Manila, Philippines - On July 28, Thursday, at 10 p.m., a brand-new, 10-episode season of History’s Ice Road Truckers show rolls out onto our living rooms. Arguably the most exciting iteration yet, it features a trio of truckers who will take on highways of India, “some of the deadliest on the planet... whether it’s driving along 1,000 feet-high cliffs, dodging avalanches, failing to communicate in a different language, staying cool in temperatures over 115 degrees (Fahrenheit), staying warm in temperatures below freezing.”
Indeed, this season is subtitled “Deadliest Roads.” Question is, why would anyone willingly submit himself to such dangers?
In the strictest sense, ice road truckers are a rare breed of road jockeys who ferry cargo over frozen lakes and such. As you may have guessed, driving on frozen water is a vastly different proposition from driving on asphalt (or even concrete). It is not something for the faint of heart. Would you dare to roll multi-ton vehicles on fleeting roads? Exactly.
This is not to say, however, that this occupation is reserved for the meanest, baddest men. That might get Lisa Kelly riled up. Yes, that’s ice road trucker Lisa Kelly to you.
Well, not really. The 20-something Lisa Kelly is probably one of the nicest people — trucker or not — you’ll get a chance to know. I got a rare chance to interview her via phone from her native Wasilla in Alaska, where she had just gotten home to after her Indian sojourn. She is convivial, and laughs heartily when asked to retell her adventures.
Lisa first found herself in the show for its third season (airing in 2009), where she and five other drivers negotiated the ice road of Alaska Route 11 (Dalton Highway) “to bring supplies nearly 500 miles... (for) oil fields and offshore rigs. However, the combination of avalanches, strong Arctic winds leading to whiteouts, and unforgiving terrain has led to hundreds of accidents in past years,” goes a Wikipedia account.
Nonetheless, Lisa did well — easily outperforming most of the male veteran drivers. She tied for second place by delivering 15 loads (the winning trucker, 20). Her success there was no doubt helped along by the fact that she grew up in and around Dalton, Alaska. “It was my everyday job,” she says. “In the Himalayas, it was a whole new culture, a whole new road, a whole new truck — a whole new way of everything. It was very challenging for me.”
Aiding each of the drivers with navigation is a local “spotter.” Lisa’s spotter is Koshi (noted as one of the most bilingual of the group) who she credits as a big help, although she courageously did go at it alone in some sections.
The new Ice Road Truckers season follows the adventures of Lisa and her two colleagues Rick Yemm and Dave Redmon as they negotiate the tough, historic roads of India aboard their Tata model 1613s – each elaborately colored and designed with depictions of religious idols for protection.
Particularly challenging for Lisa was the Cliffside section of the NH22 (one of two perilous routes the truckers negotiated). I ask her how it was for her. She shares with a laugh: “So scary! I just drove super slow and try not to look over the edge and not imagine what could happen. That would freak me out.”
Lisa’s life thus far has always seemed to run diametrically opposed to “soft” female stereotypes.
For starters, she is a motocross champion, who used to drive a school bus. Lisa tells The STAR that she is “definitely outdoorsy,” narrating: “My Dad moved us to Alaska when I was six and we grew up on a farm so we had pigs and horses and goats. I live driving the horses, shooting guns, hunting, fishing. I grew up like that, and that’s how my life has always been.”
As for qualities the ideal ice road trucker should possess? “You should be patient, and always be willing to learn and realize that no matter how long you’ve been driving, you can still learn something from everyone no matter how long or short you’ve been driving.”
Heed the words of wisdom from one mean ice road trucker.