All language subtitles for north.pole.ice.airport.s01e01.1080p.web.h264-cbfm[EZTVx.to]_[English] (SUBRIP)

(simmering, epic music)
(helicopter chops)

- [Narrator] The Arctic Ocean,

five and a half million
square miles of sea and ice.

One of the most dangerous places on Earth,

where every year, an
extraordinary team of skydivers

carve out an airport just
20 miles of the North Pole.

Beside it, an oasis springs up

in this frozen desert,

Ice Camp Barneo.

- Five star Arctic hotel.

(chuckles)

- [Narrator] The camp is a
magnet for people big dreams.

- I've just been dippin' me boots

in the end of the runway.

(laughter)

(cheering)

- [Narrator] Marathon runners--

- [Woman] You're so tired,
you don't know where you are,

you don't know who you are.

You want to die.

- [Narrator] Champagne tourists--

(cheering)

- It's a long drive contest, apparently.

- [Narrator] And international scientists.

- It's sort of like God
made you a laboratory

right out in the perfect spot.

- [Narrator] Amateur
adventurers go in search

of the ultimate experience.

- It's just like walking
into a different world

that you never would have
dreamed or prepared for.

- We could be going to absolute carnage.

(angry screaming)

- [Narrator] They have just three weeks

to pursue their Arctic dreams

before Barneo melts to the sea.

(splashing)
(laughing)

- Oh my God!

- [Narrator] This is one season

of the world's most extreme outpost.

(panting)

(barking)

- Welcome to the Arctic Ocean!

Woo-hoo!

(simmering music)
(plane zooms)

(helicopter chops)

- [Narrator] It's late March.

Flying above the frozen
surface of the Arctic Ocean,

a Russian crew searches the ice.

(radio chatter)

They're looking for a
site to build an airport.

Finding the perfect sheet of ice,

strong enough to support the landing

of a 30 ton cargo jet is not easy.

- This piece of ice they
choose from the helicopters,

three days of flying,

flying around the North Pole

to find this piece of
ice to build the runway.

(pensive music)

- [Narrator] Each year, the
Russian Geographic Society

sponsors the building of
an extraordinary outpost

on the ice

around 25 miles from the North Pole.

They call it Barneo.

As much of the ice sheet melts in summer,

Barneo must be rebuilt
from scratch every year.

(radio chatter)

- [Radio Man] ETA

two-zero-one-three.

- [Man] One-three.

- [Narrator] Once a site
for the airport is found,

the only way down is by parachute.

(intense music)

- The lowest speed of that plane
is 300 kilometers per hour,

which is quite fast,

so when you're jumping out,

you have to hit the blast with that speed,

300 kilometers. (chuckles)

- [Narrator] Two
bulldozers, drums of fuel,

food, and tents for the crew

are also airdropped into position.

In temperatures of 40 degrees below zero,

the team must create a runway
like no other in the world.

- Here's really deep snow,

from half meter to up to one meter snow,

and for our tractor,

it's really hard to move the snow away.

Our team has to chop the ice,

because the ice was not smooth.

So we were chopping manually
and using the chainsaws.

(chainsaw buzzes)

- [Narrator] While the team get to work,

Barneo's guests are gathering
600 miles to the south.

(jaunty traditional music)

Longyearbyen, on the Norwegian
island of Spitsbergen,

is the most northerly town in the world.

Every year, hundreds of scientists,

adventurers and tourists fly in,

waiting here until Barneo
is open for business.

(camera shutters)

Among the first to arrive this season

are a group of office workers from the UK.

They'll be attempting a trek
to the pole for charity.

- I'm really looking forward to it now.

Now we've actually got here,

it's taken a long time to get here,

we're really looking forward to it.

- I understand it's minus
40 up where we're going,

so, um, it's gonna be a
challenge and an effort.

- I'm clearly the only idiot

that's turned up without a jacket.

(laughs)

(wind blows)

- [Narrator] This far north,

the temperature only hits
seven degrees centigrade

in the height of summer.

Today, it's a chilling minus 20.

- It's very cold, yes.

