Original subtitles

(energetic music)

- [Narrator] The Arctic Ocean.

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

One of the most dangerous places on Earth.

But every year an extraordinary team of sky divers

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

Beside it, an oasis springs up in this frozen desert,

ice camp Barneo.

- Five star Arctic hotel.

- [Narrator] The camp is a magnet

for people with big dreams.

- I've just been dipping me boots in the end of the runway.

(laughing)

- [Narrator] Marathon runs.

- [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.

- 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.

(yelling)

- [Narrator] They have just three weeks to pursue their

Arctic dreams before Barneo melts to the sea.

This is one season at the world's most extreme outpost.

- Welcome to the Arctic Ocean!

(airplane engine roars)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] It's mid April and ice camp Barneo is entering

the final week of the season.

It's full to bursting with groups in transit to

and from the North Pole.

- Saddle up, saddle up!

- Yahoo!

He's older than I am.

(laughing and screaming)

- They don't see many women here in the season,

so first woman they see, you know it.

(laughing)

- [Narrator] The incredible runway at Barneo

makes all kinds of adventures possible.

The airstrip is carved for miles, just one meter thick.

Below it, a 2-1/2 mile drop to the ocean floor.

- Yeah, you and your people, you and your experience,

still drop, actually; so learn from this area.

- [Narrator] The morning flight has a very special cargo.

Base Manager Sasha is on-hand to greet them.

- Our fliers like to

use the dogs for to reach the North Pole.

- [Narrator] Huskies have been used

to pull sleds for over a 1000 years.

Their handler, Raphael is from Poland.

- I try give some time to my dogs

to go out from the cages.

- [Narrator] For six months a year,

Raphael runs dogs tracks across the Arctic,

leaving his wife and young child at home.

- [Raphael] My family is not with me up here.

This is

the only friends that I have sometimes in the ice

when I'm traveling with them.

And of course, my emotion with them is quite strong.

- [Narrator] This year marks a changing of the guard.

It will be the last trip for lead dog, Wally.

- Will not with me to the North Pole anymore; he's too old.

11 years is enough.

Now is just good time to retire in time.

I think it's more emotional for me, like for him.

In the next year, when I will go to the North Pole

and Wally is not in my team,

I can say it's strange feeling.

Yeah, it's one of your friends,

and he always follow you.

Definitely, I will miss him quite a lot.

- [Narrator] Wally's replacement, Nelson,

has a lot to learn.

- For him, it's the first time being in the ice.

See, for him, everything is really new up here.

He's really lovely; the only problem is he's

also could be aggressive suddenly.

He's unlike animal, his friend beside him,

and just start fight.

(dogs barking)

- [Narrator] Raphael is hoping that Wally's experience

will rub off on the young pup.

They're heading out on a training run

before Raphael's clients arrive.

(Raphael shouts commands to the dogs)

(flags flap with the wind)

Back at camp, Operations Director Misha,

is giving some visitors a safety briefing.

- One day, these glaciers can fall down.

- [Narrator] Misha is a legend in the polar world

for his groundbreaking expeditions.

His experience is invaluable.

This late in the season, the ice is starting to thin.

- [Misha] It looks like very solid, huh?

Ya, but, if you will step there, huh?

- [Crowd] Oh!

(Misha laughs)

- [Narrator] There's no land in the Arctic.

The ice and everything on it is constantly moving

across the surface of the ocean.

Misha can calculate the speed of the drift with a GPS.

- 45 minutes ago we had 89 44.1,

now we have the same northern direction.

It means 45 meters.

We moved 45 meters.

For one day, you can move more than two kilometers.

Let's go.

- [Narrator] The ice airport receives

up to three flights a day from Norway,

600 miles to the south.

Today, an old friend of Barneo makes his return.

- Very good, nice to be back again.

It feels so fresh here; it's like it's my first time.

I better not say that to my customers.

They'll think I'm a beginner. (chuckles)

- [Narrator] Eric Philips has been leading expeditions

to the Pole for 10 years.

This season, he's been hired by four businessmen,

who'll make the trek north on skis.

