Has anyone been following this series for the past couple years?
The season premier was on last night for the Alaska based one. Some of the same faces but a few new ones.
Yep , worked off road hauling long lenght over frozen roads , we at least , had sanders , corners and hills the rest was " keep it between the snow banks " :D
I espacialy liked that hill they call the roller coaster ... man what a thrill that would be . 8)
I generally watch it, but there are so many re-runs, etc, that I don't even try to keep the episodes straight.
They were holding tryouts and interviews up here recently. I don't want to burst any bubbles, so I'll keep my mouth shut unless you want to hear my opinion.
We drove the "Haul Road" to the Arctic Circle. That was one bumpy ride, but we really enjoyed every mile. June 22, 1997, we just had to watch the "sun not set". :)
Quote from: Warbird on April 05, 2010, 11:15:43 AM
I'll keep my mouth shut unless you want to hear my opinion.
No open wide ;D .. I want to hear it from you as a local .
I find it entertaining bit would like to hear a local perspective.
Keeping it short and sweet, I find the show to be fake, like most "reality shows". It is fixed, set up, and made to be overly dramatic. If people here in Alaska really acted like how some folks in some of these shows are portrayed, they would either get shot or wake up in the hospital.
Longer version: That being said, they were filming out on Birch Lake a while ago, apparently to get some filler material or make something look different than it really happened. I have a buddy at work who was there. I will ask him about it and give you more detail tomorrow.
Don't get me wrong, guys. Traveling the entire Haul Road is dangerous business and not to be taken lightly. Especially through the Atigun Pass. I've driven it twice in a Ford Super Duty crew cab, up to the Toolik Field Station research site that is north of the pass.
On the Southbound trip, we were nearly crushed by a boulder that came sailing down the mountain. There had been a lot of rain and it was making things loose up on top of one of the mountains. It was a surreal experience. We radioed to nearby truckers to be on the lookout. They appreciated our assistance.
One thing the truckers hate is a bunch of know-nothing tourists traveling "their" road. They get in the way, they don't know the proper road etiquette, they have no CB, and they make things more dangerous for the people that need to be there. Yes, people roll their vehicles, yes, people have died on the road, and yes it is one of the most remote and dangerous roads in the world. The stretch through Atigun Pass is also extremely beautiful.
So how do you get all of that into a "reality show"? You don't, unless you stage some stupid tourist getting in the way, rolling their vehicle, causing a big rig to drive off the road, or whatever.
Sorry if I seem jaded about reality TV shows. It's because I am. They make real situations fake and do a horrible job of portraying what is real. And then everyone and their mothers have to come up and give it a try, which makes a bad problem much worse.
An old timer around here used to haul on that road back in the 70's, I asked him what he thought of the show. He said it was pretty dramatized, but the Atigun was pretty hairy. He said the main thing was the weather, he got snowed in a few times, white outs, etc.
I grew up with logging trucks in the yard so I am well aware of how they dramatize everything for TV but I hate to admit, I do find it mildly entertaining. I also watch that swamp loggers show. I know they play that up as well, but it must be the diesel smoke that draws me to these shows.
barbender, that rings true with what I know.
Samuel, watching for entertainment is one thing. It's the folks who don't understand the difference that I think cause the problems. Also, I was apparently mistaken about the filming on Birch Lake. They recently held tryouts out at Ivory Jack's bar.
Some of our woods roads that I have got to haul on might make for a decent TV show. I'm sure a trucker that hauled only on the highway would think we were nuts. :)
Ive been around log trucks since i was twelve and driving since 18. Only 22 years experience out here in nova scotia but seen some tight situations on the asphalt and in the woods.
I agree that these shows dramatize alot of stuff and, creative editing can make an unknowing viewer believe anything they watch... that being said, those who really know the business may still watch for entertainment and for a twisted perspective on how the general public sees trucks and trucking.
No matterwhat guys, when it comes to tangles between motorists and truckers, the truck is ALWAYS ALWAYS wrong.... according to them
Sorry for the verbal diarrhea but just my 2 cents
Quote from: barbender on April 09, 2010, 12:16:33 PM
Some of our woods roads that I have got to haul on might make for a decent TV show. I'm sure a trucker that hauled only on the highway would think we were nuts. :)
We certainly are that, nuts that is.
But as hairy as the woods roads are, sometimes the highways are just as bad. Just a week ago I thought I was going to see a wreck when somebody in an old ford pickup ran a stop sign and made a left at a four way stop and almost drove right into the drivers door of a car coming the other way. If that other car had not taken severe evasive action, he would have been creamed. And the pickup never slowed down. They kept right on going.
And the anger that is directed towards trucks is scary sometimes.
I have hauled off road during winter for a few years until the recession close most mills ... that being said.
I watch both , ice road trucking Alaska and Swamploggers . If one puts the dramatisation aside , and sits for the ride . it sure is different from what I have trucked in . We also had some nice loads, ice roads and some tight corners , but as I have never been to Alaska , it is nice to look at the country .
Swamploggers is the same , actually I like that more then the Axemen ... a lot less beeps .. ;) And almost looks like a good team to work with . Again , never been in a Carolina swamp , so hitching a ride from my seat beside the television and being able to see how they do it , sure makes my two weeks of mud here easier to take in .