Original subtitles

Alaska is a land of staggering numbers.

It covers a total of 1.7 million square kilometers,

and would be the 18th largest country in the world.

It is a massive state and it calls

to a different breed of person,

one who seeks nature, solitude, and adventure.

For thrill-seekers, Alaska is nature's greatest playground.

Here we go.

Paragliding really is

an inherently dangerous sport.

The thrills come with a steep price.

If you make a mistake, this wild land is unforgiving.

Don't try to stand up in this current,

you can end up stepping right into a crevasse or a hole,

and the current will just snap your leg off.

But the reward is the experience of a lifetime.

The avalanche danger

has just been considerably high.

Pretty unique experience when you go from riding

to total fear, out of control.

Alright, I'm out of here,

we'll see you at the bottom.

(wind blowing)

Alaska is a land of staggering numbers.

It covers a total of 1.7 million square kilometers.

And would be the 18th largest country in the world.

It is a massive state

and it calls to a different breed of person,

one who seeks nature, solitude and adventure.

The word Alyeska, is an Aleut term meaning great land.

And in 1867, then secretary of state, William Seward,

paid Russia $7.2 million for all of Alaska,

transferring ownership of a territory

that is twice the size of Texas.

That is only two and a half cents per acre,

one of the greatest bargains in the history of commerce.

At the time, Seward was harshly criticized

for the purchase, which some quickly coined

as Seward's Folly,

or Seward's Icebox.

And even, The Great Polar Bear Garden.

But now, over 150 years later,

we embrace the amazing animals, beautiful scenery

and untouched wilderness that is Seward's legacy.

[Helicopter Pilot] Wow, look at that!

With the amazing wildlife,

untouched habitat and 11 distinct mountain ranges,

Alaska is a true playground for outdoorsmen

and thrill seekers alike.

If you have access to a helicopter,

then getting up the mountains is easy.

And the fun part, is getting down,

whether by raft, snowboard, or paragliding.

Here we go.

(excited shouting)

(peaceful music)

Paragliders jump from the cliffs,

wearing steerable parachutes.

They fly below the clouds propelled by wind power.

The sport, invented in the 1960s,

resembles hang gliding.

Hey guys!

Hi Josiah!

Ready to go paragliding?

Yeah, definitely!

Typically, paragliders

hike to their launch spot,

but today, Joe and Monty are seeking

the more extreme adventure.

Okay guys, it looks like a good spot in here.

Great.

See what the wind's doing up in here.

They are searching the Talkeetna Range

for a takeoff and landing zone with low wind.

Anything over 15 miles an hour,

risk factor does go up

because your wing is soft, it's not a rigid wing,

it can cause the wing to partially collapse.

How's the wind speed lookin'?

25 knots right there, guys.

Really?

Yep.

25 knots?

Yep, I just got a huge gust.

Oh my gosh, let's go down.

Yeah we're not flying at 25.

It's too windy.

Wind speeds are typically slower

closer to the ground, so Josiah drops down to 5,000 feet.

Are you more concerned with downdrafts

than updrafts?

Both, but mostly updrafts.

You just don't wanna get sucked up into a big cloud.

Yeah.

Big cumulus clouds that form over the mountains

is basically a sign of a lot of lift,

and they can actually suck you up into the cloud

which is really dangerous.

We're seeing some cumulus clouds

that are starting to build over the Talkeetnas.

Yeah.

They're looking big already.

We'll just have to keep an eye out for overdevelopment.

Paragliding really is an inherently dangerous sport,

and we try to do whatever we can to minimize the risk,

but people do die paragliding.

I'm gonna see if I can get in here

on this saddle.

As we get closer,

it's looking a little bit better, Monty.

Yeah these clouds look actually pretty good I think.

Now that they found

a suitable location to launch the paraglider,

the team needs to find a safe landing spot

for the helicopter.

I think it's good.

Plenty of room, here on the snow

so nothing gets snagged.

Wow.

Right on, we made it.

Alright!

You guys wanna hop out and

start doing your thing?

Sounds good.

And then I'll meet you at the bottom.

