[narrator] A new breed of
super machine is evolving.
Bigger, faster, smarter,
built to tackle
near-impossible feats.
Among them: the world's most
advanced ice crawler.
Braving icy storms...
>> It comes fast and furious.
[narrator]...and treacherous
terrain...
>> Anything can happen.
[narrator]...heaving, carving
and crushing 7 million
tons of snow...
>> I've seen so many...
(loud bang)
We've just had a problem,
Houston.
[narrator]...to keep the
avalanche-prone mountains
of North America's biggest
ski resort safe.
>> If we make a mistake,
somebody's gonna die from that.
[narrator] We'll blow
this half-a-million-dollar beast
apart to uncover technological
secrets,
from super tough lightweight
snow tracks...
to 25,000-volt headlights
that turn night into day.
We'll reveal how this
extraordinary ice crawling
monster evolved to rise above
all other machines.
Whistler Blackcomb ski resort,
British Columbia.
Site of the 2010 Winter Olympics
and premier destination
for 2 million skiers
and snowboarders a year.
The resort's peaks soar over
6,000 feet high. With a mammoth
8,000 acres of terrain,
it is North America's
largest ski range.
But high in the mountains,
with around 30 million tons of
snow falling on it every year,
this winter wonderland can
quickly turn into a danger zone,
with avalanches and icy slopes
posing a deadly threat.
No trail at Whistler can open to
the public until it's completely
safe and its snow is sculpted
into the perfect skiing surface.
This challenge falls to snow-
grooming manager Stan Kelly.
>> How are you doing today?
[narrator] Stan heads up
the resort's elite crew
of snow haulers.
>> We're charged with
maintaining all the slopes
and not having any avalanche
concerns for our guests.
We move the snow around and
cover over the rocks and fill
in holes, and then people can
ski on top of it. We'll be
working really hard this week.
Hey! How's the crew doing?
[narrator] His team is gearing
up to prepare the 8,000-acre
site for the biggest weekend
of the year.
>> Is anybody available to work
any extra shifts?
>> If you give me a day's
notice, I can.
[narrator] To do this, he needs
the help of a remarkable
machine: 32 feet long and
weighing in at 12 tons, the
PistenBully 600 Polar snowcat.
Constructed from more than
10,000 parts, she's one of the
most advanced snow-hauling
machines ever built.
Steel-tipped aluminium tracks
spread 12 tons of muscle
across the snow.
Four gas-powered 25,000-volt
headlights blaze a path through
even the thickest blizzards.
And a 13-litre, 450 HP
diesel engine conquers
the steepest slopes.
All of these features work
together to make this snow
and ice hauler the toughest
crawler on the mountain.
>> This is my snowcat. This is
what I run on Whistler Mountain.
It makes everybody's life
easier: skiers, snowboarders...
Everybody loves it.
[narrator] With over 20 years
on the job, Steve Dewar is
one of the most experienced
drivers on the mountain.
>> All right, man, we're good
to go.
[narrator] Whistler runs a fleet
of 39 PistenBullys. They are
the ultimate multi-tool.
Operators like Steve can use
them to shovel snow, crush ice
and manicure trails,
transforming danger zones
into the perfect downhill run.
A process known as grooming.
>> This is my office. It's got a
beautiful view. Every office is
a corner office. Being out here
in this is what I love the most,
really. It's spectacular. Top of
the world, playing with 500 HP,
having fun. It's a good job.
[narrator] Steve sets off to the
first destination on his shift.
He's got a tough week ahead.
It's the opening of a new
season. Five days from now,
around 20,000 visitors will
descend on the mountain.
A recent storm has dumped
30 inches of snow on the site.
It's up to Steve and the team
to shift this snow and make
every trail safe in time
for the skiers' arrival.
>> There's gonna be lots of
people out, and they're gonna
want to do some skiing. We're
not just grooming it for a
couple of people; we're grooming
it for thousands of people.
[narrator] Steve's approaching
his first destination: the
Saddle, one of the highest, most
exposed runs on the mountain.
Overnight, wind has blown the
heavy snowfall, creating drifts
of deep powder. Steve's task is
to carve and compact the snow
on this slope to make it safe
to ski.
>> Once we get a lot of snow,
it becomes unsafe. Our job,
as snowcat operators, is to go
out and flatten them down.
