A British TV show called TOP GEAR just aired an episode where they raced to the north pole in a Toyota Hilux pick up truck! Apparently this was the first tim a wheeled vehicle successfully reared the north pole. The raced a dog sled. It was a close race because the truck bogged down under several different terrain conditions that did not affect the dog sled. While the dogs were clearly slower, there were also unstopable and made headway under all conditions. The truck got stuck several times and they used chain saws to cut away the ice 'boulders' as well as axes, portable aluminum bridges and shovels to make the passage.
I wished they had also used a snowcat but they didn't. It would have made for a very interesting comparison.
The truck beat the dog sled, apparently only by a couple hours. Not bad considering the fact that the trip took several days. One huge difference was the level of fatigue. The dog sled guy was EXHAUSTED while the guys in the truck were tired but far from the extreme fatigue level of the dog sled team.
The series airs in the USA, but I caught the episode in England. Not sure when it will play in north America but it is worth watching.
I wished they had also used a snowcat but they didn't. It would have made for a very interesting comparison.
The truck beat the dog sled, apparently only by a couple hours. Not bad considering the fact that the trip took several days. One huge difference was the level of fatigue. The dog sled guy was EXHAUSTED while the guys in the truck were tired but far from the extreme fatigue level of the dog sled team.
The series airs in the USA, but I caught the episode in England. Not sure when it will play in north America but it is worth watching.
Found it. Watching now...
