Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom

Alaska is one of the most iconic wildernesses on the planet - America's last frontier, for both animals and humans. During a year the whole state goes through some of the most extreme seasonal changes; temperatures can exceed 30 degrees in summer and can plummet to minus 60 degrees in the winter. As spring lights up the land, Alaska faces one of the greatest transformations on earth as light and warmth return. Alaska's transition to spring may look magical, but for those animals emerging from a long winter's sleep, it's a time of intense competition, as everyone tries to cash in on Alaska's riches.

The few short months of an Alaskan summer must sustain the abundant wildlife for the whole year. No matter how hot it gets, winter is just around the corner, and there is much to do before the sun sets again. Twenty-four hour sunlight brings its own problems: forest fires, Sahara-like sand dunes in the Arctic Circle and the very speed of seasonal change serve as reminders as to how untameable Alaska is.

To survive the bone-chilling cold, deadly blizzards and darkness of an Alaskan winter takes courage, cunning...and remarkable endurance. In the raw beauty of windswept mountain peaks, icy tundra and snowbound forests, this is the story of the tough and resourceful characters that face up to the ultimate challenges of this untameable land.