Ball.S01E08.CONVERT.1080p.HDTV.H264-CBFM

VOICEOVER: There is nothing more
thrilling than exploring

new lands and territories.

Though much of the earth has been
thoroughly mapped and is now open

to tourism, there is
a legendary place that few people

have travelled to.

In fact, only recently,
did I discover I could

actually go there.

And once I committed to this trip,
I knew I was on board

for an incredible adventure.

Join me this week, as I fulfil
one of my and, for that matter,

man's greatest quests, as we head
to the top of the world,

the geographic North Pole.

Since I was young, I had an intense
desire to discover the world

around me, that hasn't changed -
just the level of adventure.

Now, every journey has a purpose
and each time I venture out

to explore new destinations
around the globe,

I am following my...

Helsinki makes a great
jumping-off point

for an adventure to the North Pole.

It is served by several airlines

and it is one of the cleanest,

safest and friendliest in the world.

I always like to see and do as much
as possible when I leave home,

and so I chose to start my day
in Helsinki by visiting

the nearby village of Porvoo.

This charming municipality
of about 50,000 is the second oldest

in Finland, only after
the coastal city of Turku.

It's a wonderful place
to wander and admire

the mostly 18th century
wooden houses and buildings.

Just a 45-minute drive from Helsinki,
a visit to Porvoo

makes for a perfect daytrip.

Every city has its Eiffel Tower
or its iconic image.

And for me, Helsinki's
is the Rock Church.

This is a relatively young house
of worship compared to most

of Europe.

Built in 1969,

its name is derived from literally
being built

into natural granite outcropping,

but the real eye-opener
for this Lutheran church

is the more than 13 miles

of copper cable
that is tightly wound

to form its spectacular roof.

Across town,
the Russian Orthodox counterpart

is the awe inspiring 16-dome
Uspenski Cathedral,

set on a hillside
overlooking the city.

Built in 1868 for the tsar's troops
that were stationed there,

the cathedral is the largest
Orthodox church in Western Europe.

Finland was part of
the Russian empire from 1809 to 1917.

With its golden cupalas
and red-brick facade,

Uspenski Cathedral is
a magnificent example

of eastern religious architecture.

It was great to spend some time
in Helsinki before we had to take off

for our actual departure port
of our North Pole expedition -

Murmansk, Russia,

a quick two-hour flight away.

There are many reminders
of the old Soviet Union

in this industrial port,
the Northern most city in Russia.

Commercial fishing is
the driving force

behind their economy,

but tourism is beginning
to make an impact.

I was eager to visit one of
the most important sites in Murmansk

as a prelude to
my upcoming adventure,

the icebreaker Lenin, now a museum.

The ship opened the waterways
of the Arctic for 30 years,

from 1959 to 1989.

This was the first
nuclear icebreaker in the world,

and the grandfather to
50 Years of Victory,

the vessel
I was going to be sailing on.

What excited me most was being able
to explore

all the floating museum's spaces

that would be off limits
if it was an active icebreaker.

This prepared me
for the big show to come.

We were not allowed to film the ship
departing from the dock,

since it moored in
an active Russian naval yard.

I was reminded what a privilege
it was to join one of the five

or six sailings a year of
the only ship going to the Pole.

During the other nine-plus months,
it is a working icebreaker

clearing channels and leading convoys
through the new Northeast Passage

that links Europe to Asia,
which halves the travel time

of the alternate route
through the Suez Canal.

The first couple of days,
there was a number of safety drills

and mandatory meetings that focused
on where to assemble

for emergency evacuation

and how to safely and properly board
the helicopter.

The 50 Years of Victory comes
complete

with a five-passenger helicopter,

so guests can get an aerial view
of the giant icesheet

leading to the true North Pole.

Well, before we do the real thing,
it's good to take a test run.

And this is going to give me
a chance to see how it fits

being inside this cabin.

The 50 Years of Victory
is an immense ship.

It is over 520 feet long,

carrying up to 128 passengers

and an additional 140 crew.

The ship has a number of amenities.

So to get an idea of where
everything was located,

I took a guided tour.

This is the largest and most
powerful icebreaker in the world,

generating its two nuclear
power engines

up to 75,000 horsepower.

That's lot of horses.

