Highway thru Hell

[J-Rooster]

The Canadians call it the Coke, in B.C. Canada. Does anyone know if the wrecks on this TV program are staged or not. I've seen during the TV program during winter RV's, cars, trucks and big trucks all wrecked on this Highway. My 19 year old Grandson say's the wrecks are staged for TV? I really can't believe how lazy and stupid these people are driving up and down this mountain pass if there is no staging for T.V. Three most common mistakes I see on this snowy icy mountain pass is driving to fast for conditions, to lazy or don't know how to put on tire chains and using the Jake Brake on ice or compact snow which causes the vehicle to jack knife. I seen one show where there was a truck wreck and traffic was backed up and chains were required and this one trucker didn't chain up because he didn't know how? What! A trucking company sends it's drivers out to drive over that pass and they don't know how to do the job? Unbelievable to me!

[J-Rooster]

Mr.Mark wrote:
I have never heard of the Canadian show that you guys are referencing. I would really enjoy watching it.

I like the ice road show going to Alaska which may have included Canada. I'm just glued to those shows when they come on.

I've been guilty of watching the dash-cam video's, which mostly, are Russian (on YouTube). I can watch hours of it! LOL!

It's amazing how many Russians use dash-cam's and the severity of the accidents.

MM.

Mark, Adam a tow truck driver helped a broken down truck on the Coq. in that truck was Mark Miller a Canadian TV guy. The show airs in Canada and the U.S. so far there has been 36 episodes plus 8 reloads. Sounds like that Jamie guy already has paid for that $600,000.00 tow truck.

[n7bsn]

Mr.Mark wrote:
I have never heard of the Canadian show that you guys are referencing. I would really enjoy watching it.


MM.

It's been shown on Nat-Geo and the Weather Channel in the US, earlier seasons have been re-shown on the Weather Channel in the last few weeks.
But season 4 appears to have not made it.

I know the new ownership at the Weather Channel is reported to be dropping this type of show (also Storm Chasers, etc)

[Mr_Mark1]

I have never heard of the Canadian show that you guys are referencing. I would really enjoy watching it.

I like the ice road show going to Alaska which may have included Canada. I'm just glued to those shows when they come on.

I've been guilty of watching the dash-cam video's, which mostly, are Russian (on YouTube). I can watch hours of it! LOL!

It's amazing how many Russians use dash-cam's and the severity of the accidents.

MM.

[JohnnyT]

Moved from class A forum

[diplomatdon]

What everyone has to take into account, it's reality TV. That means very little may be real. For someone who ran that road since inception I can tell you the wrecks are real, the snow and ice are real, although not as much snow in recent years as weather patterns are changing. A lot of the drama is staged for TV obviously, just like Ice Road Truckers, the Gold Shows, Deadliest Catch etc. Take it for what it is, entertainment. It does have some of the steepest pulls, and biggest snowfalls in North America. Like any mountain road, be aware, be smart, and respect it. After running that road 4 to 5 round trips per week for many years didn't know till that TV show came on that it was the Highway thru Hell. Driven worse, driven better. All types of drivers out there as it takes all kinds. Don, retired commercial driver.

[jim_smithjr]

When the Coquihalla opened it was a toll road. BC promised that when it was paid for the tolls would go. And they kept their promise.

High mountain road, terrific but you have to watch the weather forecast and find somewhere else to go if it's bad...

[creeper]

Staged? Yes and no, certainly all are not staged. Not all the wrecks are on that road. They are wrecks from different highways , creative editing and over an extended period of time. Some of the fake empty road "sliding tow truck" on empty roads with no cars around scenes are most certainly staged as well as the personal drama being staged.

I stopped watching after a very dramatic incident. The only problem when they hooked up and towed away the highway was empty at around 8pm in the evening, there should have been traffic backed up for miles in both directions. SO staged. I then began to notice so many empty roads during towing jobs or how traffic disappears. Things changed lanes, roads changed and even time of day changes. I've also see where the put in stock footage of traffic. One line of trucks appeared in a couple episodes lined up in the same order.