- We've got a big thing
ahead of us, haven't we?

And we are just six ordinary guys.

- If someone had told me
when I was a boy, you know,

I'd be go going on a trip to North Pole,

I would have had a heart attack.

I was born sort of

on the back of the
Britwell Estate in Slough,

so the North Pole might
as well be the moon.

That for me is just a boyhood
dream come true, really.

- [Narrator] Around 500
people from 15 countries

will go to Barneo this year.

A large group of Japanese
tourists have booked a flight

from Barneo to the pole by helicopter.

They're on a tight schedule.

- Yes, we are very excited! (laughs)

Just two days in North Pole.

(laughs)

(bicycle bell rings)

- [Narrator] Also making
preparations in Longyearbyen

is Barneo's boss, Misha Malikov.

- Future omelet is prepared here.

- [Narrator] Misha was
made a hero of Russia

for his pioneering Arctic expeditions.

There's not much he
doesn't know about the ice.

- The most difficult moment for a person

who would like to go to the
North Pole is just decision.

I'm doing it.

It's so unique.

No spoil.

Greatest and feelings what they experience

in all their life.

In all polar expedition,

the, uh, most important
person not the boss.

Cook! (chuckles)

Cook keep people, uh, happy.

- [Narrator] Everything
here in Longyearbyen

is ready to go.

Misha calls the runway team

to check on progress up on the ice.

(speaks in foreign language)

- Yeah, actually, uh,

not nice news for one, uh, side.

Unfortunately, snow this
season is a little bit harder

and thicker than we expected.

- [Narrator] The runway
team are struggling.

It's minus 40, colder than usual,

which limits the time the crew can work.

The ice is old, which
makes it extremely tough.

It's taking longer than
planned to cut and level.

The airstrip is falling behind schedule.

(gentle, contemplative music)

Back in Longyearbyen,

news of the delay is causing concern

for Barneo's waiting customers.

- My team's expected to fly in on third,

and that gives us 10
days to make the pole.

So every day we're delayed

on the runway being constructed

is an extra, you know,

10 miles we have to make on our project.

- [Narrator] Alan Chambers
is a former marine commander

who now works as an expedition guide.

He's been hired along
with team doctor Ed Coates

to lead the group of
British office workers

safely to the North Pole.

- It's gonna be interesting
to see which couches

really flourish and come
out of the woodwork,

or people who go quiet.

I like the cold because
it strips everybody,

and you get to the real,
honest character of the people.

- It'll be hard for all of us, won't it?

But after having a good
chat with Ed, the doctor,

he's been to the South
Pole, he's been around here,

and Alan, this is his 10th
trip to the North pole,

they inspire confidence.
(laughing)

When you're a kid, you
dream of these things.

Oh, let's get to the North pole.

We're off, we're going.

(adventurous music)

- [Narrator] More and more
people pour into Longyearbyen,

eager to start their Arctic adventures.

- Woo!
- Exciting.

- [Narrator] With 24 hours of daylight

during the Arctic spring,

the runway team have
been working in shifts

around the clock to get it finished.

It's three days late,

but finally, the airstrip is ready

to receive its first flight.

(upbeat traditional music)

The airport at Longyearbyen
is a hive of activity.

The Russian crew are preparing

for the first flight of the season

to the newly created
ice airport at Barneo.

But they're three days behind schedule,

and the strain is beginning to show.

- Actually, it's organized very well,

but because it's our first
flight in this season,

it takes a lot of pressure,

you know, and a lot of--

maybe not a lot, but little bit stress.

- [Narrator] Margarita is in
charge of flight operations.

- We are taking right now, uh,

big, um, stand?

For the people in the kitchen

that we can start to prepare some food.

- [Narrator] Before any
paying guests can fly north,

Barneo's crew must first build the camp.

A bewildering array of equipment is needed

to support a community on the ice.

(murmuring)

(knocks)

- TV set.

Tables.

These are beds!

Generators, food,

and toilets.

(knocking)

Important stuff, even in, uh--

sorry, it's closed.

- [Narrator] The first flight
of the season is in the air.