Okay, that sounds great.

(suspenseful music)

Here we go.

Got it Joe, you're looking good.

Paragliders Joe and Monty

are about to launch off a 5,000-foot peak

in the Talkeetna Mountain range.

Feeling good!

(suspensful music) (excited whooping)

But large clouds and high winds

may make the flight turbulent and dangerous.

(suspenseful music)

Little thermic.

Right after launch, I could tell

it's gonna be a little bit raucous

and so,

I winded up taking a little bit of a collapse.

Wind collapse occurs

when turbulence causes the parachute to invert.

But it went right back out very quickly.

It's good, Monty!

Did you see that 25% collapse I took?

No, you got some turbulence out of some sheer?

Yeah, a lot of valley winds, jeez.

When you're seeing a paraglider in the air,

oftentimes you're just seeing,

"Wow, it looks like they're just floating around."

But they're actually active piloting the whole time

and when you have raucous wind like we had today,

you're really on edge quite a bit.

Yeah, I was rockin' and rollin' out of the 'chute there.

Yeah, that looked like you sunk pretty good.

There is an element of danger, when you're up there

in the air by yourself underneath this wing

and getting tossed around by some turbulence,

you feel like you're very vulnerable.

(peaceful music)

It's pretty smooth here in the valley.

Cool, looks like you're soarin'.

(triumphant music)

It looks like yours got some nice lift

off the east ridge there,

you might be able to make it up a little higher,

have a little bit longer flight.

Nice.

Joe, you're catching some beautiful floaters, man.

(excited whooping)

Yeah, there's the fun.

Josiah, how is it lookin' on the ground

in terms of wind speed right now?

I feel like I got about eight to 12 knots,

and a couple little puffs

that are maybe up to 15 right here.

Okay, we'll try and land, but

we may have difficulty penetrating.

Copy that.

In all forms of airborne travel,

flying is usually the easy part.

Landing is where the situation can get dangerous.

I think I'm gonna make my way into the

middle of the valley and go for landing here soon.

Okay, I got my eyes on 'ya, be watchin'.

Seeing them work their way into

this little landing spot is cool

cause, I know what it takes to get a helicopter

in a spot like this, but I've got power,

I can abort the landing, I can pick a different spot,

they're totally powerless, gliding in,

just workin' the wind in there and their wings,

so it's a trick to get in a spot like this.

Comin' in hot.

Just let me know when you're down

I kinda lost sight of you behind the trees there.

Okay, we're both down, I just landed

right behind Monty's.

'Kay, sounds good.

I'll head your way.

(upbeat music)

Alright, how was it?

Awesome.

Right on.

Thanks.

It was really good.

Right on.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Yeah, cool.

Awesome.

I doubt anybody's jumped from there before.

I don't think anybody jumped from there before,

definitely not.

It was a great day, yeah, super awesome.

Let's get outta here.

Thank you, Josiah.

This job is so cool because

there's such a huge variety in the kind of flights we do,

everything from salvage work

to tourists' photo flights, heli boarding.

It's just amazing out here.

(upbeat music)

There are many ways to get down a mountain.

And if paragliding is too much,

you can stay closer to the ground by using a glacier

as Mother Nature's gigantic water slide.

So we're just coming 'round the corner here

and the glacier looks amazing, look at that.

Woah man.

Yeah, it looks really nice out there.

They are searching for a river

made by the melting ice.

I'm gonna raft down with you, a kind of guide.

Probably there's gonna be a helicopter above us,

and he's gonna be kinda watching us,

keeping an eye on us.

But he's gonna make sure we don't fall in a crevasse?

He's gonna make sure if we do go down a crevasse

somebody will know where we are.

Okay.

That's good.

Crevasses or moulins are major holes

that can be hundreds of feet deep.

Wow, look at these crevasses.

Yeah.

This whole glacial river ends in a huge moulin,

which is a massive hole

straight to the bottom of the glacier

where all this water is running.

Whole surface of the glacier is melting

and all this water has to go somewhere.

So it's running downhill forming these rivers,

and they start melting out

these huge holes called moulins.

