0:00:03 > 0:00:07This is a Fierce Earth special and we are all in the danger zone.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11We've travelled to the Yukon territory in Canada's frozen north
0:00:11 > 0:00:14where the temperature right now is minus 36 degrees Celsius.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19That's twice as cold as your freezer at home.
0:00:19 > 0:00:25Watch this. A cup of boiling water turns to ice in mid air.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Wow, that's cold.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Your eyelashes freeze and when you breathe in your nostrils freeze.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Stay exposed for too long and it could be fatal.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41These are the toughest conditions in one of the world's coldest places
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and we're going to find out how to survive. And this is how.
0:00:44 > 0:00:51I'm going to fly up, up and away over the frozen landscape.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55We're going to learn how to build a special snow shelter
0:00:55 > 0:00:57invented in this part of the world.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00It's 10 degrees warmer than outside.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03We'll meet the locals who've learned how to live
0:01:03 > 0:01:07in one of the world's coldest places for thousands of years.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And we're going to put on a very special race
0:01:10 > 0:01:13between a team of husky dogs and some human rivals.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Go!
0:01:20 > 0:01:24What happens when the ground shakes, the seas rise up
0:01:24 > 0:01:26and the air tears itself apart?
0:01:28 > 0:01:29The Fierce Earth team move in,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32taking on the most powerful forces on the planet.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Get ready for Fierce Earth -
0:01:50 > 0:01:52the Earth and how to survive it.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Every winter, a blanket of snow, ice and freezing temperatures
0:02:00 > 0:02:02spreads out from the North Pole.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07In this Fierce Earth special, we are taking you deep into that cold zone.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Here in the Yukon territory, Northern Canada.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13This frozen region is next door to Alaska
0:02:13 > 0:02:15and the Arctic Circle runs straight through it.
0:02:15 > 0:02:21It's so remote and cold only a few people choose to live here.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26About 30,000 in a place twice the size of the UK.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Snow covers the ground here for much of the year.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32The lakes freeze. The rivers freeze.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37The temperatures stay below zero for about 180 days every year -
0:02:37 > 0:02:40compared to about four in the UK.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Why so cold? I'm going to find out.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55It is currently minus 40 degrees Celsius
0:02:55 > 0:02:56here in the Yukon.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59What makes it so much colder here than in Florida
0:02:59 > 0:03:02where I spend most of my time in shorts, or in the UK
0:03:02 > 0:03:05where you spend most of your time in a raincoat.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I am going show you the secrets of this frozen landscape
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and the best way to do that is take to the air.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Today I'm flying with extreme cold pilot Gurd Mannsperger
0:03:17 > 0:03:19in a very special type of aircraft.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23It's a plane on skis!
0:03:27 > 0:03:30So by getting in this plane, we're going to get very high
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and have a look around the Yukon area
0:03:32 > 0:03:34and see what makes it so very, very cold
0:03:34 > 0:03:38and one of the coldest places on the planet. Wish me some luck.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48And we're getting our oil temperature, everything's good,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52we're ready to take off if you guys are brave, we shall be too.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Here we go. This is really exciting.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07We're flying at a height of 1,000 metres, and from here
0:04:07 > 0:04:13we can begin to understand what makes this place so very cold.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16As far as the eye can see it's just frozen land.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20White, ice, just that very, very cold look.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24It's the middle of the day, but because of the tall mountains
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and the Yukon's northern position on the globe,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31the sun only peeks over the horizon at this time of year.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36The low sun means the solar rays hit the ground at a shallow angle.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38So most of the sun's energy is reflected away
0:04:38 > 0:04:41before it can heat the surface.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45That keeps the ground cool and when the snow falls it doesn't melt.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49The bright white landscape from the snow and ice
0:04:49 > 0:04:53is even better at reflecting the sun's energy away from Earth,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56making everything even colder.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00And there's something else that makes the Yukon territory
0:05:00 > 0:05:02one of the coldest places on the planet.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05When you're in the UK, you're basically surrounded by water
0:05:05 > 0:05:08so you have some heat energy coming from that surrounding water.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12But here in the Yukon, the closet body of water
0:05:12 > 0:05:16is about 75 to 100 miles away but these mountains will block
0:05:16 > 0:05:19any of that potential of it even making it here.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22It's almost like when you close your freezer door
0:05:22 > 0:05:26and leave it closed and it stays cold and gets colder and colder.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31The distance of the Yukon Territory from the sea
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and the barrier of the high mountains means that warm air
0:05:34 > 0:05:38from the oceans struggles to ever reach the freezing cold interior.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42I think that pretty much explains it.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Gurd, take us down, I've got what I need.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51So you can basically land anywhere if you have a plane like this.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53There's frozen lakes everywhere
0:05:53 > 0:05:57so it's almost like you have these landing strips all over the place.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00But the thing is I am a little bit nervous because we were
0:06:00 > 0:06:05at a cruising speed of 150 mph landing on skis on a frozen lake.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08What could possibly go wrong?!