Barneo's boss Misha can
finally head out to the ice.

- I feel, uh, very excited.

For four years, I haven't seen this ice,

and for me, each meeting with ice

is always big emotion,

and I have a feeling I'm flying back home.

These people will be already
their 10th season on ice.

Believe me, one month on ice,

uh, like six months in normal life.

(chuckles)

- [Narrator] After two hours flying north

over the frozen Arctic Ocean,

the extraordinary ice
runway comes into view.

(isolated music)

The ice is little more than a meter thick.

No one is certain it'll
withstand the landing

of the 30 ton jet.

- [Pilot] Landing till then.

Three-four.

(radio chatter)
(engines hum)

(soaring)

- [Narrator] The successful
landing is a great relief

to the runway builders.

- Today, we received our incredible

Antonov 74 plane,

so the crew is in a good mood now!

- [Narrator] Sasha is Barneo's number two,

and supervised building the runway.

- It's my fourth season here on Barneo.

I discovered for years that, uh,

it attracts good people.

Arctic is my favorite place.

- [Narrator] The ground
team must now hurry.

The pilot keeps the engines running

as the extreme cold could
prevent them from restarting.

The Antonov heads back to Longyearbyen.

It'll soon return with the
first paying customers.

Barneo's crew have just a couple of days

to build a working town on the ice.

It will be an airport, a hospital,

a hotel, and a fuel station.

In one of the most inhospitable
places on the planet,

Barneo will be the essential lifeline

that keeps the visitors safe.

(energetic traditional music)

In Longyearbyen,

ex-marine Alan is putting his team

of charity-trekkers through their paces.

It's his final chance
to assess their skills

before they hit the ice.

- Who's the guy off, um, South Park?

Is it South Park?
- George Clooney?

- (laughs) No.
- Kenny!

(laughing)

- Kenny!
- Kenny!

(laughing)

- [Narrator] First, Alan must talk them

through their unfamiliar kit.

- The main difference we've got here,

you can see they've got skins on.

Synthetic skins, right?

So originally, they were made

out of seal skin in the olden days,

and it's like stroking a cat.

It's really soft one way,

and then the hair sticks in

when you go the opposite way,

so it gives you that
traction to shuffle forward,

and even on a 45 degree,

you've got no problem,
you won't slip back.

- Never skied, I've done snowboarding,

but, um, not done skiing.

But this isn't like skiing, is it?

Sort of walking with bits
of wood on your feet,

it's not skiing.

- [Narrator] Brian has
even less experience.

Today is his first time on skis.

- [Brian] Alan, why are these so sharp?

- [Alan] So they can stick into the ice.

- Okay.

(pleasant ballet music)

- The whole key is to
get the balance transfer

right right in the sliding,

and it's really hard the
first time you put skis on.

So, um, the guys got their work cut out.

(chuckles)

- Have you got any stabilizers?

- [Narrator] The whole
team are struggling,

but property manager Brian
is finding it hardest of all.

- Horrendous time on the skis.

I understand it's meant to be an easy way

to travel across the ice,

but I just can't get it at the moment,

and I was just frustrated like hell

at not being able to do it.

- You stay off that path.

- [Narrator] Brian's had enough,

and heads back to the apartment.

- It's good for me to get a measure

of the tolerance, anyway.

You know, one, two
mistakes, people get upset.

You just gotta watch for these
things when we get out there.

It's only gonna get harder.

(percussive music)

- [Narrator] In Longyearbyen's
most expensive hotel,

the Japanese tourists are counting

on a gentler route to the pole.

They've each paid around 25,000 pounds

for a luxury Barneo experience.

They'll be flown straight
to the top of the world

in a helicopter.

But for the last two days,

they haven't made it past reception.

- We want to go to North Pole,

but the weather is no good,

so we are waiting here.

And tomorrow, we want
to go to the North Pole.

Yes, tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are going to North Pole.

(serious orchestrated music)

- [Narrator] 600 miles north,

the hard work of Barneo's
crew has paid off.

The heated tents are in place,

and the ice camp is taking
on a village atmosphere.