So we definitely have to get out

before we get to the moulin.

It's a one-way ticket if you go down that hole.

You're not coming back out of there alive.

Extreme sports like this,

are riddled with dangers.

We're gonna really have to scout out this river

and pick a good place to run it

and make sure we all stay safe up here.

The ice is extremely sharp.

So we wanna be really careful

and not cut ourselves up.

And don't put your feet down,

if you put your feet down as you're floating downstream,

you have a really good chance of

getting your foot caught in a crevasse

and snapping your leg.

(suspenseful music)

It's gonna be a little chilly, right?

That's another thing

we really gotta be aware of, the hypothermia,

we're gonna be completely submerged

in ice-cold glacier water.

And if we get a rip in our suits,

we gotta make sure we get out of the water right away

because that will debilitate you very fast

and you won't even be able to climb up out of that ravine.

Little scared.

Tell my mom I love her.

Okay.

(laughs)

Alright, here's the river right here.

Oh wow.

Is that the moulin?

Yeah.

Yep, this is gonna be pretty bumpy.

(suspenseful music)

You know, we fly over this crevasse

and it just goes down, straight down.

Another big crevasse right down here.

Yeah, here's another crevasse

that the river is running over

and through.

If that crevasse opens while we're floating in there

we go right down.

I don't wanna be in that.

You think the water's better further up?

Yeah.

Gonna make just a little tiny detour here.

Josiah will head a mile upstream

to see if that section of the river looks mores stable.

This is looking really nice through here.

This might be a good spot to put in.

Nice, cold air.

Oh here's a waterfall.

(crosstalk)

Yes, I'm doing that.

Yeah, I don't know about that.

We're gonna have to drink some whiskey

or something if we're gonna have that done.

We're gonna have to take some shots of something.

Gotta get some liquid courage.

(laughs)

Okay, cool you guys I think this is gonna be great.

I like it.

Alright, I think I got a good landing spot

really nearby here.

We can set down right here.

(upbeat music)

Alright guys we're down, we're on the glacier.

What a smooth landing.

Well thank you.

You ready to do this thing?

I don't know.

(laughs)

The crew puts on their dry suits

to keep warm in the freezing river,

but hypothermia is just one of their concerns.

They also have to make sure they're clear of the river

before they reach the gigantic moulin

which could be fatal.

We definitely have to get out

before we get to the moulin.

So we have a big cargo net,

we're gonna set some ice screws in ice,

and stretch this net across the stream,

that way if anything weird happens,

we get knocked unconscious, that net will catch us.

It's kind of a last chance.

Okay, should I start to pull it across?

Yeah, go for it.

I'll go out this side.

Alright.

Oh God, I'm stuck.

Current's really strong.

Yeah, I'm fighting it.

Be careful!

Get that thing clipped!

Alright, we're good.

There's danger getting in, danger getting out,

sharp ice everywhere, so,

you know it's good to just keep your heads in the game

cause you never can tell what's gonna happen.

Alright, here's our put in.

Josiah and his friends

are rafting down a river on the Knik Glacier.

What d'you think?

Think it looks good.

Yeah, (mumbles)

(suspenseful music)

A fun and extreme adventure

that could quickly go awry.

I'm gonna go ahead of you in case you get into trouble,

I'll keep an eye on you.

I'll be right there.

Alright.

We got these toys, these pool toys

that are gonna be awesome, but they might pop,

or you might lose 'em in some of these waves here.

That happens, just turn over on your butt,

just keep your hands and your feet up,

don't try to stand up in this current,

you can end up stepping right into a crevasse

or a hole and the current will just snap your leg off

or your arm.

So we got Pablo in the air, spotting us,

we got the net set up, we got all the safety stuff,

we got all the right gear.

You still gotta be careful,

cause you never can tell what's gonna happen.

Alright, lead the way.

Alright, let's do it.

Oh it floats.

It's kinda taking a chance, jumping in,

we scouted it really good but you never really know

what you're gonna get coming through some of those holes.

Little shallow spot here.

Cold.

How you doing, Katie?