Before they set off, the team must agree

their travel plans with Barneo's boss, Misha.

- What I was planning,

we can drop all of you here,

but it will be not earlier than at six hours since now.

- Six hours?

- 'Cause it's a half a day--

- We lose.

Otherwise, we should start from here.

- [Misha] We just can't make it faster.

- And I understand that.

We can begin from here, but it's more difficult.

- [Narrator] Most teams begin their expeditions

with a short helicopter ride

to a drop off point east of the camp.

They can then harness the drift of the ice

using it like a conveyor belt

to help carry them towards the Pole.

But Eric's team are on a tight schedule.

Work commitments mean that they must

be on a flight home in just four days time,

and there isn't space on the chopper for another six hours.

After a quick vote, the group decide not to wait.

- You would like to leave now?

- We would like to leave now.

If we can't fly--

- But now?

- Yeah, if we can't fly, then we leave now

and we push to the Pole.

- You don't want to wait for six hours?

Why?

- Because six hours time, it will be nine o'clock at night.

By the time the groups are ready to leave,

it will be midnight, we fly for half an hour,

it will be 12:30 in the morning.

We stop, we camp anyway.

We can't ski.

- Ah, I see.

I'm a little bit surprised, guys, you can do it

if the weather has not changed.

But if something wrong, your chances getting much worse.

- [Narrator] Against Misha's advice,

Eric's team has opted to start their trek from Barneo.

But this means they will be skiing

against the drift of the ice.

For every two steps taken forward,

they'll drift one step back.

- I'm just conscious that

people have a limited time here

on the ice and the more time we spend here at Barneo,

the more time lost experiencing this incredible environment.

- I've been here three hours already.

We don't really want to hang around another six hours

and then it may drift again, and drift again;

Suddenly we've lost half a day

of what could be, what will be a fantastic adventure.

- [Eric] Let's go.

And off we go, mount up.

- [Narrator] They are the only team

this season to take on the Pole from Barneo.

Time will tell if it's the right decision.

- They were in

big rush, I don't know why.

They didn't want to wait

and they decide to leave here,

which is fine for them,

but I don't know about final result.

See you guys, until they dance

at the North Pole, hopefully.

- [Narrator] Ice camp Barneo has opened

up the North Pole to anyone who has the cash.

The Arctic tourist industry is booming

as thrill seekers search for the ultimate getaway.

Alex Hearn is from London

and runs his own networking business.

He spent the last seven days on a trip

to the North Pole with his Dad, Simon.

- It was

unreal.

Absolutely, the best thing I've ever done in my life.

It was just unreal.

Awesome to do with a Dad.

- Yeah, I mean it was the most amazing thing I've ever done,

apart from marrying my wife,

but apart from that, that was good.

- He has to say that.

- I have to say it and I mean it when I say it.

And it is good, it was amazing.

- [Narrator] Simon is a former army officer.

Arriving at the top of the world was the perfect

opportunity to display his regimental loyalty

while hanging out with Alex.

- [Cameraman] Let me zoom in, let me zoom in!

Let me zoom in.

Wrong way around, bitch.

It's upside down, bitch, it's upside down.

- [Alex] Woo!

(laughing)

- [Simon] There, we are good.

- [Cameraman] There it is!

- [Narrator] Riding in Barneo's helicopters

is the first contact Simon has had

with the Russians since the end of the Cold War.

- I used to train to shoot these down years ago

with a tank round.

They are very reliable.

Very, very good machines.

- [Narrator] The helicopter isn't the only piece

of Russian kit that Simon's got his eye on.

- At home, we have a little farm, a very small holding,

but we have a couple of tractors on it, and I love tractors.

I have a bit of a tractor thing.

I've got a bit of a problem about 'em,

and just over here, these two Caterpillars,

I'm dying to have a go on one. (chuckles)

- [Narrator] The tractors are essential

to the running of Barneo

and out of bounds to tourists,

but Simon won't take no for an answer.

- Can we have a go on it, quick go?

(mumbling)

Have a go?

Good man.