[narrator] Steve reaches the
crest of the Saddle. High in the
Alpine zone at over 6,000 feet,
this steep trail is a tough test
for both man and machine.
>> Attention, all Whistler
Mountain radios. Winch cat
on Saddle-Last Chance.
There's the odd occasion when
the machine wants to slide off
sideways, and got to take
evasive action.
[narrator] Steve must drive head
first down this 40-degree slope
to groom the snow. If he loses
grip, he could plummet straight
to the bottom.
>> If you drive into a steep
section of a run, you're gonna
slide, toboggan out of control.
There's our winch tower.
I'm just gonna hook us up.
[narrator] Steve hooks his
machine to a 10-foot-tall tower
anchored deep into the bedrock.
>> Let's riff it up!
[narrator] To lower him down
the mountain without skidding
out of control, he depends
on an ingenious winch that's
built into this ice crawler.
The winch acts as a safety
system to stop Steve from
sliding down the icy slope.
Its design was inspired
by ancient Greek sailors
over 2,000 years ago.
Merchant ships in the
Mediterranean sea grew so
large that the crew could
no longer lift their
enormous stone anchors.
So sailors built rotating
winch drums on deck and wrapped
the anchor ropes around them.
Now just two men could raise
huge weights from even the
greatest depths. The ice crawler
uses this idea to anchor
itself on the slopes.
Hydraulic motors in its
winch give it the pulling
power of over 50 sailors.
The anchor wire is almost
a mile long and could hold
ten midsized automobiles.
Steve uses this winch to haul
him up and down the steepest
slopes without fear of falling.
>> And away we go!
[narrator] As the slope gets
steeper, the tension on
the winch cable increases.
>> Right now the cable's paying
out behind us. It's holding us
back. When you're grooming steep
runs like the Saddle here, the
rope keeps the cat from sliding
out of control on the way down.
[narrator] Steve compacts
the powdery snow as he descends
to the bottom of the slope.
Now he needs the full power of
the winch to haul him back up
again. A cable failure here
would be his worst nightmare.
>> This here is the
steepest part of the run.
Anything can happen.
[narrator] The ice crawler has
a super smart invention hidden
under its hood that should spot
any problem before it's too
late. The machine has built-in
intelligence that scans the
cable for tiny weaknesses.
Two plastic plates press on the
wire as it runs. Even a single
broken strand makes the plates
flex together, triggering a
switch which sets off an alarm
so that Steve can shut down
this machine and replace the
cable before disaster strikes.
>> This cat is a winch cat, and
it's nothing without its rope.
[narrator] To make sure
the cables and sensors are
working perfectly, a team
of 24 mechanics inspects each
crawler every day here at
Whistler's maintenance shop.
>> Here's another one coming in
for a bit of repair. In the few
hours that we have with the
machinery, we'll do all the
maintenance and repairs needed.
[narrator] Even with clever
technology and perfect
maintenance, the ice crawler's
cable is never 100% fail-safe.
>> Hey, Benny! How was
your night last night?
[narrator] This winch wire on
another crawler failed while
it was in service last night.
>> I heard we had a broken
winch cable there.
>> Yeah, it's kind of ugly.
See how it tore it apart there.
>> Oh, yeah.
[narrator] The machine's cable
sensors only detect breaks as
the rope passes through them.
Exposed on the mountain, there's
a risk the wire can catch
and snap on a sharp rock.
>> It obviously ripped it apart
and then it tore it through
the whole winch.
>> Oh yeah, man. I hate to see
that. I don't like to see these
cables breaking. You never
know what could happen, right.
What slope he's on.
[narrator] Luckily, this time,
the driver escaped unharmed.
Keeping these cables in top
condition is critical to give
Steve a fighting chance on these
steep ascents. He's making good
progress. But 200 meters from
the top of the slope, he's
about to encounter big trouble.
>> The cable, it's your
lifeline. I see so many...
(loud bang)
[narrator] High in the
mountains of Whistler Blackcomb
ski resort, British Columbia,
an elite team of snow haulers
are up against it, preparing
the slopes for the opening
weekend of the season.
>> Big day. It's gonna be
a big weekend. Busy.
[narrator] Ice crawler driver
Steve is halfway up one of the
highest trails on the mountain,
the Saddle. And he's in trouble.