- This is the main entrance
to the Barneo station.

Different flags.

Barneo flag, Russian flag,

and so many others.

We have two mess rooms, one for crew,

and one for clients.

And between the mess rooms,
it is the cold storage,

and opposite to that, it's a kitchen.

And these are our accommodation tents.

They heated, and they have
canvas beds with sleeping bags,

and we can accommodate up
to 12 persons on each tent.

Five star Arctic hotel. (chuckles)

- [Narrator] There's also a medical tent,

two helicopters on permanent standby,

a generator room to provide electricity,

and the most northern toilet in the world.

But the washing facilities
are pretty basic.

No hot showers here.

Just an invigorating rubdown with snow.

(motor buzzing)

With the final bits of
kit moved into place,

Ice Camp Barneo is ready to
open its doors for business.

(simmering adventurous music)

A new day,

and the British charity-trekkers

are about to set foot
on the frozen Arctic sea

for the first time.

(whooshing)

It's a long way from Birmingham

for scrap metal dealer Paul.

- It's just so different, isn't it?

Phenomenal.

Look at the scenery!

Look at this!

- Get close together, yeah?

- This is as far removed from me

as can possibly be,

and I think that's why I'm doing it.

I think as you get older,

men especially,

I think they get a bit strange,

and do weird things to sort
of reaffirm their vitality.

And there's nothing much
more extreme you could do

to sort of reaffirm life
than put your life in danger.

(chuckles)

- [Narrator] Each team member
will drag a 60 kilo sled.

They're packed with tents,
food, cooking equipment,

and extra clothing.

But before they set off for the pole,

they must check in with
operations director Misha.

He's responsible for their safety,

and everyone has to play by his rules.

- We have to check in every
night between eight and 10.

If we don't check in between eight and 10,

it has to be between eight and
nine the following morning.

If we don't check in, they
send the helicopter out,

and Alan gets fined.

Big star for it.

- [Narrator] The area
around the North Pole

is uniquely dangerous.

Although the pole itself does not move,

the ice and everything on it

is in constant motion.

- The is the North Pole,
and 90 degrees east.

Barneo started from this point.

For last five days, we
moved from 95 degrees

to 55 degrees.

Every day, we are doing seven kilometers.

Just for your understanding.

- Saying it's floating at
seven kilometers a day,

which is unbelievable.

So the runway's moving, the camp's moving,

the toilets are moving,

everything is moving at
seven kilometers a day.

So that effects where
we start, how we start.

- [Narrator] Alan will attempt to harness

the drift of the ice

to speed his inexperienced group north.

They'll take a short helicopter ride

to a drop off point east of the camp.

If Alan chooses the right spot,

the team can use the drifting
ice like a conveyor belt

to carry them towards the pole.

- Got all the skis on, got
all the sledges packed,

we're about to take off,

so this is the exciting bit.

This is what we've been waiting for.

(adventurous music)

(engine whines)

- [Narrator] The team have
set themselves the challenge

of a 60 mile trek across the
frozen oceans of the pole.

They hope to complete their
journey in seven days.

It's a serious test.

They have no experience on ice.

It's minus 28 degrees centigrade.

They're now alone in the
harshest climate on earth.

- When that helicopter took off

and it was just deadly silent,

and there was eight sledges, eight guys,

you could see fear in some of their eyes.

They realized then what they'd undertaken.

- It's like the loneliest
place on the planet.

I looked at Brian, and
his jaw just dropped.

He looked devastated.

- And I thought, "What have I done here?

"Why have I brought these guys out here?

"Oh, we're gonna die."

(chuckling)

(contemplative music)

- [Narrator] Team leader Alan decides

to ease his crew into the
challenge and make camp.

- Alan, is there an easy
way to undo these knots?

- That was the first time we put up a tent

in the snow with no help,

and it wasn't a very
nice experience at all.

It's so hard to explain,

it's just like walking
into a different world

that you never would've
dreamed or prepared for.

It's just so cold.

That's all it is.

It's just nothing at all except snow.

- [Narrator] The snow is
essential to their survival.

