WEEK 1 APRIL
YOUR
UNMISSABLE
WEEKLY
HIGHLIGHTS
Spring break
Wb
inters in Alaska dominate for
seven months of the year, with
a mere five hours of natural light
filtering through per day. But as the ice
starts to melt and spring descends on the
sparsely populated region, that doesn’t
mean life gets any easier. Indeed, that’s
when some of the hardest work starts,
as locals experience a diferent extreme.
In docuseries Life Below Zero: The Thaw,
six individuals in the remote wilderness
- as featured in companion production
Life Below Zero – are once again in the
spotlight as they set about carrying out
the physically taxing work of hunting and
gathering in readiness to survive through
the next severe winter.
Of course, with the big thaw comes
a whole new set of challenges for the
avid adventurers. The threat of spring
brings with it grizzly bears emerging from
hibernation and blood-thirsty mosquitoes,
perilous thin ice that makes getting around
dicult and rotting snow wreaking havoc
on the fish supply – which is the main
source of food for many inhabitants.
“I want the sun, I want the summer,
but it’s a double-edged sword all of
the time,” lone wolf Sue Aikens says.
“You gotta be careful what you ask
for because, occasionally, you get it.”
For fellow subject Andy Bassich
(pictured), who calls the riverside locale
of Eagle home, spring signals that it’s
time to get back on the tools. Surveying
the damage caused by the harsh, cold
weather, his days consist of mending
mile-long fences and waterproofing his
home from the destruction the melting
ice leaves in its wake.
“Living down here is nothing but hard
work,” he says. “This life is a very busy life.
It’s constant planning and preparation. It’s
always thinking a month or two ahead of
time of when you need to do something.”
LIFE BELOW ZERO: THE THAW (s5)
Tuesdays from April 3 at 8.30pm
on A&E [122] available in the
ENTERTAINMENT PLUS pack
ENTERTAINMENT
WORDS: INDIA TARASIN; CAROLYN HIBLEN. PHOTOS: BBC WORLDWIDE; DIS
COVERY CHANNEL
68 Foxtel APRIL