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Are you ready for this, Mr Cameraman?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17No? Well, you better be because we are coming down.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22The ice on this frozen lake is 50cm thick
0:06:22 > 0:06:24and we touch down safely.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26My fact finding mission is over
0:06:26 > 0:06:30and we now know the truth behind the freezing temperatures.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34That wasn't much of a landing, that was a pretty nice landing.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40So planes are the modern way of getting around here in the Yukon
0:06:40 > 0:06:42but for centuries it was these dogs instead.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48They're huskies and for hundreds of years they've helped humans
0:06:48 > 0:06:52survive in the world's coldest places.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Today the dogs are used to transport tourists, compete in races
0:06:55 > 0:07:00and in the places where there are no roads, get the locals from A to B.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04I've come to meet owner and husky team leader, Frank Turner.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08I have just meet some of them and they are all so friendly.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Well, yeah, that's what it's about.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14These dogs are perfectly adapted to life in the deep freeze.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18They've got two layers of coat to protect them from the fierce cold.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20It's a bit like putting on two jackets.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22One big fluffy one to keep you warm
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and then a waterproof one to keep you dry.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30You can see he's got a really good thick fur.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34He's got an outer coat, and a thick inner coat.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39So the other coat is good for keeping snow
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and any moisture away from getting close to the body.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49The coldest I have been out with the dogs is 57 below.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53At those temperatures, when they breathe out, it freezes
0:07:53 > 0:07:58and believe it or not when you have a pee at those temperatures
0:07:58 > 0:08:01you can hear your pee freezing on the way to the ground.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06The stamina of these dogs in this pee-freezing weather is amazing.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12They can run 150 miles in a day.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16But they can only do that because they work brilliantly as a team.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Frank has agreed to put a squad of his most talented dogs
0:08:21 > 0:08:24together for a very special race I'm going to challenge Leo to.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Like all the best teams, we're going to need a real mix.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31So who is my winning team today, Frank?
0:08:31 > 0:08:34This is Ginger, and Nancy right here.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Sakura is one of my all-time favourites,
0:08:39 > 0:08:40she is just a great leader.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48And Shiner is just very, very strong.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51This is a great leader too.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Beethoven and his brother Schubert right here,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57their main thing is just their steadiness.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00We have just got to hook them up and you better hang on.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04That's my dog squad.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07They can travel so quickly across big distances
0:09:07 > 0:09:09because even though they all bring their own talents,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12they also pull together amazingly as a team.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I wonder if there are any other animals who could work together
0:09:15 > 0:09:18in the cold as well as them?
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Well, to show just how great these dogs are, Leo has gone
0:09:21 > 0:09:24to enlist the help of another two-legged team who are also famous
0:09:24 > 0:09:26for moving at speed in the cold.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37I have come to see some other wild animals play.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Like the huskies, this squad of teenage ice hockey players
0:09:42 > 0:09:44move at high speed,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48and they work together brilliantly as a team in cold conditions.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51The guys in white are the Midget Mustangs.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Only they don't look that small to me!
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I'm going to see if we can pick a team
0:10:01 > 0:10:04capable of taking on the Husky dogs and winning.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09What I want is a mix of pace, aggression, teamwork and stamina.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13They look pretty savage to me, I reckon I'm onto a winner.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16I've got my team.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Bring on the first official Man vs Mutt race!
0:10:27 > 0:10:29We've brought the teams to a frozen river on a day
0:10:29 > 0:10:33when temperatures have dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Right then, gentlemen, everybody ready?
0:10:36 > 0:10:39The first ever Man vs Mutt challenge.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42They are only dogs, how hard can it be?
0:10:42 > 0:10:43It's a straight out running race
0:10:43 > 0:10:47and the first squad to cross the finish line wins.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52This is all about teamwork and my dogs are an amazing team.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56They are a racing machine and we are going to win.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Go!
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- Go, go, go!- Come on!
0:11:09 > 0:11:12My Midget Mustangs are off to a great start.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18But my huskies are soon pulling up alongside them
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and when the ice hockey players start to lose grip
0:11:21 > 0:11:24on the snowy surface, we overtake!
0:11:24 > 0:11:26And there's one of my men down!