It'll be used to make drinks

and rehydrate the team's food.

In this bitter terrain,
they'll consume four times

the number of calories
that they do back home.

(grave, determined music)

Not every visitor to Barneo
with dreams of the pole

will get there on foot.

20 year old Johnny is a college
student from California.

- My name's Johnny Strange.

I'm a action sports athlete,

and I'm here to skydive
into the North Pole.

So I'm gonna skydive in, and if I do that,

I'll be the youngest in the world

to complete the three poles,

which is top of Everest,
South Pole, North Pole.

- [Narrator] Both his
parents have scaled Everest,

and Johnny has caught their adventure bug.

- [Johnny] Pretty excited,

but getting kind of nervous
about the skydive, you know.

If everything goes
right, it should be good.

'Cause if not, I'm gonna
smash into the ground.

- [Narrator] Skydiving onto an icecap

is extremely dangerous.

The Russian parachutists
who built the runway

are military trained,

full time professionals
accustomed to cold weather jumps.

In 1997, three tourists died

during a jump over the South Pole.

Skydiving there is now banned.

But at Barneo, anything is possible.

- Have to be in right gear,

well prepared, and also,
landing on the ice is difficult.

But if they like to do so, we can arrange.

- Everybody can say, "Oh,
yeah, it's dangerous,

"you can get hit," or, "You're
an idiot," blah blah blah.

But everybody dies eventually,

and I'm just trying to live
my life to the fullest.

- [Narrator] For safety reasons,

Johnny will jump with two
of Barneo's parachutists.

His life depends on having a
clear plan for the descent.

But the Russian jumper
doesn't speak English.

- How high are we going up?

(speaking in foreign language)

- 2,500 meters.

- Okay.

And then pull at 1000 meters?

(speaks in foreign language)

- 1,200.

- Okay, I'd rather pull higher than lower,

because I don't trust my altimeter here.

- [Narrator] Johnny is worried
the subzero temperature

will effect his altimeter.

If he misjudges his altitude

and opens his parachute too low,

Johnny faces certain death.

(grave music)
(murmuring)

(simmering, adventurous music)

20 miles from the North Pole,

the ice airport is busy with new arrivals.

Camp Barneo opened three days late

because of problems building the runway.

Operations director Misha
must catch up the lost time

and squeeze as many groups as possible

through Barneo's doors
and out to the pole.

- Yeah, but what are you--

how far are you from North Pole?

- [Narrator] But you no longer have to be

a great explorer to
conquer the earth's summit.

If your pockets are deep enough,

you can fly straight there.

The Japanese tourists are finally getting

their dream trip to the top of the world,

and paying 25,000 pounds for the privilege

buys you a very personal service.

- North Pole.

(chuckles)

(speaks in foreign language)

- Yeah, it's special place.

Probably 20th time I'm on
this special place already.

Yeah, actually, nice spot here.

I'm happy.

- [Narrator] Without a GPS,

there's nothing to show that
you're standing at the pole,

but the Russian hosts have
thought of everything.

Camp manager Sasha has a party trick

ready for the tourists.

- Congratulations for
vising the North Pole!

In this case, we can
cross all the meridians.

So in one minute,

you can make a round the world trip!

- [Narrator] All lines of longitude

converge at the Earth's axis,

making the north and south poles

the only places on the planet

where it's possible to
circumnavigate the globe

in under a minute.

- It's fun! (chuckles)

We are here in the North Pole

making round the world trip,

and taking pictures,

so it's really fun.

- You can see faces of people.

They're quite happy.

- [Narrator] The tourists'
brief time at the pole is up.

It's back on the helicopter to Barneo,

then straight off to the airport

for their onward flight to Japan.

(simmering music)

60 miles south,

the British charity-trekkers
are determined

to reach the pole the hard way.

Their first night on
the ice has been a shock

for scrap metal dealer Paul.

- It's cold.

It's so, so cold.

Supposed to be minus 35 last night.

The only warm place is your sleeping bag,

and when you're in it, you
don't wanna get out of it.