- He actually is obsessed with tractors.

So this is like a dream.

It's probably his best part of the trip.

- [Narrator] Amazingly, this five ton tractor

was parachuted onto the ice.

It was used to carve out the precious runway.

- [Simon] I mean that's pretty critical.

Without that thing, we don't have an airfield.

I'm tempted to say only the Russians can do it

'cause they're just so used to this weather.

I mean, at minus 40, carving out an airstrip is amazing.

- I think, for my Dad, this will be better

than getting to the North Pole.

He loves tractors.

- Don't often get to play with a toy like that

at the North Pole. (laughs)

Made my day!

(thundering drum beats with suspenseful music)

- [Narrator] A couple of miles from camp,

Raphael is giving his team

of Greenland huskies a good workout.

(Raphael shouts out commands to the dogs)

He steers the sled by giving voice commands

to the two lead dogs.

Together, the pack can hit speeds

of up to 25 miles an hour.

Even traveling at such a pace,

the animals can sense any weak spots in the ice.

- [Raphael] The dogs,

they much more lighter like we are in our sled,

and they really well feel the thin ice.

Between when they stop, it just mean we should stop as well.

- [Narrator] When they stop to make camp,

there's a chance for team bonding.

- I just clean them off

and their face from the ice

when they breathing and running and eat snow,

scratch everyone and pet him little bit,

make him happy, and better relationship with me,

and that's it; it's kind of thank you for good day,

thank you for good work.

- [Narrator] New recruit Nelson,

the only Alaskan husky in the pack seems to have settled in.

- By the first training, he's perfect.

There's nothing more to say about him.

He was running quite well

for these kind of young dogs anyways, good experience.

(dogs barking)

- [Narrator] All dog teams have a finely balanced hierarchy.

Fights are not uncommon.

(Raphael scolds the dogs)

Raphael must show them who's top dog.

- We say everything, once it's going wrong in your team,

is not fault of the dogs, is your fault.

You are human, you have the big brain, you should think

for yourself and for them as well.

When your dog's doing something wrong,

it's simple, you don't train them enough.

That's it.

- [Narrator] The Arctic ice is a dangerous place

for both man and beast.

Raphael loves his dogs,

but last year an injury tested

even the strongest of bonds.

- You can not really get help much up here.

The only way what you can do sometimes

is just shoot this dog.

Believe me, it's difficult to shoot your friend

when your eyes is full of crying, and...

You do that, and a way after, you don't feel really good.

When I close my eyes, I still see this dog,

and this is not nice feeling.

It's something what can happen, be really terrible,

and I hopes that will never more be repeat to me.

- [Narrator] As Raphael collects snow for cooking,

he spots an ominous shape on the horizon.

- [Raphael] This direction, yellow point.

- [Narrator] There have been sightings

of polar bears in the area.

- There's not that many seas up here.

He's too far away in the North.

This mean the polar bear want to meet up here,

it must mean he's really hungry.

I have revolver.

44 magnum, just for some case when something happen

and we get the polar bear.

Don't forget we are the guest up here.

He's in home.

This mean when he's nice, we take camp away,

dogs away, and then we go away.

When he's aggressive, we try scaring him.

That's it.

(dogs barking)

C'mon boys. (shouts commands)

- [Narrator] Respecting that he is in the bear's territory,

Raphael decides to head back to the safety of Barneo.

The training run was a success.

The team is ready for lead dog Wally's last expedition

to the top of the world.

- [Raphael] I think my dogs is always ready

to go to the North Pole; me as well.

- [Narrator] Barneo runs around the clock,

but the staff do get some time off.

Bad weather has closed the runway

and the tourists have taken over.

- It's the Arctic Cup final!

- Actually, the first match in my life,

and it's in North Pole.

(cheering)

- [Narrator] When the weather clears,

activity of a different nature is underway.

Barneo is not just for tourists.

It's also an important research station

for an international community of scientists.

They come here to gather data

and make experiments that are only possible

in this extreme climate.

- [Scientist] Okay, that looks good.

