E.O.F.T. Magazine 13/14

NO. 01

THE NEW MAGAZINE 52 PAGES + INTERVIEWS + FEATURES + TRAVEL BETTER PLACES

EIGHT DESTINATIONS RECOMMENDED

BY OUR ATHLETES

TOM RANDALL

A BRIT CRACKS THE HARDEST U.S. OFFWIDTH

NORTH OF THE SUN SURF'S UP IN THE ICY PARADISE

GO EAST

2 EUR | 2 GBP | 2,50 SFr

AN AMERICAN IN KYRGYZSTAN

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ATHLETES Dear E.O.F.T. fans,

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ARTISTS

Titel: Tom Randall / Photo: Franz Faltermaier for E.O.F.T.

You are holding the very first E.O.F.T. magazine in your hands.

52 pages full of features, interviews, and information on our current athletes and of course also on old acquaintances.

We’ve spent another year searching for the best outdoor sports and adventure films for you. The theme of our film program remained unvoiced for a long time, until Anson Fogel, the director of the kayaking film Cascada, hit the nail on the head:

It seems that the boundaries are becoming blurred, or have already disappeared. Athletes are becoming artists and vice versa. During the E.O.F.T. 13 / 14 we’ll meet them all: kayaking esthetes and daring cameramen, creative climbers, canyoning acrobats, a flying circus, lonely survivalists, and filmmakers who finish a veritable footage marathon in the cutting room. In this magazine we get to the bottom of how fine the line between artists and athletes really is.

“Athletes, artists – the line between the two is gone now.”

After all, who’s the artist here? The kayaker who can read the perfect

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line in a torrential waterfall – or the cameraman who is dangling 30 meters over the abyss on a thin rope, looking for the right angle for a perfect shot?

The E.O.F.T. team

The face of the E.O.F.T. 13/14 is Tom Randall (33). The climber from Sheffield suffers from vertigo and has a soft spot for meaty offwidths. Together with his climbing partner Pete Whittaker (22) he mastered the first ascent of the legendary Century Crack (Moab, Utah)

ONLINE For information on the current E.O.F.T visit us online at www.eoft.eu

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FILMS

RETROSPECTIVE

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CONTENTS The best stories of the E.O.F.T. 13/14.

Exciting reports, interviews, traveling clues and gear tips from our E.O.F.T. athletes for E.O.F.T. fans

SOUND OF THE VOID The story of steep skiing – from legends like Heini Holzer to the first descent of the Gspaltenhorn north face by Sébastien de Sainte Marie

CASCADA

© Kristin Folsland Olsen

Cayaking in the Mexican jungle: magic, mosquitos and waterfalls

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SUGARLOAF MONKEYS Rio has great views.

But Andy Lewis and the Moab Monkeys went to great lengths to get a new glimpse of the metropolis

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IN A STATE OF TRANCE The singer ZAZ talks about music and discords on the highest peak of Europe

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WIDE BOYZ It hurt like hell.

But Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker made it: the two Brits cracked the hardest route there is in offwidth climbing putting their U.S. contenders of this deeply American discipline to shame.

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THE ROAD FROM KARAKOL

US alpinist Kyle Dempster gets on his bike and spends seven weeks crisscrossing Kyrgyzstan – his biggest obstacle: roaring mountain rivers and his fear of water.

© Alex Ekins

The Baffin Babes were on the road again – this time it lead to a place where humans are still an attraction for the local wildlife

ens Klatt © Jens

PINGUIN KINGDOM

THE BEGINNING Men Of Steel: the athletes of Deap are the official supermen of canyoning

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Small idea – big impact: the surfers Inge Wegge and Jørn Nyseth Ranum show how to make a difference while living your dream in an icy paradise

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© Sébastien Montaz-Rosset

FEATURES

PETIT BUS ROUGE

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EUROPEAN RECORD

How GoPro cameras ensure you can capture your very own adventure from any angle

Alpinist Stephan Siegrist mounts his highline in 4620 meters above sealevel and masters it – presented by Mammut

© Field Productions

The latest European Outdoor Film School took to the mountainside and four young filmmakers learned the ropes of filming blind climber Andy Holzer

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SUPERVENTION Eerie playground – Jesper Tjäder and Anders Bakke take to the rails and roofs of the deserted town of Barentsburg, Svalbaard.