>> You see so many...
(loud bang)
Oh...
(engine stopping)
Yeah, we've just had
a problem, Houston.
[narrator] Thankfully, the
winch cable is intact. But Steve
still needs to find the cause
of the breakdown.
>> Maybe call for a mechanic
in a minute.
[narrator] His engine appears
to have lost almost all
power, leaving him stranded
on the mountain.
>> Any fleet maintenance radio
from Steve?
10-4. I'll get the boom out
back and see if I can't get
something up.
[narrator] Steve's location
is so inaccessible that
the maintenance crew can't
reach him.
>> We're on such a steep pitch
here. We can't get a skidoo to
us. So we've got no choice but
to limp our beast to the top.
[narrator] With reduced engine
power, it's down to his winch
cable to pull him back up
to the top of the hill.
>> See how we go. We're gonna
be a little challenged here
to get out.
[narrator] The cable is now
under extreme strain.
>> It's the steepest part of
the run that we're on right now,
and the machine is labouring
hard to get us up there.
Only yesterday, a cable like
this on another machine failed
while out on the mountain.
>> We're barely making it
out of here.
[narrator] It's a slow
crawl up to the summit, where
the mechanics are waiting.
>> This is the final clutch
moment. We're right at the top
now. A little worried about
making the last pull here. I can
see the mechanics and the
skidoos.
Oh, we've made it. I think we're
at the top. I'm so relieved
to reach the top here. I was
sweating a little bit there.
I don't sweat very often.
The mechanics are top-notch.
They're gonna have this thing
buttoned up in no time.
[narrator] It's a quick
diagnosis. The engine's
turbocharger has failed.
JOE ROYLE, Fleet Maintenance
Supervisor: It supplies
the airflow to the engine.
Without that, no power.
There's your blown clamp.
>> Easy fix. I like those ones.
>> We're back on line in... How
long was that? Five minutes?
[narrator] Steve's snowcat is
back in business. But he still
has 60 acres of the site left
to groom. And things are about
to get a whole lot tougher.
>> See the night is closing in.
What are we at? 4:40, and
the sun is almost fully down.
Things change a bit when the
sun goes down. Your world gets
a lot smaller. Your world, all
of a sudden, goes from unlimited
visibility to only as far as
your lights will light the way.
[narrator] Working on the edge
of a sheer cliff with just
a few metres of visibility...
One false move, and Steve and
his machine could plummet off
an icy 1,000-foot precipice.
He relies on an ingenious
invention built into his
ice crawler that allows him
to work into the night without
fear of tumbling off a cliff:
super bright headlights.
Tucked into the roof of the cab
are four transformers. They
generate 25,000 volts, feeding
the machine's headlights, where
a powerful force of nature is
at work. It's like lightning.
(thunder rumbling)
Thunderclouds send out bright
tentacles of highly charged
air molecules. Where they touch
the ground, lightning strikes.
The ice crawler's headlights
use the same principle.
Like the air in a thundercloud,
its lightbulbs contain clouds
of highly charged xenon gas,
at 25 times the pressure
of a car tire.
Two tungsten electrodes hold
a brilliant arc of miniature
lightning, half as hot as
the surface of the sun.
Four of these bulbs give the
ice crawler blazing headlights
that turn night into day.
>> We've got so many lights on
these snowcats. It's phenomenal,
the technology that goes
into them. The xenons being
the really bright ones.
They can give you a headache
they're so bright.
[narrator] Thanks to her
powerful xenon headlights,
Steve's ice crawler can scale
the dangerous mountain terrain
right into the night.
Day two, 6 AM.
Whistler's ski patrol crew
head out to conduct their
routine avalanche control
on Little Whistler Peak,
a 6,900-foot ridge sitting
right above a skiing area
known as Glacier Bowl.
On average, ten people a year
are killed by avalanches in the
mountains of British Columbia.
Anton Horvath needs to make
sure that snow on this
mountaintop won't endanger
the lives of skiers below.
ANTON HORVATH, Senior Avalanche
Forecaster: The biggest hazard
that we have right now is
cornice fall. So we have an
overhanging cornice here that
we wanna make sure it's stable.