- [Narrator] One of the most surprising members

of this scientific group

is 17 year-old Eton schoolboy, Parker.

- Yeah, I grew up in Palo Alto, California,

and then I moved to London when I was nine.

- [Narrator] While his friends are busy

with last minute revision for exams,

Parker has been trekking to the North Pole

with expedition leader, Doug Stoup.

(screams of agony)

- I actually have my first A-level

three days after my flight back to London.

(screaming in pain) Oh, my God!

My school is pretty supportive, but,

they do have some issues, I think, with my priorities.

A lot of the time, they don't feel like

my priority is the school,

which is a fair point, and,

to an extent, it's true.

- [Narrator] The Arctic is one of the most

hostile environments on earth.

Last year, tragedy struck during an adventure holiday

to a glacier in the region.

- Six months ago, a student from Eton

was killed in a polar bear attack.

I actually knew the person who was killed.

He was a classmate.

He was in a couple of my classes at school.

- [Narrator] Parker funds his trips through sponsorship.

On this expedition, already his third to the Pole,

he's been collecting snow samples

for a climate change project.

- What matters right now, scientifically, is

the composition of the snow.

So, basically, what we're interested in

is looking at from the sea ice surface down here

all the way up to the surface of the snow.

It's a record for what has happened

in terms of the climate over the last five years.

All the bottles are gonna be packed up

and sent to the International Atomic Energy Agency

to be analyzed.

The data's gonna be put into a database

and distributed to about 4500 scientists

or more around the world.

That's enough.

I'm gonna send off these bottles

and now I'm gonna back to schoool

and do A-level chemistry.

It's a bit of a bore, to be honest.

- [Narrator] Parker will have further distractions

from school work.

He's planning a return trip to the Arctic in the summer.

(dramatic music)

For Australian guide, Eric, and his team,

things are not going so well.

It's day two, they're 25 miles from the Pole,

and the weather is against them.

- Well, we've woken up this morning and it's misty.

Visibility is all but gone

and that will slow things down today, unfortunately.

We also got some

negative drift overnight.

We lost maybe four kilometers.

We have our work cut out for ourselves,

but we knew that at the beginning,

we just need to work hard.

- [Narrator] For Eric's clients,

this is a whole new experience.

Paul's in his 50's and owns a building company in Essex.

- The first session was an absolute nightmare.

Big pressure ridges, a lot of blocks of ice,

and we relied hugely on Eric's ability

to pick his way through the ice field and the ice blocks,

but it went on and on and on.

- [Eric] Yeah, try to come across onto that one there, Paul.

- [Narrator] This frozen sea can be perilous.

- [Eric] There it's okay, but the middle is open.

- [Narrator] Without warning, the ice sheets separate,

creating areas of open water.

- We had to take the skis off

and actually pull on foot

because it was just, for us, too technically difficult

to twist and turn on skis

and pull toboggans all at the same time.

- [Narrator] The team are also fighting

against the moving ice.

Every day, the drift carries

them six miles away from the Pole.

- Very tough day today.

It's the toughest day that I've ever had

with a guided group.

They don't come this hard, normally.

- [Narrator] Unfortunately, for Eric,

things are about to get worse.

(energetic music)

At Barneo's helipad,

Raphael is making his final preparations for the Pole.

The dogs are loaded onto the chopper,

which will carry them to their starting point.

For new trainee, Nelson, this is his first trip north,

and his first time in a helicopter.

- They're also the new one in the pack.

He's Nelson, nine months old, and

is not too hard for this kind

of young dogs anyways, good experience.

(dogs barking)

- [Narrator] Raphael's clients are

a group of friends from Moscow.

They travel together all over the world

in search of adventure.

They've each paid around 26,000 pounds for the trip

inspired by the legend of "White Fang",

one of literature's most enduring tales.

- If you read the books of Jack London, it's a (chuckles)

real adventure.

When I was young, I would read a lot of books like this

because it's ancient method (chuckles)

to go to the North.

- [Narrator] Raphael gets the latest ice report from Misha.

The information gained from other teams on the ice

will help him choose the best place to start his trek.