NOTBAD Director Darcy Wittenburg travels to New Zealand with a mountainbike posse of daredevils.

30 days of bicycle tomfoolery, eel fights and watermelon massacres

QUICK PREY Only 48 hours: Mammut presents the first ascent of Moose's Tooth by Dani Arnold and David Lama

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© Inge Wegge

© Kyle Dempster

BLIND TRUST

© David Lama | visualimpact.ch

© Eric Boomer

B.A.S.E. jumping off a speeding bus, free-soloing in clowns shoes: when these six Frenchies hit the road, your jaw is bound to drop – c'est fou!

THE FOCAL POINT

© Martin Lugger

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OCEAN FILM TOUR

BETTER PLACES

Diving apnoea and sailing round the world: the Ocean Film Tour takes you to the seven seas revealing the fascination of water sports and maritime documentaries

The heroes of E.O.F.T. show us the most beautiful adventure spots around the world

IMPRESSUM The European Outdoor Film Tour is a fellow production of Mammut Sports Group, the W.L. Gore & Associates GmbH and Moving Adventures Media GmbH. | Editors: Paula Flach, Christoph Leischwitz, Daniela Schmitt, Joachim Stark | Graphic design: Dirk Brechmann & Birthe Steinbeck | V.I.S.d.P. Daniela Schmitt | © 2013 | Moving Adventures Medien GmbH, 80337 Munich, Germany

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MAMMUT ALPINE SCHOOL Oetz Valley, Lofoten and the Western USA: the skilled mountain guides of Mammut invite you to unforgettable ski tours

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Hier NorthBlinderText of the SunBlind

ICECOLD SURFERS ON LIFE IN A PARADISE 6 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

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Hier BlinderText North of theBlind Sun

Night vision: View from a secret beach in Northern Norway

Just hanging out on a North Sea beach for nine months to surf – sounds cool.

But Inge Wegge and Jørn Nyseth Ranum wanted to give something back to nature.

They did not only build a house from trash, they also collected three tons of it.

A retrospective on the E.O.F.T. film “North of the Sun”, presented by Victorinox.

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North of the Sun

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North of the Sun

Cool garbagemen: Between collecting trash on the beach, Jørn (front) and Inge had time to surf.

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North of the Sun

"People clean their yards, plant flowers, mow the lawn. Our yard is full of trash."

Inge Wegge

Clean: Inge and Jørn left not a single bottle cap behind on the beach.

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often lead to gene mutations. Reducing the amount of waste would therefore clearly be a better solution. Still, Jørn and Inge are modern heroes in a way, because they have elegantly made an invisible problem visible and have pointed out solutions at the same time. To clean up that beach in Northern Norway permanently, they had to live there – and that’s what they did, without producing trash themselves. First of all, they needed a place to stay. The necessary material was provided by the beach: stones, driftwood, and plastic bottles that served as insulation. “During the first few months we did nothing but build,” Inge says. They hardly had any time off, at least not in the usual sense. But every time they chopped wood, fished, or read, they threw more and more everyday ballast overboard.

Naturally, they also rewarded themselves for their efforts and did what they had come there to do: “From time to time the waves were just great, so we simply had

to paddle out,” he says. The North Atlantic waves are higher in winter, which is why they had picked the cold season.

Of course they sometimes thought about whether it would have been wiser to find a more southerly setting for their project, for example, when the water froze on their wetsuits as soon as they got out.

However, the spectacular northern lights and the pleasant solitude outweighed the little discomforts. And when winter is coming, you are even happier to finally finish your self-constructed hut. They had taken only the most essential tools – and luckily found a first-aid box they could use. Many of those who visit the beach and the five-square-meter hut today are reminded of a hobbit’s home. Well, not quite: “When we thought about how to build the hut, we were inspired by drawings and plans for old Viking houses,” Inge says. In the end, the local conditions determined their way of building – a rock as a windbreak here, even ground

Stable construction: Inge’s and Jørn’s hut.