Despite all my years in travel,
I never realised that anyone

could actually go to the North Pole.

The first to see it is generally
recognised as Roald Amundsen,

the famous Norwegian explorer,

who also reached the South Pole
first in 1926.

Subsequently, scientists and
the military have ventured

to the Far North, but tourists?

They only started coming in 1992.

That first group was
a French contingent

of 10 passengers and two guides,
who flew in by helicopter.

What makes our trip really special

is that it is
the 100th nautical excursion

to 90 degrees north.

The only landmass that
we encountered on the way

to the North Pole
was Franz Josef Land.

For us, this was special because
it was where we saw sea ice

for the first time - thin sheets,
punctuated by areas of open sea.

The staff told me that, as it
thickens, we would definitely

feel the difference.

This is also where we left
the Barents Sea and entered

the Arctic Ocean.

The crossing had not been bad -
some waves, but nothing like

what we experienced traversing
the Drake Passage earlier this season

in route to Antarctica.

That is a story in itself.

As we navigated around
the Franz Josef Land,

the icesheet would disappear
and then reappear again

several times.

This was just a prelude
to what we would encounter

north of the islands.

We plan to explore
this amazing archipelago

on our return voyage
if we have time,

but there is no way
to know for sure how long

it will take to reach
90 degrees North.

It all depends on the weather

and the thickness of the pack ice.

We hit it just north
of the Franz Joseph Islands

at a little over 82 degrees.

We are, of course,
referring to the latitude.

There are 90 degrees north
of the equator

and 90 South of the equator

for a total of 180, or half a circle.

Now I know why I learned
geometry in high school.

The excitement really kicks
into high gear when you reach

the thick, continuous,
true Arctic icepack.

This is where
the 50 Years of Victory

really proves itself

as it slices through
the frozen water.

As long as it is no more
than three or four feet thick,

it doesn't appear to affect
our progress at all.

The thrill of watching our ship
do its job is captivating,

though it is not the biggest
attraction to the frozen sea.

To me, it's having the chance to see
the largest predator on earth -

the polar bear.

If only I could be so lucky!

Pretty much everybody on board wants
to see and photograph a polar bear.

So the staff keeps a 24-hour watch
for these elusive carnivores.

Now, that may seem odd,
but this is the Far North,

and at this time of year,
there is no night -

it's 24-hour daylight.

When a polar bear is spotted,
an announcement is made

and that is the cue for us to dash
to the outer decks with our cameras.

That much anticipated moment came

the very first night
we hit the Arctic ice.

Believe it or not,
it's 1.30 in the morning.

The captain just woke us up,
said that there's a polar bear

off the starboard side.

I was thrilled to see my first
Russian polar bear.

These are majestic animals
that are unfortunately declining

in number, primarily
due to climate change.

This one's likely a female

because of
its relatively smaller size,

thinner neck and no visible
scarring on the face.

Very healthy looking -

this sow is doing quite well.

This was an amazing start
to our Arctic adventure,

but there was much more to come.

We barely got back to bed
and they called us out again.

This one we found on a kill
and now he's checking us out.

I don't think he's ever seen
a human being before.

With the close approach
of this sub-adult bear,

it is hard to imagine
a better encounter.

They can live about
25 years in the wild.

So this youngster has many years
of people-watching ahead of it.

As you might have gathered,
the ice is essential

for their existence
because that is the only way

they can get out to
their primary food - the seal.

Melting ice due to global warming
possesses the greatest threat

to this young bear's survival.

As exciting as it is to see
and photograph a polar bear,

in the end, though,
it's all about getting

to 90 degrees north.

In anticipation of that milestone,
the Quark staff had a meeting

to explain what could
happen once we get there.

The plans range from a barbecue
lunch, to balloon flights,

to a very special challenge.

Before anything, though,
we had to reach our destination.

And as we pass the 88-degree mark,
our progress significantly slowed.

The ice was getting much thicker
and the ship could no longer

simply plough through it,
but actually had to break it.

The 50 Years of Victory has
a cantilevered bow that helps it

ride up on the ice and
then use its massive weight

to crack the surface.

All over the Arctic
the ice is free floating

and is moved great distances by

ocean currents and wind, often
overlapping, forming

what is called a pressure ridge.

