Paul Mondor on the frozen Atlantic outside Cartwright, on Labrador’s eastern shore.
When Paul (Iceman) Mondor was lying in a ditch, hearing his frozen lungs crinkling as he gasped for breath in the -40 C air, he realized he had overestimated his abilities.
"I was so frozen I couldn't push the 911 buttons. It wouldn't matter anyway. I thought I'd be dead in two minutes," he says.
But he survived by making a paper filter that helped thaw his lungs, and he finished that 2008 solo trip across Labrador on his motorcycle - in January.
No stranger to extreme activities, in 2007 Mr. Mondor was the first person to ride a motorcycle across Canada in the winter.
"I don't stop myself from living because I'm afraid of dying," said Mr. Mondor, 49, whose day job is driving school buses in the Victoria area.
In February, the self-described big kid who loves to take calculated risks, returned to the perilous chunk of Canada, this time with a backup truck and three fellow thrill-seekers.
Dubbed the 2010 Frozen Butt Tour, the 2,200-kilometre, seven-day round trip on the icy, remote Trans-Labrador Highway took the men from Baie Comeau, Que. to Cartwright, on Labrador's eastern shore.
Originally, 10 motorcyclists, including one woman, told Mr. Mondor they would make the trip but seven got cold feet, forfeiting the $1,500 down payment.
"It's the most extreme ride in the world," claims Mr. Mondor, whose steed is a BMW F650 Dakar christened Frosty.
The remaining three were willing to face -30 temperatures, frozen gear, four hours without seeing another vehicle, complete whiteouts and serrated roads.
"They knew from the beginning it was the most dangerous thing you would do. They knew the risks," said Mr. Mondor, a motorcyclist for 33 years.
Aware they might not return, along for the trip were a retired U.S. colonel from Florida who once piloted refuelling jets, a software developer from Sherbrooke, Que. and Steve Becraft, 48, a shipwright and third-generation motorcyclist.
An adrenaline junkie who has collided with vehicles several times while on his BMW motorcycle, Mr. Becraft rode from his home near Victoria to Baie Comeau for the Frozen Butt start.
"I wanted to see some snow," was his reason for taking part, going into debt to do so. "People cry about riding in the rain. We laugh at them," he said.
His good humour continued even after falling at 130 kilometres per hour on the highway, sliding the length of a football field on his bum, his bike coming behind him and a transport truck approaching.
"It was like going down a hill on a magic carpet," Mr. Becraft said.
Some who met the gang of four thought they were crazy to take extreme risks. Colliding with another vehicle was a major concern but the motorcyclists had tungsten-studded tires and the backup truck for support.
"We were prepared," Mr. Mondor said.
Mr. Becraft spent a full year preparing for what became a "crazy ride."
For Mr. Mondor, barrelling down the slick highway at 90 km/h and -30, was strangely beautiful and peaceful.
"I can't explain it," he said.
Special to The Globe and Mail