[narrator] Cornices are massive
ledges of snow that collect
on the top of ridges during
a snowstorm. Weighing up to
3 tons, if they give way, they
could trigger an avalanche.
>> OK, so the cornice is below
us here somewhere so if you
head over there you can spot me
from a good vantage point.
[narrator] To stop the cornices
from collapsing unexpectedly,
Anton's team must remove
the built-up snow before the
skiers arrive using dynamite.
>> It has a det rate of
around 20,000 feet per second.
I'll ignite the shot, and at
that point, it'll detonate
2.5 minutes after ignition.
>> OK, good. Right there. Stop.
>> And then, I tie it onto a
ski pole or something, and then
I retreat to a safe location.
(explosion)
[narrator] The blast sends
3 tons of loose snow cascading
down into the Glacier Bowl.
>> That was an effective shot.
It took out some fairly large
cornice chunks the size of small
cars, and now it doesn't pose
a danger anymore to any skiers.
>> Whistler Alpine office
from Anton.
>> Go ahead, Anton.
>> We have AC clearance
all zones.
>> AC clearance all zones. Thank
you.
[narrator] It's now up to snow
groomer Steve to shift the
detonated chunks of snow and ice
from the blast to make a smooth
surface for the skiers. He sets
off for Anton's avalanche zone.
>> Up above us here
are many avalanche paths.
[narrator] To make it to the
debris site at Glacier Bowl,
Steve must drive along a line
of treacherous mountain paths,
including a precarious stretch
known as Pika's Traverse.
>> Attention, all radios.
Snowcat up Pika's Traverse.
The drop we've got here is
substantial. The edge of the run
pretty much cliffs out below us.
[narrator] With a sheer cliff
on one side, this narrow ledge
tests the nerves of even
seasoned drivers like Steve.
>> The road narrows up
tremendously here to just
wider than a snowcat.
A few years back, a midnight
shift operator was driving up
here and the slope above gave
way and swept the snowcat off
the road actually. The cat hit
some rocks and whatnot and came
to a stop, but the avalanche
came through the back window.
All in all, it was quite spooky.
[narrator] Fortunately that
driver escaped with just minor
injuries. Steve's ice crawler
has a special design that
protects him from avalanche
impacts.
Hidden under the housing of
the cab are a puncture-proof
windshield and a roll cage made
from high-strength steel tubes.
Together, they can withstand
the impact of 16 tons of snow,
keeping Steve safe inside
the cab, even if the crawler
takes an icy tumble.
>> It's crucial to getting
this job done safely.
The potential for avalanche
here is pretty good.
[narrator] Steve creeps
along the narrow alpine path
and makes it to the mountain
of snow blocks.
>> The cornice they bombed
let down a good patch of snow,
and we've gotta get it out of
the way and have the run groomed
out for public to ski on.
[narrator] Steve's on track
to clear this zone today.
But only if these good
weather conditions hold.
>> These are the mountains,
and the weather can change fast.
We can go to white out in
moments. You feel quite safe
in here until something
like that happens.
[narrator] An elite team of ski
patrollers and snow haulers race
to prepare the slopes in time
for the season's big opening at
Whistler Blackcomb ski resort,
British Columbia.
(explosion)
Snowcat driver Steve Dewar
works fast to clear detonated
blocks of snow and ice from
the Glacier Bowl.
There's just four days to go
until the start of Whistler's
busiest weekend of the year.
>> As you can see, there's a
good pile of debris in front of
us. This snow is different than
fresh snow. It's been sitting
in a cornice for a couple
of weeks, getting hard.
Sometimes, it's like concrete.
[narrator] Fortunately for
Steve, the ice crawler has
an ingenious propulsion system
that thrusts her through
every type of snow imaginable.
Super lightweight tracks
stretch right under her cab.
They let the ice crawler
float on snow using a trick
borrowed from nature.
To escape predators, the
snowshoe hare uses large
and powerful feet, almost
as big as a human hand
and covered in thick fur.
They give the bunny supreme
traction for a quick getaway,
on even the fluffiest snow.
The ice crawler takes this idea
to the extreme. The edges of
its super lightweight aluminium
tracks are made from hardened
steel for ultimate grip.
And like the hare's foot, they
spread the weight of the 12-ton
machine across 140 square feet
of snow, cutting the pressure
on the snow to a fraction of
a human foot, making this the
ultimate all-terrain vehicle.