In those areas where the ice piled up
below the surface of the water,

the ship had to back up and take
a second run, muscling its way

through the impediments.

I can only describe this
bone-rattling process

as the equivalent
of enduring

extreme airplane turbulence
for two straight days.

And the noise?

Well, hear it for yourself.

(ICE CRACKS, SHIP RATTLES)

We were now just a short distance
from our final destination,

and the crew began to count down
on the loud speaker

at 89 degrees in 30 minutes.

Now we were just
30 nautical miles away,

I began to mentally prepare myself
for the big moment.

MAN: (OVER LOUDSPEAKER)
Welcome to the North Pole!

(CHEERING)

When the announcement finally came,
it was time for toasts

and smiling faces.

Lots of smiling faces.

We made it.

Well, I've got a big one checked off
my bucket list today.

I made it to the North Pole.

Now I've got one more thing
I want to do while I'm up here.

And it's making me a little nervous.

The crew had a number
of activities planned for us,

but the ice had to be solid.

And what shocked me the most
was the number of gaps

and open water all around us.

The 50 Years of Victory repositioned
itself on the more stable ice

so the morning and afternoon
activities could be safely done.

Probably the most important measure
was setting up a perimeter to watch

for polar bears.

That is where the armed
park rangers would come in.

Before doing anything else though,
I had to take in the moment,

reflecting on where I was -
the North Pole, top of the world.

From here,
the only direction is south.

I have never been good at pausing
and savouring the big events in life,

but this was really special.

For the staff, one of the first
orders of business was raising

the pole with national flags,
representing all the passengers

and crew on board.

That, normally a routine matter,
would become

an omen for how
the day would unfold.

As people disembark to set foot
on ice, they cheered

and made their way to
a large circle of rope in the snow.

This was going to be
the group picture of a lifetime.

It was time to celebrate
one incredible completed quest.

This was not just a big deal to me,
but it fulfilled a lifetime dream.

We were out here with the crew
while they were setting up

for the activities of the day
and the wind just really picked up.

It is really blowing out here
and they've had to cancel

basically all the activities
for the day, but that is authentic

because, you know,
we're at the North Pole.

One activity they did not cancel,
both to my joy and maybe chagrin,

is the challenge that I had
signed up for earlier in the day -

the polar plunge.

(CHEERING)

It is exactly what it sounds like...
(MAN SHOUTS)

..people jumping into the freezing
waters of the Arctic Ocean.

The time had come - I would have
to decide to do it or chicken out

in front of everyone.

The time had come -
I would have to decide to do it

or chicken out in front of everyone.

One small step for me,
one giant leap for Travel Quest.

(CHEERING)

Yeah, it was no problem,
except for the fact that

it's freezing cold and
there's icebergs all around.

But otherwise,
just like the Caribbean.

Next on the agenda was a chance
to call a loved one

anywhere in the world

using a satellite phone.

Quart gives everyone one
two-minute call from the North Pole.

For me, that choice was easy -
my mom.

It happened to be her
86th birthday that very day.

Happy birthday, Mom.

This is your son Bill
up at the North Pole.

Every year without fail,
if I'm not physically with her,

I contact her on her birthday.

She knew this time
it might be tough.

After all, who expects
to get a call from

one of the most remote places
on the planet?

And it is one birthday
she won't soon forget.

The staff was about to wrap things up
when the wind tapered off

just enough to allow us to safely go
for a hike on the icepack.

A handful of us brave,
or more likely crazy, souls

set off into the white wilderness
of the Arctic.

We knew the risks, cracks, crevices,
holes hidden by a thin layer of snow

and the ever-present polar bears.

It would give us a sense, if only
briefly, of what

the early overland explorers
experienced.

All of us aboard
The 50 Years of Victory

are now part of an elite group

of less than 35,000 people
who have made it

to this remote place.

The names of every person
is recorded and catalogued.

At the start of our historic cruise,
the 100th nautical trip

to 90 degrees north,

there were 33,329 people
who had reached the Pole.

That includes all the explorers,
scientists and military,

as well as adventure tourists.

To give you an idea just
how small that number is,

over 56,000 people travelled
to Antarctica last year alone.

On our southbound journey I had
a chance to track down

one of the crew members

I wanted to talk to -

the manager
of onboard food service.