They copied the old Vikings’ building style, they say.

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Photos (5) © Inge Wegge / Jørn Nyseth Ranum

Their first idea seemed as inconsequential as a drop of water in the ocean to Inge Wegge and Jørn Nyseth Ranum.

They just wanted to drop out and surf for a bit – a thought that others had had before them. What added weight to their project was a second idea, basically a waste product of the first one: if we do want to live on a lonely beach, we should also clean it up. And not only that, but also live on the trash of others. That was when the story about how well ultimate freedom and social commitment go together started to develop: surfing, building a house, and at the same time doing something for the environment. “These supposed limitations had something very liberating,” Inge says.

Within nine months, the two Norwegians collected three tons of trash.

Measured against the 6.4 million tons of plastic and styrofoam that are thrown into the world’s oceans each year (according to an estimate of the United Nations) this amounts to only 0.00000047 percent, but the attention that they have drawn to this problem with their film “North of the Sun” probably outweighs this by far. In some way it is even helpful when the trash is washed ashore – at least then you have the possibility of disposing of it.

After all, 70 percent of bags, packaging, buckets, CD covers, or toothbrushes sink to the bottom of the ocean or they are decomposed by sunlight during their decades-long journey. In this way, they enter the food chain at some point, poisoning fish or letting them starve, because the plastic in their stomachs makes them think they are full. Also, released toxins

North of the Sun

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NORWEGIAN KRONES FOR TEA AND SUGAR

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M2 HUT SIZE

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Longing for the sun: sometimes the water froze in their wetsuits.

there – the hut was built in harmony with nature in every respect. The rent: zero Euros. And no additional charges at all. Jørn and Inge NORWAY spent as little as 27 kroner, The country has 22,000 which is the equivalent of kilometers of coastline four Euros, and only to be safe. “We bought sugar and a pack of tea, but we really wouldn’t have needed to.” In Norway there are shops that simply give away expired groceries.

They also received goods from bakeries that are usually thrown away after closing time. Sometimes they also searched waste containers and quite often found fresh vegetables. This way, they also disposed of unnecessary waste on land instead of producing it. Jørn and Inge are still trying to keep the place a secret, even though this is not 100 percent possible – even in a sparsely populated country such as Norway word gets around. Nowadays, sometimes two or three people stay in the hut while others camp outside, waiting for it to become available. On the one hand, Jørn and Inge like that because “it’s a place that makes you happy,” they say.

But imitation is not the same as having an idea yourself:

“When a guidebook says: walk over this or that mountain, and you will find a hut on a beach, a fantastically beautiful place – then you’re heading out with certain expectations,” Inge says. At their destination, tourists then see that it looks just like in the description, and they tick it off mentally – okay, now I’ve been here.

“That’s not what we want. We would prefer people to just head out. If you find something yourself, you build up a personal relationship with the place. This cannot come from outside. It’s something

“It’s a place that makes you happy.”

Inge Wegge you’ve earned yourself.” So if you would like to copy the two young filmmakers’ project, try to find your own perfect spot.

It could even be a desert island in the South Sea with lots of sun and coconuts instead of expired groceries. There is a lot to do there as well. There are just no trash-free coasts left nowadays.

ONLINE www.facebook.com/nordforsola WWW.EOFT.EU

MONTH IN THE BAY

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TONS TRASH COLLECTED

THE KNIFE Inge and Jørn did great things with minimal equipment. Victorinox Tools also offer a maximum of functionality, ease-of-use, and quality for your next outdoor adventure.

Victorinox and the E.O.F.T. will hold a drawing for 3 topquality Victorinox Swisstool Spirit knives. Join in at www.eoft.eu/victorinox EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 11

© Sébastien Montaz-Rosset

Petit Bus Rouge Filmprogramm

TWINKLE TOES TONIO Antoine Moineville BRUGA BALANCE Sebastien Brugalla The high-flyer.

Prefers wind around his ears to solid ground under his feet.

Special skills: Free solo climbing, BASE jumping and wingsuit flying

Supplier of ideas.

First-class highline surfer Reinvents mountain climbing again and again.

Special skills: kills: Mountaineering & climbing Highlining & highline line surfing

THE FLYING CIRCUS

They are the “enfants terribles” of the international BASE jumping and highline scene. Six Frenchmen who take BASE jumping, i.e. jumping off fixed objects, ad absurdum: they jump from the roof of a moving bus, catapult themselves off a paraglider, and deliver the drum roll themselves on the way down. As a traveling circus, they drove around Europe in their little red bus. Et voilà, meet the artists.

MAESTRO JU Julien Millot The technical genius.

There is no place too inaccessible for his highlines.

Special skills: Mountain climbing & highlining BASE jumping & baselining 12 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

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Petit Bus Rouge

TENACIOUS T Tencrède Melet The mastermind.

Always looking for new experiences. His motto: everything’s possible!

Special skills: Highline & solo highline specialist Baselining innovator

SMALL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TECHNICAL TERMS Paragliding Flying with the help of a paraglider wing. One of the most relaxed ways of moving through the air.

Acro paragliding Paragliding with a smaller, more agile wing that facilitates tricks such as rapid turns, somersaults, and all sorts of spirals.

Rope swing s Using a rope to swing across a canyon canyon. Free fall into the abyss before it has stopped swinging.

Slackli Slacklining Balancing on a wobbling twoBalanci inch bro broad line. Unsecured due to grou ground level.

Tricklin Tricklining Slackline acrobatics. Includes Slacklin tricks ssuch as walking backward, tturning around, sitting down, ssomersaults, etc. All elemen elements can be combined.

Highlin Highlining Slacklining with a safety rope, Slacklin usually at dizzying heights.

LITTLE RED D BUS The bright red fun bus. Base camp on wheels.

FREDDY DRUM N GONG Freddy Montigny The metronome.

Supplies the best beats for any altitude. Doesn’t miss a beat even when free-falling.

Special skills: Inventor of drums rope swinging BASE jumper & paraglider

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PAAH THE CLOWN Anicet Leone The chauffeur.

He’s close on his highline friends’ heels, as he’ll take to the air as soon as he manages to overcome his fear of heights.

Special skills: First-class tightrope walker Highline aspirant

Highline-Surfen The line swings from one side to the other under the athlete’s feet. The upper body hardly moves at all.

Solo-Highlining Slacklining without protection.

Despite the dizzying heights.

Baseline Slacklining with protection – but only in the form of a parachute.

ONLINE www.petit-busrouge.com The website of the film

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EXTRA WIDE Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker from Great Britain have overtaken American off-width specialists in the true sense of the word. In their own basement, they tortured themselves for two years on the reproduction of a U.S. route – then they conquered the original in their first attempt. Tom tells us how to get the hang of the cracks that are about as wide as his hand.

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“It doesn’t work without obsession. Being angry is an advantage, but not always.

Shouting helps ... when I climbed my first off-width route, I literally shouted myself to the top.”

Tom Randall should know.

Together with his partner Pete Whittaker the climber from Sheffield has managed to gain world supremacy in the field of off-width climbing, a brutal WWW.EOFT.EU

Wide Boyz

© Alex Ekins

“If you asked me who mastered the first ascent of the Century Crack, I’d always say both of us. Even if I climbed the route 30 minutes before Pete did.”

Tom Randall

40 trial runs at a 90-degree angle – then Tom and Pete were ready for the crack

form of climbing for which all kinds of conceivable, and inconceivable, aids are permitted. Shouting, however, only serves to stimulate the abdominal muscles.

Tom’s career as a climber began when he was already 16, in a climbing gym. “A friend took me there, because I wanted to overcome my fear of heights,” Tom tells us. His fear of heights remained, but WWW.EOFT.EU

he also found his passion. This passion was so great that one day he was finally able to earn his living with it. He met Pete while bolting new routes in the climbing gym: “He is about 10 years younger than me, but started climbing a lot earlier than I did. We are roughly at the same level.” Since March 2011, they have been blogging (and climbing) under the name

WESTERN UNITED STATES Utah: Land of the Mormons and of unlimited off-width routes

of WIDE BOYZ. The rest is history...

Every climber knows that climbing cracks is a class of its own and that pain is just part of the game. That is why fingers and hands are taped to protect the skin from abrasions. However, off-width cracks top it all. They are between three and seven inches wide (approx. 2.6 to 17.8 cm) and make it almost impossible to jam in hands or feet. But only almost. The contortions that are necessary to manage it are far from comfortable.

The two British climbers are not sure how their preference for this very American discipline developed. Maybe it was just fun or curiosity… but when they had mastered all cracks back home, traveling to the United States was the logical next step. That is where the really mean cracks are, after all. During their two months in the United States, they checked off one off-width crack after the other and went through about 150 meters of tape. The climax of their trip was the first ascent of the Century Crack, the hardest of all off-width routes in Moab, Utah. “We didn’t want to be normal and do what everyone else was doing,” Tom tries to explain his passion for climbing.

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Wide Boyz

FACTS

DENSITY OF OFFWIDTHS IN COMPARISON

OFF-WIDTHS IN UK ROUGHLY

5 © Alex Ekins

DIFFICULT ROUTES (DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY ABOVE 5.12) AND

250

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EASY ROUTES

Duo of madness: Tom Randall (33) found his climbing partner Pete Whittaker (22) when he was looking for a kindred spirit for a crazy project: how many cracks can we climb in 24 hours? The answer: 550 routes per capita!

“Something like this won’t happen again during our climbing career.

Unfortunately.

We were really incredibly lucky.”

Tom Randall

ONLINE wideboyz. blogspot.de Follow the Wide Boyz on their latest climbing challenges.

He doesn’t try to hide that he hates hiking and only enjoys the downhill part when mountain biking. “Back home many people think we’re strange. But compared to the American off-width climbers we’re actually rather normal.”

Seeing the brute force with which these crazy guys tackled the cracks woke Tom’s fighting spirit. He also practices taekwondo: “I really enjoy fighting. And off-width climbing means fighting against the rock in a way.”

Rock is a hard and unfailingly silent adversary, though, and sometimes you have to prove that you are worthy first. Probably only the wearer of a black belt would be allowed to get close to the Century Crack, if something like that existed in climbing. Tom and Pete had their own method of suitably preparing for

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it. They broke down the route into its individual parts and recreated the crack in Tom’s basement. Crazy? Not at all.

“That was pure necessity.

If you don’t have anything to train on, there’s nothing else you can do.” The noise down there brought to mind torture methods from the middle ages for two years. The difference being that the torture in the training room was voluntary.

Torture, fighting spirit and brutal force – what about the creativity and beauty that reputedly characterize climbing?

“The Century Crack is the most beautiful off-width crack I know,” Tom says, “and if you want to be successful as a climber and reach your limits, you really do need creativity.

I’m thinking of Alex Honnold, Chris Sharma and Ueli Steck – people who inspire us because in climbing they …

OFFWIDTHS IN THE U.S. OVER

100 DIFFICULT ROUTES (DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY ABOVE 5.12) AND

5000

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EASY ROUTES

HOW MANY DID YOU CLIMB? OVER

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OF THE HARDEST OFFWIDTHS IN THE WESTERN U.S.

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Production notes

EVERYTHING FLOWS It’s a long way to a finished film – production notes on the E.O.F.T. films 13/14

CASCADA

SOUND OF THE VOID

A Film Jungle Book In terms of location, Anson Fogel choose the straight opposite to his last project Cold (E.O.F.T. 12/13) – thick humid jungle instead of icy alpine heights. Fogel seems to have a soft spot for difficult shooting locations. For him the magic of a place is always paramount, no matter how hard it is to get there. For his new film Cascada Fogel travelled 3500 kilometres with his team to get from Salt Lake City to Tlapacayan, Mexico. For the last 200 kilometres it took the team another seven hours and a fourwheel drive to get to Alseseca River.

Once on location, Fogel’s inner MacGyver was in demand: How can you film a spectacular drop from a 65 ft. waterfall?