>> Very effective in loose snow
and wet snow, all conditions.
[narrator] The snow crawler's
specially designed tracks help
Steve make headway in the icy
snow. Right now, the weather
is on his side too.
But Steve knows that at
Whistler, a winter storm
can appear within minutes.
>> It can go from beautiful
scenery like this to being like
driving around in a ping-pong
ball, where you can't see your
hand
in front of your face.
[narrator] As day turns
to night on this exposed slope,
he must always be prepared
for the worst.
>> We deal with winds in
excess of 100 km/h regularly.
I personally have been in
storms over 160. The storms can
last days, if not for a week.
[narrator] To stop the fuel
in Steve's machine from
freezing in plunging nighttime
temperatures, the ice crawler
has special technology
hidden beneath her hood.
Her power source is
a monstrous six-cylinder,
455 HP diesel engine.
Frozen fuel crystals would
choke this beating heart. So
sitting above the fuel filter
are discs of high-resistance
metal heated to 120 degrees.
They stop the diesel from
freezing and keep the engine
running, even at extremely
cold temperatures.
Right now, Steve is dealing with
extreme weather of a different
kind. This year, Whistler has
been experiencing unseasonably
high temperatures, so despite
the recent snowstorm, snow
levels across the resort are
still lower than normal. These
unusual conditions are creating
a new danger: exposed rocks.
>> The lower the snow, the
harder it is to cover the rocks.
Right now, they're our biggest
hazard. I'm taking a bit of a
risk driving quickly here. If we
hit a rock we'd stop pretty
fast, possibly break something,
but we're in a bit of a hurry.
[narrator] On this remote
mountaintop in the dead
of night, an encounter
with a rock at high speed
could end in disaster.
>> A momentary lapse of
concentration out here,
and you'll pay for it.
[narrator] At North America's
biggest ski resort, Whistler
Blackcomb, snow groomer Steve
Dewar and his team race to
prepare the site for one of the
busiest weekends of the year.
In three days, 20,000 skiers are
expected to arrive. Unusually
high temperatures are exposing
large areas of rock.
The pressure's on snow-grooming
manager Stan Kelly to decide if
this slope is safe for skiers.
>> The depth of snow, it's
pretty thin: just over a foot,
8 inches of snow. So definitely,
it can be a problem for skiers,
'cause if the rocks start to get
exposed, they can hook an edge
on a rock, and then tumble down
this pitch. And as you can see,
it's a pretty long steep pitch.
We're gonna have to winch some
snow back up here.
[narrator] Stan calls in Steve
and his ice crawler to get
to work on this slope.
>> More and more rocks seem
to keep showing up. It's a big
hazard to skiers, snowboarders
and staff alike.
[narrator] To scoop enough snow
to cover the rocks, he uses
a crucial device bolted
onto the snout of his
extraordinary machine.
The ice crawler can move
mountains thanks to a giant
shovel that's longer
than a Ford Mustang.
Behind it sits an invention
inspired by a surprising member
of the animal kingdom.
High on the slopes of Everest,
the Himalayan jumping spider,
an acrobatic arachnid that
has evolved a unique way
to catch its prey.
The spider forces blood into its
lower legs to create hydraulic
pressure. It unleashes this
power to catapult itself up
to 30 times its body length
towards its unsuspecting dinner.
The ice crawler takes this idea
to the max: nine powerful
pistons attach the shovel to
its body, driven by hydraulic
fluid at 100 times the pressure
of a truck tire.
The pistons make the shovel both
powerful and agile to scoop up
snow and shift it to exactly
where Steve needs it.
>> All control for our blade
on the front is done with this
blade handle right beside me.
It's comically referred to as a
potato 'cause it kind of feels
like a potato in your hand. It's
got endless button combinations.
Here we go with a little bit of
snow here. Grab a big mittful
here and cast it over.
[narrator] As this snow
continues to melt,
Steve's task gets tougher.
>> It gets harder and harder
to cover the rocks. The snow
seems to hide more. It gets
pushed away and gets more and
more difficult to recover.
[narrator] Steve scours every
inch of the slope into the night
to find snow to cover the rocks.
>> We're gonna fix it up.
[narrator] To reach the hidden
snow, he must make a tricky
180 right on the edge
of this steep slope.