0:11:26 > 0:11:29The strength of the others pulls him along
0:11:29 > 0:11:32but without a full team pulling together we've got no chance.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36It's my Huskies who are the heroes today!
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Here's the reason for their victory.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43The dogs pulled together and matched each other's speed
0:11:43 > 0:11:46but there was one weak link in the hockey players' squad.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49They stopped working as a team when they lost one runner.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54My boys did well but...it's really hard competing with the dogs.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56They had more speed.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59We left them for snow and dust to be honest.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03I think the dogs should challenge us to hockey next.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Maybe next time. For now, me and my winning team
0:12:08 > 0:12:12are off to enjoy a well-earned rest.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Still to come on the Fierce Earth special -
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Leo's going to hack my way up a terrifying wall of ice.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21As soon as it gets vertical, like it's about to,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23it becomes a lot more difficult.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29But first, what would you do if you found yourself stranded
0:12:29 > 0:12:33and alone in one of the worlds coldest places?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36The temperature is at minus 29 degrees Celsius.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Without shelter or something to warm us up,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42we'd be in trouble very quickly.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46Hector Mackenzie is a cold weather survival expert, and he's going
0:12:46 > 0:12:50to teach us how to take on the world's coldest places...and win.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Hello.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54To get out of the weather we've got to build a shelter
0:12:54 > 0:12:56and get right out of it.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Get into the snow and get comfortable for the night
0:12:58 > 0:13:01otherwise it is a serious situation.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- I'm ready to get warm. - I'm cold, I'm really cold.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Hector piled this snow up before we arrived
0:13:08 > 0:13:12because it takes time for the snow crystals to bind together.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16- It's a big pile of snow. - Yeah, it's a big pile of snow.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Animals like bears and wolves know how to survive in this
0:13:20 > 0:13:24inhospitable place, but as human visitors we need to learn
0:13:24 > 0:13:27how to use what's close at hand if we want to survive as well.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Hector, I know this is a silly question
0:13:31 > 0:13:34but why are we using snow for a shelter?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Well, it is something that there is lots of round here
0:13:37 > 0:13:41and the ancient people learned to live with it and build shelters.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43And it is a really good insulator.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44It makes sense, doesn't it?
0:13:44 > 0:13:46I think it is time for the shovels now.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Let's start digging.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52What do you call this? What's the official name for one of these?
0:13:52 > 0:13:58Well, it is a pile of snow but we call them quinzhees.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01OK, so I'm building my first quinzhee.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06You might have heard of an igloo before,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10but this quinzie is another type of shelter made from snow,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14that people from this part of Canada invented.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17The cold environment is so dangerous here that this is something
0:14:17 > 0:14:21even the youngest children are taught how to build.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22But they get special lessons
0:14:22 > 0:14:26so don't go trying this at home yourselves if it snows!
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Kids at school have to learn how to build these things,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33that's how dangerous this environment is.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38Unlike Britain there is no-one around in this part of Canada.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42It's so remote, it's like a wilderness, and the temperatures
0:14:42 > 0:14:45are absolutely extreme and excruciatingly cold.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48My face feels like little needles are poking it.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51It's like a stinging feeling and it actually hurts.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It's actually painful. Anything that's exposed,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57it feels like someone slapped you in the face.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01The thing is with here is that it's even colder than your freezer.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02That's just insane.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Back home, our relatively high temperatures mean
0:15:07 > 0:15:10you've got a lot more time before hypothermia
0:15:10 > 0:15:12or freezing to death becomes a problem.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14But here in these freezing conditions,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17things get serious very quickly.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Are we talking hours or minutes?
0:15:21 > 0:15:23It could be a short time, less than an hour.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27You will start losing your balance and feeling a bit wobbly
0:15:27 > 0:15:28and eventually fall over.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32That's the beginnings of hypothermia when you lose that balance.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38Luckily, and before we fall over, we've nearly finished the quinzie.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40And once we've put some home comforts in,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43it's starting to feel quite cosy and warm.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46It's noticeably warmer in here, currently.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Don't take our word for it though.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52I've brought along a cool bit of equipment that will show us
0:15:52 > 0:15:54if the shelter really is working.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57A thermal imaging camera. I'm going to take a photograph
0:15:57 > 0:16:01and I'm going to see what the temperature is.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- Say cheese.- Cheese.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08So the temperature is about minus 17.9.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11That's the lowest colours. That's the dark blues.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17And let's get Hector to take a look from the outside.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20It's quite warm even in the doorway here.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Ten degrees warmer than outside.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25The insulating snow has done its job.