I'm a little nervous.

I've never gone rafting before,

so, I don't know what I'm getting into right now,

but I'm excited.

I'm going really fast, hold on.

Go, go!

Keep goin'!

Alright.

(excited shouting)

Oh my God!

Oh God, this is crazy!

(screaming)

Oh my God, this is so gnarly guys, look out,

look out it's getting really fast.

(excited shouts)

(screams)

Guys, yeah!

Holy--

Dude, that was amazing!

That was sick!

Oh my God.

Oh my God.

Pablo, man.

That was out of control.

Thanks for keeping an eye on us, man.

No problem.

How did it look from up there?

It was great, everything looked good,

but I wish next time I'm gonna be in the water.

(laughs)

It was cold, but it was wild,

it was amazing, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

That was sick you guys, I can't believe we just did that.

That was awesome.

I don't think the turtles made it.

I think the turtles are done.

It was the best water slide in the world.

It was a little hard to control

where you were going, but I let go of my fear a little bit

and just kind of went with the current, you know.

Only in Alaska.

Only in Alaska can you float down a whitewater river

on top of a glacier.

Ice rafting.

Only in Alaska.

[Jeff] And who else does that?

Who has done that?

I mean, we must be one of just a handful of people

who've ever done that.

Oh man, let's go start drinking!

(laughs)

Alaska is a bucket list destination for many.

There's the moose right here.

Oh wow.

Oh yeah, look at her.

Almost four times the state's population

visits Alaska every year.

And so it's huge tourism state.

(inspirational music)

The last frontier draws visitors

from around the globe.

One of the tours I really like to do

is taking people heli boarding or heli skating.

It's crazy, the sights are amazing,

you're landing on mountaintops,

it's just a stunning, out of control opportunity.

It's a chance of a lifetime, too.

Is the guiding loop all ready?

I've already guidance in a loop.

Good.

Tanalian manager, Kerri Irwin,

books these special tours.

We just got hired by professional snowboarder,

Mike Basich,

to go heli boarding.

Heli boarders are dropped off

on a mountaintop, they board down, are picked up,

and return to the summit,

essentially, the chopper becomes a chairlift.

You think he can get us in some tricky spots

if we need to?

Yeah, yeah.

Okay, I like that.

Mike and I have been working together for a long time,

so we have a lot of trust in our relationship.

The avalanche danger has just been considerably high,

so we really have to be on our game, guys.

Heads up out there,

you touch one sweet spot

and that whole slop is gonna explode,

bounce off there and take you with it.

I definitely have had some close calls with avalanches.

It's a pretty unique experience when you go from riding

to total fear, out of control.

Oh my Gosh, it's so beautiful.

We might be able to ride all the way

down this valley, Mikey.

Nah, it's not--

The way down here.

Alaska is breathtaking,

but it also has a dark side.

The biggest peril,

unpredictable weather.

I don't know guys, this is where I wanted to get you

but it's--

These clouds are starting to move lower and lower.

When you're going up into these mountains,

if you're not scared at all,

then there might be something wrong with you

because everything out here is against you,

you're in Mother Nature's house right now.

(suspenseful music)

Yeah, it's just rolling in right here.

We don't wanna get in here and get trapped.

It looks like we'd be better off

trying over by Knik Glacier.

I agree, Josiah.

Sound good, Mike?

That sounds great, man.

The majestic Knik Glacier,

north of the Chugach Mountains

is over 45 minutes away.

Yeah, definitely you'd like

to get in here and make sure this happens,

but those clouds getting in, we don't want them to roll over

and take over our day.

Yeah, let's get me on one of these peaks,

(choppy audio)

weather rolls in.

Downside to those mountains are,

it's 45-minute flight, so we're super deep

in the backcountry.

That's why it's so important to make sure

that everybody has an understanding about

what kind of situation they're putting themselves in today.

The group must find a spot

where Mike's boarding won't trigger an avalanche.

There's a little bit of activity.

There's snow loaded up in here that hasn't gone,

hasn't done any--

We are gonna see a lot of activity today.