One of the more ridiculous staging was when a tractor trailer went over an embankment. They pulled the empty trailer out that was supposed to have a load in it, then they had to get the road open to traffic. But when they panned the camera the road was empty for miles. Then when they pulled out the tractor portion, magically the whole undercarriage, engine and drive train was gone. They winched up a clearly salvaged cab in very dramatic fashion. Strangely the drive train was not there nor was it winched out.

[slickest1]

Before that highway(Coquihalla Highway) was built I used to haul logs out of that area. As the highway was being built we hauled all the right of way logs out of the area.
The highway was finished in 1986 in time for Expo 86 in Vancouver.
After it was built many of us log haulers would use the road daily through the winter and rarely ever put on chains. Some of the empty Chip trucks and such would have to chain only because of they were pulling alot of weight without enough on the drive tires.
Back then the roads were maintained much better than they are now. Combine that with the new kind of truckers out there and yes there are many accidents.
The Highway through hell series is such a joke for many of us that used that highway daily.
I have driven my coach over that highway in the winter. It is like many other mountain passes just check the weather before you go.

[Pangaea_Ron]

We drove that road in early December several years ago. We had 3 vehicles following each other over black ice in the fog. It was a great road, but the conditions were terrifying. After several hours of nerve-wracking driving we finally broke out of the fog (and ice) and could drive normally. When we stopped for the night there was alcohol involved, lots of alcohol involved. Do the road, but be acutely aware of weather conditions and be prepared for adverse conditions.

Linky

[Johnny_G1]

Been over the Coke as they call it many times in all weather, the only problem they got other than the weather is the BS Shows that the History or Discovery channels can dream up, look at the Gold shows, they can't work for 5 mins. without a big screw up or???? Yes the hwy is bad but nothing they make it out to be, And Jamie shows, Just look at all the cable break,s they have , honestly they are getting hard up to make a decent show lately, Why???? I was in the towing bus. for three yrs and all we had were cable machine's. Everything they hook on to weigh's twice of what is legal to haul any where in North America, like the load on board is 50 ton's and we got to upright it, Give me a friggin break, Just my thought's, a trucker for 50 yrs.

[romore]

I have driven the Coq many times, often in less than ideal conditions, and believe me, those wrecks are not staged. Granted, the crew adds drama for the cameras but overall that is hard, dangerous work in miserable circumstances. That road is the lifeline between the port of Vancouver and the rest of the country.
There are pullouts along the way for chaining up, signs stating that it is mandatory when the amber lights are flashing but many are too lazy to comply. Others are from out of the province and not familiar with winter in the mountains, often don't have chains let alone knowing how to use them. Blowing the pull out barefoot (without chains) nets a hefty fine and tow bill.

[Goldencrazy]

Having lived in WI all my life and driving in terrible snow on big hills and horrible roads I can say with sincerity that there are many idiots who drive in crazy ways. Four wheel drive has actually hurt as they can go but still not stop. Chains are a pain to put on but sure get you through. We do not have chain laws like many western areas.

[John___Angela]

Tom/Barb wrote:
I wouldn't drive my coach over that route in the winter if it were the last road out of hell, the road is bad the weather worse, but the tv producers take much artistic liberty.

The road is actually pretty good. But that highway in the winter can change in a matter of 20 minutes. You have to on the ball and stay tuned to weather conditions. It is well travelled and is an excellent way to get from the Fraser to either the Thompson or Okanagan valley. However if the conditions are bad it is worth going the longer route (extra couple hours) through the fraser canyon.

[Pangaea_Ron]

The intro for Ice Road Truckers where the semi overturns and falls over the slope is "staged" just East of Washington Pass on Highway 20 in WA State. It was done before the road opened for the season. It's reality TV?

[Tom_Barb]

I wouldn't drive my coach over that route in the winter if it were the last road out of hell, the road is bad the weather worse, but the tv producers take much artistic liberty.