- Brian thought he had frostbite

the first night on all his fingers,

'cause the ends of his fingers
had gone black overnight.

And I said, "Ed, come on,

"we need to look at this straightaway."

And Ed come back and said,
"I've had a really good look,

"and it's just the dye from his gloves,

"it stained his fingers."

(laughs)

- [Narrator] The cold doesn't just make

physical demands on the body,

a polar expedition is a
huge mental challenge.

(snow crunches)

- Being on your own,

it's not a nice feeling.

You can understand how
Robinson Crusoe felt,

but we had friends with us,

but it was, it was tough.

- You do a lot of thinking.

You've got an awful lot of time to think.

Mind just wandered back to my family,

my wife, my two children,

and there's nothing you can do about it,

you just gotta tough it out.

(contemplative music)

(speaks in foreign language)

- [Narrator] Back at Barneo,

skydiver Johnny is having
a last minute run through

of his big jump.

- You count.
- You count.

- One, two, three.

- Yeah.
- We'll say it.

- [Both] One, two, three.

(speaks in foreign language)

One,

two,

three.

(speaks in foreign language)

- [Narrator] He'll make the
leap over the North Pole

with two of Barneo's hardcore

search and rescue parachutists.

For Johnny, it's the final piece

of what's called the
adventurer's grand slam.

To climb the tallest
mountain on each continent,

and stand at both poles.

- When I was 12,

I climbed the tallest
mountain in Antarctica,

and then I went on to climb

the tallest mountain on every continent,

and became the youngest to do so.

And then I went to the South Pole,

but they wouldn't let me skydive

'cause there was a pretty
bad accident there.

Now I'm here at the North
Pole, pretty excited,

but getting kind of nervous
about the skydive, you know.

I'll be a happy camper once
that parachute opens up.

(building music)

(engine charges)

- [Narrator] Jumping over
ice is extremely dangerous.

It's critical Johnny pulls his parachute

at exactly the right altitude.

But the featureless white landscape

makes it much harder to judge
the distance to the ground.

During the descent, the
effective air temperature

will be minus 100 degrees centigrade.

Johnny will be pushing
himself to the limit.

- [Johnny] All the time before I do stuff,

I always run through,
like, worst case scenarios.

I think of all the bad
things that could happen,

and I run through each one individually,

and, you know, what I'd do,

so that it kind of just
prepares me for the worst.

Which makes me nervous, but
it's what my mind always does.

- [Narrator] One and a half miles

above the very top of the world.

Months of planning,

thousands of pounds of sponsorship,

and a new world record

all come down to this moment.

- [Johnny] There's something about, like,

taking that first jump
that's just so awesome.

And for that one moment,

you know, that minute, I'm alive.

- [Narrator] During the first 10 seconds,

Johnny will accelerate to 130
miles an hour straight down.

(building, epic music)

When he hits an altitude of 1200 meters,

Johnny must pull his chute.

- Woo!

(energetic, percussive music)

Woo!

We are alive, my friend!

Woo!

But man, I'm pumped!

That was, that was too much fun.

- Super skydiver!

(mimics soaring)

- Good job, good job.
- Good!

- Good job, yeah.

Woo!

I've now reached the South Pole,

North Pole, and top of Everest

in the three poles
adventurer's grand slam.

Oh, I couldn't be happier.

- [Narrator] Johnny has
entered the record books.

He's ticked off his final pole in style,

and he's only 20.

- [Johnny] Thank you,
thank you, thank you.

- [Man] Excellent, well done, mate.

- Thank you.

Hey, Mom, it's Johnny.

Just wanted to call you and
tell you I'm still alive.

I'm at the North Pole right now,

just skydived in.

All right, thanks, Mom.

Bye, Mom, love you.

(energetic music)

- [Narrator] Barneo's ice airport

has only been open for a week,

but there's already cause for concern

at the end of the runway.

- So it's just been pushed
up, and now it's moving.

If you listen, you'll hear the sounds.

I'll take the microphone over.

(ice squeaks)

It reminds you that the polar ocean

is in constant movement.