0:16:25 > 0:16:31It's minus 32 degrees outside and around minus 17 inside.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35That's means it's 15 degrees C warmer in the shelter which could be
0:16:35 > 0:16:38the difference between surviving the night or not.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43As darkness falls and the temperature drops
0:16:43 > 0:16:45it's time to settle in.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Well, we are in one of the world's coldest places,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54but in one of the world's cosiest quinzies.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- Night night, Mike.- Night.- Sweet dreams. See you in the morning.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Mike, turn on your back, for goodness sake.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07- What?- Shhh! I'm trying to get to sleep.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14The people who live here in the Yukon
0:17:14 > 0:17:16know how to stay safe in the cold.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20But when cold Arctic or Siberian air arrives in places
0:17:20 > 0:17:22where people aren't used to it,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25the resulting cold conditions can be deadly.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Here are the fiercest big freezes of the last 20 years.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35In the European cold snap of 2009, temperatures hit a low point
0:17:35 > 0:17:40of minus 47 degrees C and snow swept across the continent.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46In 2010, it was the UK's turn as Britain experienced
0:17:46 > 0:17:48its coldest December on record.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51The average temperature never made it above freezing.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57In 2004, parts of America saw one of their coldest winters for 100 years
0:17:57 > 0:18:01and some of their biggest cities ground to a halt.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09We're just visitors to this freezing part of the world
0:18:09 > 0:18:12but there are some people who have called the planet's coldest places
0:18:12 > 0:18:15home for thousands of years.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19Hi there. I'm Clare. Nice to meet you.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21This is 12-year-old Rain and Christy,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and their elder, Jonny Brass.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26They are First Nations people.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29They got this name because their ancestors were the first humans
0:18:29 > 0:18:30to live in this part of Canada.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34There are still about 8,000 First Nations people here.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37They have their own languages and religion,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41and they've adapted to living in one of the world's coldest places.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42So how do you kids feel
0:18:42 > 0:18:44when the first bit of snow falls in the winter?
0:18:44 > 0:18:46I feel excited.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Dress up warmer.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51It's just a normal part of life.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53It's something we look forward to.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56So what are you going to take us to do today, Jonny?
0:18:56 > 0:19:00So what we are going to do now is we are going to go down to Jackson Lake
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and we are going to do some ice fishing with the youth here.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05I can't wait! Brilliant, let's go.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14This is a frozen lake and the icy surface is 50cm thick
0:19:14 > 0:19:18but that's not going to stop Rain and Christy from fishing
0:19:18 > 0:19:21because this is one of the traditional ways their ancestors
0:19:21 > 0:19:24would have fed themselves when all around them was frozen.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30These kind of skills are some of the first things
0:19:30 > 0:19:33these kids are taught and it's now second nature.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Two 12-year-old kids drilling through the ice to get
0:19:36 > 0:19:39their own food - it makes you feel just a little inadequate.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Rain and Christy's ancestors would have chipped away at the ice
0:19:42 > 0:19:44with an axe, chisel and spear.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Wow, look at that!
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Hole drilled and the rod ready, the kids take over.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Now we just wait for a bite.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58So what do you guys feel about the temperature today?
0:19:58 > 0:20:02- Is this pretty normal for you, are you cold?- No, this is normal.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06This is normal. Wow, this is extreme for me.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09And for you, Christy, I have noticed your hair is starting
0:20:09 > 0:20:11to freeze on the front. Are you cold?
0:20:11 > 0:20:12- No.- You're not cold.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16I am not even going to say where I'm cold, I'm cold everywhere.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19To be honest, we're standing on a frozen lake -
0:20:19 > 0:20:23we are going to be cold. It's minus 27 outside.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25And plus the wind chill.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28See, and Rain is saying plus the wind chill.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31These young kids know that dressing properly is the key
0:20:31 > 0:20:33to surviving these freezing cold conditions.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36These gloves look really warm. What are they made of?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38It's made out of moose head.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41So the animals know how to adapt to this cold and we use them
0:20:41 > 0:20:43to help us adapt, basically.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44Help us to keep warm.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47They help us with the fur and we get to eat them.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49So some of them feed us and some of them we use
0:20:49 > 0:20:53not necessarily to eat but use parts of their body to stay warm.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56But most of things that you catch you have to mostly eat.