That duty fell to Karl Heinz,

a German national who has spent much

of his professional career running
expedition ship restaurants.

The banging sounds,
the shaking of the ship.

I know it's because
we're going through the ice,

but that's got to be hard to cope
with for your kitchen staff.

How do they do it?

KARL HEINZ: The first days,
as you saw,

they are still normally
some quite calm,

but once you go into the ice,
or let's say after one voyage,

they normally find
their sea legs, as we call it.

But you still have to be,
of course, careful

for the motions, and really
when we hit ice,

so that they'll not get hurt,

but also to have the food always
in the middle of the tables.

And so nothing on the edge.

But that takes normally one voyage.

The food on the cruise
was impressive.

And what astonished me the most
was fresh vegetables,

right to the end.

Our voyage was on schedule,

so that left us plenty of time
to visit the Franz Josef islands.

Due to their location these islands
were chosen as base camps

for the early attempts
to reach the North Pole.

But one of the reasons
some of those expeditions failed

was the inhospitable nature
of this land,

even to just set up the expedition
headquarters.

They are often iced in and the wind
and fog made the waterways,

and later the airways, dangerous.

Our crew looked at satellite images,
navigation reports and charts

to determine if any of the islands
might be accessible either

by Zodiac or helicopter.

The most promising route would
take us to the East coast

of one of the larger and most
western islands - Alexandra Land.

Just as we were settling in
for an uneventful icebreaking day,

if icebreaking days in the Arctic
can be called uneventful,

we spotted another polar bear.

This one was actually hunting.

We didn't go far, and nature
gave us an even bigger treat.

Young bears stay with their mom
for about a year and a half to learn

the family trade - seal hunting.

This bodes well for
the next generation.

We need to continue to address
global warming and other threats

to the great white bear, so future
generations will have the same

amazing opportunities
to see them that I did.

We woke up the next morning ready
for a full day of adventure

in the Franz Josefs, but
there was an unanticipated delay.

In the high Arctic things don't
always go as you plan.

We were supposed to be offloading
the park rangers by Zodiac to get

all their supplies
to their summer station,

but the ice is so thick

there's no room for Zodiacs to go.

So we're helicoptering them off.

In the meantime, it's set us back
about three hours.

So the one thing I've learned is
to expect the unexpected.

Because so few vessels
travel these waters,

the ships that do are usually given
additional tasks to perform.

And in our case, it was transporting
the Russian Arctic Rangers

and their supplies
to their far-flung station.

They protect
this fragile environment for us

and other adventurers to enjoy.

So the delay seemed
a small price to pay.

As the last helicopter run
to the ranger station

was taking off,

we had already begun to move
to our intended Zodiac cruise site.

I was looking forward to
my first chance

to get off the icebreaker

and get a closer look
at those islands.

The Zodiacs are carefully lowered,
which is quite an operation

on its own.

And with the weather holding up,
the chance to cruise the bay

is looking good.

Once in calmer waters, I can see
that the landmass is surreal.

Huge glaciers, ready to carve,

are poised to create the next giant
floating ice flows.

Though formidable,
the island is breathtaking.

This is nature at its most
untamed and untouched.

The islands are covered
by enormous glaciers,

large masses of moving dense ice
flowing into the sea.

I was hoping to get a better look,
and there was only one practical

and safe way to do that -

take a helicopter
over the ice field.

Lucky for me, 50 Years of Victory
has one available.

And what I saw was astounding.

Virtually the whole island

is frozen solid.

The smooth look of the land is due
to the ice grinding the rock

into pebbles and dust.

The Franz Josefs are one of the most
glaciated places on earth.

As we depart the islands,
we begin to leave the Arctic behind.

There was still two days
of travel left,

which included scientific lectures

and a charity auction
for Polar Bears International,

featuring a number of Arctic
and expedition collectibles.

But the trip,
the adventure, is ending.

The relatively flat Barents Sea
is now just a path home.

I am left to reflect on this rare
and exciting journey,

one that will remain a highlight

of this first season
of Travel Quest.

But for me personally,
and for those lucky few adventurers

who joined me, this amounts
to the trip of a lifetime -

the North Pole.

Captions by Red Bee Media
(c) SBS Australia 2023