- [Narrator] This huge pressure ridge

created when two sheets of ice collide

is a stark reminder of the
deadly power of the frozen sea.

(squeaking)

- It's when you wake up in your tent

to this sound under your
feet or under your ass,

that's when you really know

it's time to get up in the morning.

(building, exciting music)

- [Narrator] The pressure ridges

are also taking their
toll on the British team.

The charity-trekkers have
covered just 13 miles

in the last two days.

- Awful, not enjoyable one bit whatsoever.

The terrain was not what I expected.

You had to stop, unpack your skis,

and carry your sledges

over these pressure ridges that form.

And they were, literally
I believe, 20 to 30 feet.

- What a stinking wall that was.

- [Man] That was horrible, wasn't it?

- Yeah.

Man, 40 foot, nothing but rocks of ice.

- The wife thinks I'm nuts,

but she understands,

I think the days of raising tens and tens

of thousands of pounds
for running a marathon

seem to have disappeared.

You know, to expect people to part

with hard-earned cash,

you need to be seen to be
puttin' yourself out for it.

You know, you've got to be seen

to be doing something extraordinary.

(plodding traditional music)

- [Narrator] Barneo's
helicopters are increasingly busy

ferrying armchair explorers
to the top of the world.

But finding 90 degrees north,

the exact point of the
pole, is not that easy.

- [Tourist] Are you there?

- [Orange Hood] 59, nine, nine, nine.

- [Tourist] No, that's not food enough.

- [Orange Hood] That's
one meter different.

- [Tourist] No!

- [Narrator] The pole
itself does not move,

but the ice above it
is in constant motion.

- [Tourist] It's not right there.

You have to find 90.

I'm at nine-nine.

- [Narrator] This makes
it impossible to stand

at the precise geographic
point of the north pole

for more than a few seconds.

- There we are, 90 right there.

Woo!

Every point is south!

Woo!

- [Narrator] After a quick
spin around the world,

the tourists indulge
in a round of drinking.

(cheering)

- Russian vodka and American
champagne in one glass.

- Yeah!
(speaks in foreign language)

(speaks in foreign language) Cheers.

- It was something that
we couldn't pass up.

It's not inexpensive,

it, uh, for most of us,

we're traveling halfway around the world,

but it's certainly worth it.

It's an amazing place

that very few people get to see.

(cracks)

- [Narrator] Barneo helps
people to realize their dreams,

however unusual they may be.

- It's a long drive contest apparently.

- [Narrator] The Barneo
staff join in, too.

With mixed results.

(whooshes)

(laughs)

- It will be growing bigger and bigger,

such type of activity, strange activity,

but it means one thing.

People got used for area of North Pole,

and started to use it for different thing.

- [Narrator] It's wealthy
tourists like these

that keep Barneo afloat.

(harmonica music)

At base camp, life is pretty comfortable.

Misha has the visitors back on schedule,

and the staff can relax between flights.

(television murmurs)

But the Arctic weather
can change in an instant.

The temperature is falling,

and a fog is rolling in.

30 miles from the pole,

the charity trek is
caught in the whiteout.

- And it's at that point that your heart

just goes down, your chin goes down a bit,

because you're just thinking to yourself,

(sucks teeth) "We might
not make this now."

If this lasts more than 24 hours,

there's a serious danger of us

not even getting anywhere near the pole.

- We've got no idea
what we're heading into.

That's all.

Nothing whatsoever, we can't see it.

We could be going into absolute carnage.

I just think it's a little bit unsafe

going into that at the moment.

- [Narrator] All flights in and
out of Barneo are suspended.

The British team are totally exposed

and alone on the ice.

- Going to come straight home now.

And I don't think I can
(drowned out by crunching).

- [Narrator] Team leader Alan is worried

for his inexperienced group's safety.

- Let's try and find our way back.

- [Narrator] The team
retreat to their tents

to wait out the storm.

- I've given the others an
opportunity to start a game.

- [Alan] What have we played so far?

- We've played countries beginning

with the various letters of the alphabet,

famous Stevens,

which turned into famous Johns,

and then there was chaos.