0:20:56 > 0:20:57It's disrespectful.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01If you could pick one animal you could have or catch,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04what would be the best for the most resources?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- A moose.- So a moose is the best one to catch.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Its not easy to just pop to the supermarket here,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13so Rain and Christy hunt for wild food like moose and fish
0:21:13 > 0:21:17because it's just right on their doorstep.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19How long would a whole moose last for a family?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- Probably the whole winter. - Really? Wow.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25They haven't had any luck today but in this cold climate
0:21:25 > 0:21:30they know you've got to call it a day when the temperatures start dropping.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37So they take us back inside to meet some of their friends.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42The First Nations people have learnt that you need to spend
0:21:42 > 0:21:45a lot of the freezing winter sheltering inside.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49It's just a small community
0:21:49 > 0:21:52but they've found the best way to enjoy the long winter months
0:21:52 > 0:21:54is to get together for some fun and games as a group.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00With darkness and the temperatures falling outside,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03this is definitely the place to be.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04As the sun rises over the Yukon,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07we've just got time for the final challenge for Leo.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I know all about life on the edge.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I've climbed to the top of the world's highest mountains,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19frozen in the Antarctic
0:22:19 > 0:22:22and parachuted off the planet's biggest cliffs.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29I've come to an ice climbers training facility
0:22:29 > 0:22:33to find out what extremely low temperatures can do to water,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37and if my cold climbing skills are up to scratch.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Today, this is my challenge. A 15 metre high tower of ice,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50slippery cold and dangerous and I have got to get to the top.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54To make these towers, you basically leave a tap running at the top
0:22:54 > 0:22:57and you end up with these amazing structures
0:22:57 > 0:23:00because the water freezes before it can even hit the ground.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06It takes weeks and weeks of seriously sub-zero temperatures to make them.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Today, it's minus 25 and I'm freezing.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13This ice has built up over several freezing weeks.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18It's now a sheer, slippery wall. 4 metres wide, 15 metres tall
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and covered with razor sharp icicles.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Climbing up is going to be a real challenge.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Your hands get really cold. You know when you make a snowball
0:23:27 > 0:23:30in the winter, and your hands go totally numb. Well, that happens.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33And when you're hanging onto your ice axes 10 metres up the cliff,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37you really need to be able to feel it. So I've got to wrap up warm,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41but I'll also need a few extra bits of kit to survive this climb.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48A pair of winter boots with spikes called crampons attached to the bottom.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51And very importantly, helmet.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Cos when you climb ice like this, you smash a lot of it down.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02And finally, with a pair of ice axes, I'm ready to go.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06It's the extreme cold that turns water into something solid enough
0:24:06 > 0:24:08to hold all of my weight.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19The thing is with ice climbing,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22as soon as it gets vertical like its about to,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24it becomes a lot more difficult.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27You are hanging on your arms and the blood drains out of them,
0:24:27 > 0:24:28so your hands get really cold.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Yeah, this is going to be interesting.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35The lower the temperature, the more brittle the ice.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39It's so cold here it's like climbing on glass.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41As you can see, it's all a bit brittle.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44ICE SHATTERING
0:24:46 > 0:24:48That ice is so sharp and so heavy.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51If it fell on someone it could do them some real damage.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58This is one of the more difficult bits. You can see it's overhanging
0:24:58 > 0:25:00- and there's a lot of daggers. - ICE SHATTERING
0:25:05 > 0:25:10Your arms start to get tired as you're hanging off them.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Your hands get really cold.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15And with a surface as loose and brittle as this,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18danger is never far away.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Watch out below!
0:25:26 > 0:25:29That was at least 10 kilograms of ice.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Big enough to knock me out if it had hit my face
0:25:31 > 0:25:33rather than my shoulder.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42It's pretty easy to give yourself
0:25:42 > 0:25:45a broken nose or a black eye doing this.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53I've made it!
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Yes! That was great fun!
0:25:56 > 0:26:00And the trip up that treacherous wall of ice was worth it.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02But I'm even colder now I've stopped.
0:26:02 > 0:26:09You can see, hands are pretty cold. Feel really numb.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13It's like, you almost feel like someone's...
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Like someone else is in control of them, they feel really weak.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Got to get out of here quickly,
0:26:20 > 0:26:26Thankfully, the Fierce Earth team have set up a quick way down.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29So here goes sub-zero zip wire. Woo-hoo!
0:26:49 > 0:26:51That was brilliant.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53I've done it.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00The temperature was minus 25 degrees Celsius.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I scaled a 15 metre high wall of brittle ice.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07I was hit by a 10kg block.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12But I made it to the top.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20If you do ever find yourself in one of the planet's coldest places,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23here is the Fierce Earth survival guide.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Seek warmth as the temperatures drop
0:27:25 > 0:27:29and if you're in the wilderness, use snow to create a shelter.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Remember, you're far stronger if you work as a team.
0:27:37 > 0:27:38See it coming! Look at that.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Coming up next time on Fierce Earth.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I can't stand up any more!
0:27:45 > 0:27:48We explore the awesome force of flood water.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50I can't... Whoa!
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd