Kate Upton strips in 'Sports Illustrated: The Making of Swimsuit '13' teaser video

"This is pretty freaking epic," says a voice in the teaser video for "Sports Illustrated: The Making of Swimsuit '13 -- 7 Continents, 17 Wonders," airing Feb. 17 on the Travel Channel.

The video opens up with Kate Upton and the Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit crew traversing snowy terrain in heavy parkas, and moves quickly to the curvy model stripping off her winter gear -- in slow-motion, of course -- to bear a furry white bikini. Yep, it's pretty epic.

The swimsuit issue made history in 2013 with Kate's topless parka-clad cover, shot in a remote area of Antarctica. SI: Swimsuit editor MJ Day has said the Travel Channel special lets viewers in on the "complete immersion," "all-access" experience the models and magazine crew got along their 90,000 air mile journey.

Upton has described an experience shooting in the extreme South Pole climate that sounds pretty terrifying, but you would never know she was miserable -- or even cold -- in this steamy video clip.

If you need a hold over until the special airs Monday, there's more footage from the sexy shoot that made Kate the third ever a back-to-back SI: Swimsuit cover model in history. Check out the video below from Sports Illustrated to hear Kate describe how some local penguins kept her going.