- New bowl of pressure is everywhere.

Just very coward, coward-ic?

- [Guide] Chaotic.

- Chaotic, very chaotic, yeah.

- Helicopter is taking us to opposite side.

It should be much more easier now,

so they say, from yesterday,

the message was they get,

the ice was really nice

and fat, and many open water.

This mean we should manage.

- [Narrator] The 20 minute chopper ride

will deliver Raphael's team to the east,

where the direction of the ice drift will be in their favor.

The sleds packed with food, tents,

and fuel weigh 150 kilos.

The 12 dogs will pull the kit

and the tourists will ski alongside.

(suspenseful music with drum beats)

- [Raphael] Wally.

- [Narrator] Lead dog Wally on his final mission

has taken the flight in his stride,

but for Nelson, it's all too much.

- Stay here, stay here and don't move,

'cause this dog, he be afraid of you.

(whistling) Nelson!

Nelson.

- [Narrator] It's not the best of starts

in front of clients who've paid handsomely to be here,

but Raphael soon has Nelson back in line.

- That dog should not run away from me, just run after me.

Anyway, he's here.

Huh?

(dog whines)

- If you will sleep while the dog's 10 hours on snow,

and then came to the helicopter,

I think he will also be excited. (laughs)

- [Narrator] The clients are ready and the dogs eager to go.

The helicopter heads back to Barneo,

leaving the tourists to the ice

and their dreams of the Pole.

(adventurous music)

This frozen sea may look serene,

but its constantly shifting sheets of ice

are causing problems back at camp.

- Two pieces of ice

will meet with each other.

If they don't like of each other

and they start to fight, and

you can see

many broken pieces of ice, sometimes huge,

several tons of ice.

Variation of pressure ridges.

One of beauty of Arctic ocean.

- [Narrator] This beauty has created a meter high bump

in the middle of the runway.

All flights have been suspended.

The ice is packed under such colossal pressure

that the team must use chainsaws to remove it,

layer by layer.

In a temperature of minus 25 degrees,

the runway team will earn their money today.

(tractor churns)

(dramatic music)

Heading north to the Pole, Eric and his team find

the ice conditions are in their favor.

They have just one day left to reach the Earth's summit,

but are making good progress.

- So we struck upon this freshly frozen lid,

solid enough to ski on.

It's not gonna last very long

because we're back into the pack ice, but,

it's a nice little break,

a nice little joy to ski across, flat and easy.

- [Narrator] The team are working hard.

So far, they're managing to outrun the drift

that carries them backwards away from the Pole.

- If we kept that pace going

and pushed it hard, then we're likely to get to the Pole.

- [Narrator] When they stop to make camp,

they're just 10 miles from the top of the planet.

- So we did have a very big day today.

Skiing 18 kilometers, all the time going backwards

with the negative drift.

So, probably altogether we skied, I think,

at least 25 or 26 kilometers.

Everyone's tired but confident and happy.

Today was difficult?

- Oh, the whole day.

- [Eric] And Tomorrow?

- Whole day.

(laughing)

- [Eric] Maybe.

- Monday, no.

- [Eric] Maybe Pole tomorrow.

- Yeah.

- [Eric] I hope so.

- [Narrator] The deadline for their flight home is looming,

but if the good weather holds, tomorrow,

they'll be standing at the top of the world.

Back at Barneo, everyone is a little on edge.

(plane engine roars)

The runway is now fixed,

but this flight has come direct from Moscow.

On board is Misha's boss, Alexander Orlov.

This is Misha's first season in charge at Borneo.

It's important he makes a good impression.

Alexander hasn't come alone.

Misha has the task of looking after Artur Chilingarov,

the Russian Minister for the Arctic.

- Now we just had a plane coming in from Russia

with some what they call big potatoes, like hotshots.

The guests from business world in Russia

and also some celebrities.

- [Narrator] Alexander Orlov made his fortune in business,

but he's no stranger to the Arctic.

He's a seasoned explorer and set up Borneo in 2002.

- (speaks in foreign language)

- [Narrator] The guests' plane will remain on standby.