And then we were gonna play--

oh, no, we were playing
Jack Nicholson films,

and then Nigel walked out in a huff,

'cause he said whenever he watches a film,

he can't remember what it's called.

Which, yeah, to me, why even watch it?

Easy Rider.

- [Trekker] Yes!

- [Narrator] For now, all
they can do is sit tight

and hope the weather improves.

(plodding traditional music)

It's the second week of
Barneo's short season.

The weather has cleared, and
flights from the mainland

bring in more tourists,
scientists and adventurers.

(murmuring)

- Ice all huge pressure
is just next to the pole.

Yeah, it happened, and
I heard noise, (mumbles)

I heard a noise, huge noise.

(simmering, epic music)

- [Narrator] The improved
weather means the charity trek

is also back on course.

After seven days out on the ice,

the British team are nearing their goal.

- It was a very hard day.

In fact, every day has been hard.

- [Narrator] They've endured blizzards

and bone-chilling temperatures,

but finally, they're in sight of the pole.

John's kit, however, has had enough.

- Here we are, 200 meters
away from the North Pole,

my skis broke in half,

though the spares are broken as well.

- [Cameraman] 200 meters to go,

and you've broken your ski.

- Yeah, look at that.

(laughs)

I hobbled the last 200
yards to the North Pole.

(chuckles)

It's not the most glamorous entrance.

I should have just sat on my ass,

and we would have drifted
there in half an hour.

- All the guys joined
together in a big line,

and that's what this team was about,

it was all coming together.

It was a real journey for them,

and so to all walk those last
sort of 10 yards together,

I feel proud to have
stood there with the guys,

and to actually have experienced this,

this incredible, incredible place.

(cheering)

- Of course, I've been upside down

and underneath the sledge for most of it,

but we've done it.

It's absolutely fantastic.

- [Trekker] And that's Paul
running around the world.

(laughing)

- [Charity Trekker]
Fastest man on the planet.

- [Narrator] The team have
reached the pole the hard way,

but the struggle has been worth it.

- And everybody was elated.

I think one of the lads
actually shed a tear.

Think it was Alex, he was
just so glad to be there.

- [Cameraman] The entire world

is rotating beneath your feet.

- Fantastic.

Absolutely brilliant.
- It's amazing, it's amazing.

- Fantastic journey.

Great to be here.

- It's good to be here, isn't it?

- There was a few tears there, yeah.

You know, you're away from your family,

you're away from your friends.

You do so much thinking about life

and what it's all about.

- [Cameraman] Congratulations.

Emotional.

Emotional?

Good man.

(flare gun fires)

- [Shooter] Ooh!

- He's shooting flares
off for the sake of it.

(chuckling)

Just hope a polar bear
doesn't come past now.

We're in trouble.

- [Narrator] Fortunately for the team,

they don't have to make their way

back to Barneo on foot.

- One bundle of skis, one bundle of poles.

Make sure all these shovels go in, boys.

- [Narrator] By successfully completing

their trek to the pole,

the team have raised 250,000 pounds

for a children's health charity.

- To think that we've
actually now achieved

what we set out to do 14 months ago

was fantastic, you know.

(building, adventurous music)

- [Narrator] For this crop of travelers,

it's time to bid farewell
to their Arctic adventure.

- You know, the Arctic
takes a man's heart.

And it's such a simple,
simple but harsh environment.

It's a very special place, you know,

and it's a shame that we
can't spend longer up here.

So it's back to the UK, back to the grind.

But I think it's good for the soul

that you can come up
here and do these things.

(soaring)

- Two, one, go!

- [Narrator] Barneo plays host
to the North Pole Marathon.

- [Woman] You're so tired,
you don't know where you are,

you don't know who you are.

You want to die.

- [Narrator] A team of
scientists battle the elements

to measure the ice.

- Wanna connect the dots

between chemistry, and snow, and sea ice.

- [Narrator] And a lone walker stumbles

into a special day at the pole.

- Sorry I'm late, I should
have dressed better as well.

I should have worn a tie.

(chuckling)

Oh, wow.

(simmering, epic music)