>> If we start to lose traction,
we couldn't
accomplish what we need to do.
It wouldn't be safe.
[narrator] If Steve loses
traction here, the cat could
slide out of control and skid
off the edge of the cliff.
So this ice crawler is fitted
with a clever invention
that helps it manoeuvre out
of any tight spot.
As Steve reaches the edge of
the trail, the winch arm comes
into its own. Two 5-horsepower
hydraulic motors swing it round,
sliding on top of hundreds
of roller bearings.
The four-metre steel arm
rotates with a pulling force
of 1,500 lb., giving Steve
the extra leverage he needs
to pivot out of tight corners.
This way, he can reach every
inch of the slope without
sliding out of control.
>> It's a game changer. It's
really enhanced the performance
of these machines. As I lose
traction on one side of the
machine, the boom will actively
move over to the track that's
losing traction and allows it to
gain traction by putting weight
on it. With it, we can find
snow down where it's been pushed
into the hollows and the toes
of the slopes and we can bring
it right back up to the top.
[narrator] Steve reaches
the end of his night shift.
>> How did the night go?
Tough one?
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. A lot a work
left to do.
>> Yeah, it's been
a tough week for sure.
>> Yeah.
[narrator] There's now just
two days to go until the big
opening weekend. Stan's anxious
to get all the slopes ready
in time. Skiers' lives are
in the groomers' hands.
>> They have to be up all
night, pretty much, and have
everything ready by morning.
The pressure's on.
Alright! Thanks, you guys.
CHRIS McNEIL, Snow-Grooming
Supervisor: We have to ensure
the public safety is number one.
We want them to have a good
skiing experience, but number
one above that is we wanna
make sure that nobody gets
hurt because of something
that we did.
[narrator] Today Steve
must groom Whistler's famous
Olympic run. With the skiers
on this steep slope travelling
at super high speeds,
the stakes are high.
>> One small anomaly that I
didn't take care of could send a
kid into the forest at 80 km/h.
[narrator] The snow haulers
at Canada's Whistler Blackcomb
ski resort are on a mission
to shift, carve and pack down
thousands of tons of snow
in time for the season's
big opening weekend.
>> Going down!
(man over PA, indistinct)
[narrator] There are just
two days left to prepare
these slopes for skiers.
Today Steve faces the most
important task on the mountain:
groom the Olympic racetrack.
>> This is a training area
for the Canadian National Team.
This run was used during the
Olympics. We can't leave the run
in anything but perfect shape.
These kids and racers are
training at speeds close
to 100 km/h, and the surface
we leave is paramount to
their safety. One small anomaly
that I didn't take care of
could, you know, send a kid
into the forest at 80 km/h.
[narrator] He'll need to work
through the night to groom the
full length of this 2-mile run.
>> Pressure's on here.
We gotta get this run done.
[narrator] To keep the resort's
most difficult track safe for
the elite skiers, Steve's ice
crawler is equipped to carve
the perfect high-speed trail.
It carries a tiller, a 13-foot-
long roller equipped with steel
blades. Its design grew out
of America's agricultural
revolution.
In the 19th century, pioneers
faced a vast expanse of
untilled land. Single bladed
ploughs, pulled by horses,
were slow and tiring.
That's until an American
inventor harnessed the steam
engine to drive up to 14 blades
at once, allowing the farmer
to take it easy up top.
The ice crawler takes
this idea to the extreme.
Hydraulic motors drive its
tiller with the power of
55 horses. They rotate 300 steel
blades 1,600 times a minute...
...crushing even the hardest
ice, smoothing it into the
perfect skiing surface.
>> That tiller's capable
of breaking ice, turning it
back into snow.
If you look out when you're
done the run, it's gone
from a destroyed surface
to a beautiful surface.
[narrator] Saturday's deadline
is just 24 hours away, and
the snow is still melting.
This makes it extra tough
for the crew to prepare
all the trails in time.
>> I've been in town for almost
20 years, and I've never seen it
like this. So we're basically
stealing every little inch
of snow that we can find
to put on the runs so that
we can make them safe and
we can make them groomable.
[narrator] The melting snow
also worries Anton and his
ski patrollers.
>> This wonderful sunny warm
weather does create some
concerns for us. We could see
some large disruptive avalanche
activity in some isolated areas.