The pilot must keep the engines running

as the sub-zero temperatures

could prevent them from restarting.

- Our plane is standing parked in runway

and waiting for them, and,

the plane burns fuel

so it can stay around three hours, not more.

- [Narrator] Ice camp Barneo costs millions

to run each season, the biggest expense being fuel.

The VIP's are whisked up to the Pole

for the ultimate photo opportunity.

Misha must show them a good time.

(fireworks blasting)

(cheering and shouting)

There are just three weeks each year

for Barneo to make its money

before the summer sun melts the ice.

(Artur speaks in foreign language)

So it doesn't hurt to gain the backing

of Russia's movers and shakers.

- (speaking in foreign language)

- What, wine at the North Pole?

Some people need it.

Personally, not so much, but it's tradition.

- [Narrator] In April, you never have the Pole

to yourself for very long.

Expedition groups that have made the long trek

across the ice on foot arrive to be ferried

back to camp by helicopter.

- If you landing in the North Pole,

you sometimes you can see the village of the tents,

groups of skiers waiting to pick up

after successful reach of the North Pole. (chuckles)

- (speaks foreign language)

- We traveled the skiing for three days.

Sleeping over in the tents, which was good.

It was extremely hard way

especially for a woman, for me.

It was the first time for me, but,

it worth doing it.

- [Narrator] It's also time for Misha's

special guest to head home.

The Antonov 74 is specially designed

to operate in the harsh Arctic climate.

The engines exhaust gases are blown over the top

of the wings to produce extra lift,

essential during takeoff on Barneo's short runway.

With a plane load of VIP's safely away,

Misha can relax again.

- Well done, well done.

Airplane in the air; it's good.

(playful music)

- [Narrator] While the Russians may be used

to the freezing temperatures,

for the first time visitor,

the Arctic climate can be a shock.

Dave Sissens is a banking strategist from London.

He's just back from a trip to the Pole

and he found dressing for the cold a bit confusing.

He's decided to come clean to one of the guides.

- Day one, we set out, I had one base layer.

It's pretty cold here, so I thought I might get away

with having another base layer.

It's windy and chilly as well

so I thought maybe a fleece jacket

and then I had my windproof jacket.

- Four layers?

- Yeah.

Without knowing, I started to sweat.

Then, we can still see the evidence of

how much could I manage to wipe off on the first day.

- [Narrator] With temperatures as low as minus 30,

sweat soon freezes solid.

- I've still got the second base layer from that day,

which

is quite solid indeed.

- [Guide] Yeah, was quite wet.

- Yeah, that was quite wet,

and then we got buried.

My hat and my fur buff from my coat.

- [Guide] Yeah.

- [Dave] That didn't do too well, either.

- No?

It's a very normal thing to do.

Most people actually dress up too much

and then when they start working,

they get too warm and start sweating.

- No one will sit next to me in the mess tent now

and I figure that's because I'm still wearing the same set.

(laughing)

(wind whisps with eerie music)

- [Narrator] Out on the ice,

Eric's team are into their final push to the Pole.

Everything was going well,

but the drifting ice is moving more quickly,

carrying them further from their goal,

and one of the team has fallen ill.

- Unfortunately, all going against us today.

The drift is worse than ever.

I think it's increased by maybe a kilometer or two per day

in the wrong direction, of course.

The visibility is not spectacular.

That slows things down, makes the route finding difficult.

Christophe, unfortunately, has got a bit of a tummy bug.

It's all conspired against us today.

- [Narrator] With a sick team member,

maintaining the pace needed to outrun the drift

is an almost impossible task.

- [Misha] I have no information, only from you.

- [Narrator] At camp Barneo, Misha is getting

the daily position updates from teams heading to the Pole.

- 164 20 yeah.

Okay, and everything is good with people?

- [Narrator] But he has to pass on bad news

about Eric's progress.

- Eric Philips did stop 10 miles from North Pole.

He decided...

it's finished for him.

- [Narrator] Against Misha's advice,

Eric's team chose to walk against the drift of the ice.

