Life as an ice truck racer in Alaska

Video produced by Eric Keto, Kaysie Ellingson and Hanna Craig

The race begins at 9 a.m. on the ice of Big Lake, Alaska.

A group of ice truck drivers gather to inspect their vehicles. They discuss the rules for racing and make sure that newcomers are clear on the signals they use on the road. “Safety is a big thing out there,” Chris Lamson, one of the drivers, said.

Lamson built his first truck in his own driveway when he was 17. Years later, he discovered this community of ice truck racers, one committed to exploring Alaska’s unique terrain.

When he began racing, Lamson said he was nervous that driving conditions on the ice would be dangerous for drivers. But he grew to love the feeling of maneuvering the trucks over the ice. “There’s a little bit of an art to drifting around the track and being able to get it to where it’s smooth and fast,” he said.

Ice truck racing is just one of many local ways to appreciate the freedom that living in Alaska brings, he said. “To be in Alaska kind of means freedom in a lot of ways, just to be able to get out and enjoy nature, the ocean meeting the mountains,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”

This report originally appeared on PBS member station Alaska Public Media. Local Beat is an ongoing series on Art Beat that features arts and culture stories from PBS member stations around the nation.