>> 145 cm.
[narrator] Crew member Kevin
examines the layers in the
snow pack for telltale signs
of an impending avalanche.
KEVIN SIBBALD, Ski Patrol:
Number one biggest concern is
creating a safe environment for
our staff, guests to ski in and
ride in in avalanche terrain.
I've got this denser slab
sitting on top of this weaker
snow down near the bottom.
There's the need for some
further avalanche control work.
[narrator] This upper layer of
thick snow could slide if the
melt continues, triggering an
avalanche. Kevin's crew must
remove it before skiers arrive.
>> So we're gonna throw
explosives from the helicopter
and try and trigger avalanches.
[narrator] The only way they
can cover enough ground
is from a helicopter.
He'll need more than just
sticks of dynamite this time.
>> We're gonna use the
big bombs: this is AN/FO.
And they're lit as well with
a double fuse. We're gonna
light those and put those
in the hole we created
with the smaller shot.
[narrator] AN/FO is an
explosive normally used
in the mining industry.
This is risky business.
>> OK, safety precautions.
Bombardier, under no
circumstances, must drop the
shot behind the seat. Should
there be machine trouble, the
pilot will say whether or not
to jettison the box of
explosives.
[narrator] With over 100 lb.
of explosives on board, a slip
here could end in disaster.
[narrator] There's one day
to go before opening at North
America's biggest ski resort,
Whistler Blackcomb.
An elite team races around the
clock, preparing its slopes for
the biggest weekend of the year.
>> We're gonna get out there
and get her done.
[narrator] Across North America,
more than 40 people a year are
killed in mountain avalanches.
The pressure is on Whistler's
ski patrol to prevent these
hazards.
>> Any avalanche activity that
does occur would be very large
destructive avalanche activity.
[narrator] Kevin's crew plan
to blast a loose layer of snow
away using dynamite.
Stage one: use a single
stick of dynamite to carve out
a small hole in the snow.
(explosion)
Stage two: drop a 25-pound
bag of AN/FO explosive
into the hole.
Once they ignite the fuse,
the crew has just 2.5 minutes
to drop the bomb and escape,
or they could be blown out
of the sky.
(explosion)
Mission accomplished!
Three tons of snow slides down
into the valley, making this
slope safe from avalanches.
20,000 skiers will pour
through the gates less
than 24 hours from now.
>> OK, bud, here we go. Search!
[narrator] The avalanche rescue
team hones their emergency
drills, while mechanics
make sure every ice crawler
is ready to hit the mountain.
>> The pressure's really on
to be done by 3 o'clock in
the afternoon, 'cause as soon as
our guests leave the mountain,
the groomers are out.
[narrator] Dawn. The first of
the
weekend skiers arrive.
>> Where are you guys from?
>> San Antonio and Austin.
>> All right! Team USA! Bon
voyage! Come ahead, folks.
Come ahead, ma'am. How many?
Straight on board, you guys.
This is getting exciting, folks!
[narrator] It's a triumph
for Team Whistler Blackcomb.
20,000 visitors and every slope
is open - right on time.
It's been a tough week
for Steve.
>> It's been a big challenge
for me, this week. We're dealing
with very low snow conditions,
no new snow. Look around. The
sun's coming up, busy weekend.
What more could anybody ask for?
We've done it, we've delivered
it. We're finished.
I think I'm gonna go for a few
runs once the lifts open up,
maybe meet up with my wife and
kids, and enjoy the weekend.
[narrator] But there's
no such thing as a weekend
for his trusty ice crawler.
>> This machine doesn't get to
rest. It's gonna go out again.
In 8 hours, this is gonna be
out there.
[narrator] Scaling 1,800 acres
of treacherous mountain trails,
shifting 7 million tons of snow
a year, whatever the weather,
the PistenBully ice crawler
is the toughest climber
on the mountain.
It's all thanks to a multi-blade
tiller that crushes lethal ice
into the perfect corduroy run,
a winch that allows impossible
manoeuvres on the steepest
slopes, headlights that harness
the power of lighting...
aluminium tracks that give it
formidable grip and a shovel
engineered to build mountains.
It's these technological secrets
that have helped this ice-
crawling monster evolve to rise
above all other machines.