But slowed down by illness in the team and bad weather,

Eric calls in a chopper to pick them up,

10 miles short of the Pole.

- You need to respect drift.

That's all.

If you don't respect it, you will be punished.

What actually happened?

- [Narrator] After battling through blizzards

and sub-zero temperatures,

it's a disappointing end to their adventure.

- Greetings.

- [Man] How's it going, Eric?

- Ah, not the best, we feel a little gypped,

a little short-changed.

- [Narrator] Unsuccessful teams are often flown

to the Pole to achieve their dream

of standing at the top of the world.

But the pilot has refused to take them,

and Eric's group have been flown straight back to camp.

- People pay a lot of money

and I don't think ever before,

in the history of Barneo operations,

a team hasn't actually stood at the North Pole.

And this team is fantastic

and I've promised if we don't make

it to the North Pole, then we fly in.

That's always happened in the past,

and suddenly for the first time, it doesn't happen.

- I warned him it was not so nice.

A helicopter landed just couple meters near crack,

and chief of pilots said it's too risky.

I can't take a risk to fly these people to the North Pole,

and he decided to fly back.

- [Narrator] Ultimately, the pilot makes the decision

whether it's safe to fly.

Not even Misha can overrule him.

- No, no no no, there's no guarantee.

- [Narrator] In the mess room,

the team make their disappointment clear.

- You stay in North Pole many many...

for only opportunity for me, and I'm sad, you know,

I trust them.

- [Eric] Sad, yeah, I understand.

- I am sad.

- [Eric] I agree, I care.

Misha might be quietly gratified

that we didn't make it to the Pole

because his advice was to be dropped off

where we would have an easy drift into the Pole.

- I didn't want to say something bad.

I just wanted to greet you.

- It's nothing bad, it's your opinion.

- I spent on this ice

almost two years just sleeping

in the tent of drifting ice.

It's, believe me, it's big experience.

- It would have been great to come back

with success under our belts

and equally stare Misha in the face

and say, we told you so.

It didn't work out that way, either.

- I'm not happy that I am right.

I knew exactly it will happen.

And I warning guys if they're not very happy,

it means they needed to ask, first of all, from themself.

- We had hoped to have been able

to see the GPS shine exactly 90.

We got within 10 miles.

I hope it's one of those things.

(marching music)

- [Narrator] One group has had better luck

with the weather during their trip.

- Hi.

- Today is my birthday!

Hi.

- [Narrator] Raphael's dog sled team

had the drift in their favor,

successfully reaching the top of the world.

- Yeah, quite easy this year.

It was really no problem.

Nice weather and easy ice.

(dogs barking)

- [Narrator] It's been the last trip

for lead dog Wally before his retirement,

but new recruit Nelson will make a fine replacement.

- Dog later, it was little bit tired.

I think it was little bit too much for him.

Anyway, he's now loose and running

at helicopter like he should.

Ah, he already is inside

and waiting for the flight to Borneo.

(playful music)

- [Narrator] Back at camp,

what better way to celebrate

than with traditional Russian delicacies.

Vodka, raw garlic, and cured pig fat known as salo.

- Salo, sal-o.

- [Party Member] Salo!

- Salo.

Bacon, no.

Salo good.

- And salo with garlic.

It's...

Mmm, it's wonderful.

(party members speaking in foreign language)

(bright cheerful music)

- [Narrator] Ice camp Barneo's short season

has come to an end.

The rising temperature will soon melt

the frozen surface of the ocean.

For 18 days, the most northern airport in the world

has turned the dreams of hundreds of people into reality.

For the next 11 months, no human will set foot

on this most extraordinary spot on the planet.

Planning for next season will begin in just a few days,

but as the temporary town is packed away,

the staff can think of home.

- Barneo finished, gone.

- We go home now.

- I'm very excited to go home.

Then I'm a little bit sad that everything is gone.

Fortunately, everything was very good, and,

now Borneo is over.

Bye bye Arctic, and,

hello my family.

(dramatic music crescendos)

(plane engine roars)

(fast action music)