Look at that stress right there, nine o'clock.

If somebody gets buried in an avalanche,

which is high potential right now,

you only have about four and a half minutes

before somebody has possibly permanent brain damage.

Yeah guys, I don't like that slope over there,

it looks like a pretty high risk of avalanche.

People die in avalanches all the time up here.

Every winter.

Let's go on over here to this other side.

(suspenseful music)

See this ridge right here, Mike?

Yeah, yeah it looks really great to work with.

You see this board that's nice and flat?

Yeah, yeah.

And it doesn't have as much depressions in it.

I haven't seen any fracture lines at all yet.

Nope.

Got a good run-out.

There's not much consequences from the left or right.

Oh yeah, look at that.

I'm liking that a lot.

I'm liking that a lot, too.

We're at 5,500.

Perfect.

I love that.

Okay, I'm coming in, is everything secured?

Yes.

Okay, I'm gonna get set here.

Coming down.

Because the ridge line is so steep,

Josiah can't land.

He must perform a toe-in procedure.

This dangerous maneuver means Mike will exit the helicopter

while it is still in flight.

Okay, I've got my right skate on.

Just get out slow, Mike.

When you get out, just stay right there,

next to the helicopter, and I'll depart.

Gotcha.

It is the moment of truth.

And not just for Mike,

but for the two men whose job it is to keep him safe.

We're clear.

Alright, I'm outta here.

We'll see you at the bottom.

Okay Mark, I'm gonna circle around and watch him

as he goes on his first run.

Make sure it's all good.

Roger that.

(suspenseful music)

Okay, there he goes.

Yep, he dropped.

Guides like Mark Barajas

don't usually ride with their clients,

because they must be able to react quickly

in case of an emergency.

So, they stay above the action

from the watchful eye of a helicopter.

Yeah if we see anything rip loose,

we're gonna go right in there and get him.

(upbeat music)

It's looking good?

Oh yeah, look at that.

Oh man he's flying down there.

Oh the snow is so good, Josiah.

I know.

Let's go up and I'll make a run--

Me too, me too.

That's the life of a guide and a pilot sometimes.

Well, I know.

(upbeat music)

He's so smooth and fluid at any speed that he's going

he makes it look really good.

Okay let's circle back down to the bottom

and pick him up.

Man, he went fast.

This was some fun vertical.

For the most of it, I got to just let it flow

and have some fun out here.

Man, that was crazy.

Let's do that again.

Alright.

Alaska's amazing.

You get to point where you wanna go,

the pilot, if they're skilled enough, like this one,

they'll take you there.

Look at those clouds coming in on us--

I know it.

This will probably be the last one.

Looking at fuel and everything.

Okay.

(upbeat music)

Yeah, I like to try to learn something new

every time I fly, and so these kind of drop-offs upon

the ridge line are tricky and fun

and I was really excited to get to do this today.

There he goes.

Nice.

You can have all the greatest riders in the world,

you can have great guide,

but without an awesome pilot,

we're all at risk.

How does that snow feel, Mike?

It's all good?

Awesome.

Cool.

Oh, look at all that ice

moving down the Knik Glacier.

Beautiful over there, guys.

Man, I would really like to speed this right now.

(laughs)

Jealous.

(triumphant music)

Heli in Alaska is amazing.

I highly recommend it at least once in your life.

Get out here, experience something you never have,

cause you cannot find this anywhere else.

For outdoor adventure seekers,

the chance to take a helicopter flight

into the backcountry of Alaska

is a once in a lifetime experience.

But for these brave explorers,

this won't be their last trip into the last frontier.

Only in Alaska.

Came to Alaska for the mountains, for the wilderness,

for adventure, and it has not let me down.

It's awesome.

Right on.

We really enjoyed the outdoors up here in Alaska,

we feel very blessed that we get to live up here

in such a majestic place

and then to have a day

when we have access to a helicopter, too.

The play up here is amazing.

Just getting in the helicopter is a rush itself,

but going out in the middle of nowhere is

kind of like that level of just letting go

to fuel something very independent.

It's amazing Alaska can do that for you.