– „Get creative!“ is the filmmaker’s answer. Fogel managed to span a rope traverse in front of the waterfall. He spent hours dangling in front of the waterfall with his camera – vertigo and nausea included.

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Yet thanks to the daring construction he was able to shoot the action up close as Tyler Bradt (Dream Result E.O.F.T. 10/11) took a breathtaking drop into the abyss. The outcome makes amends for every kilometre and every single mosquito bite.

ONLINE camp4collective.com, fieldproductions.com und anthillfilms.com Sooner or later the next film is due.

These filmmakers' websites are always worth a look.

Legends of steep skiing The film does not only show Sébastien de Sainte Marie’s first descent down the north face of Gspaltenhorn – it also tells us the story of steep skiing. But for legends such as Heini Holzer, Pierre Tardival or Silvain Saudan to be able to star onscreen, the filmmakers had to dig deep into the archives: WWW.EOFT.EU

Production notes

© Field Productions

Water-fall: the Tomata 1 gorge from the film Cascada

SUPERVENTION 7LFNHW WR Ȼɚɪɟɧɰɛɭɪɝ

Urban skiing in Barentsburg: Jesper Tjäder

NUMBERS Research of archive material: 20 weeks 300 emails & 50 phone calls for requests and licensing Raw material: 10 hours of film & 100 photos

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© Sterling Lorence

© Johannes von Kirschbaum

Field Productions has always had a feel for untouched spots. For the filming of Supervention, director Even Sigstad whisked the two urban skiing specialists Jesper Tjäder and Anders Bakke away to Svalbard in April 2012, to the Russian enclave of (Barentsburg). There are more polar bears than people on the Norwegian archipelago in the North Atlantic, which is why the crew had to take part in a mandatory safety course. Nobody is allowed to head into the wilderness without a weapon here. From Longyearbyen they used snowmobiles to reach Barentsburg, a miner’s settlement, which Russia does not want to give up to this day in order not to loose its claim to the natural resources and the sea routes in the Arctic, which will be permanently ice-free in the future.

NOTBAD Like little kids

Taking a big leap: New Zealand is one big playground for big kids such as Cam McCaul, Brandon Semenuk, Brett Rheeder and Ryan Howard.

On a map of the world, New Zealand is easy to miss in the very bottom right corner. But for mountain bikers it has become an important hotspot. Anthill Films already filmed Follow Me in 2010 (E.O.F.T. 10 / 11); in 2013 they came back with the Notbad crew – naturally for biking, but also to fight with eels (!) and to massacre water melons with chain saws. Director Darcy Wittenburg summarizes how crazy things really were in the Notbad camp: “I have two little kids at home who like to turn the house upside down and run around yelling all day.

Spending a month in New Zealand sounded like a good plan to me. As if! – sharing a roof with the Notbad crew was just as bad!” Note: peace and quiet are hard to find – even if you travel to the supposedly quiet end of the world.

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Production notes

THE BEGINNING The flying Swiss

“CANYONS ARE OUR STAGE. WHEN WE GO DOWN THERE, WE DO WHAT NO ONE ELSE HAS DONE BEFORE.” WARREN VERBOOM No improval without years of training.Because Warren Verboom and his Swiss companions don’t just launch themselves into the abyss imprudently. The „rehearsals“ for big jumps can take weeks.

Most athletes come to canyoning through other disciplines such as high board diving, track and field and gymnastics. Canyoning takes all those elements to the great outdoors.

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© Jens Klatt

Stunts nonstop: canyoning like superman

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Ocean Film Tour

OCEAN FILM TOUR

0m

STEP'N SOUL Surf Short

The best ocean adventures, water sports action and sea life films of the year. Over water and underseas, the film tour unites gripping stories with breathtaking pictures. Among other films the following will feature in the tour:

5m

Feet on the board – Jazz in the ears: surfer Sam Bleakley is not only standing on his longboard.

He's dancing! A homage to the rhythm of the ocean.

25 m MAIDENTRIP A 13-year-old girl is sailing around the world

ATTENTION – A LIFE IN EXTREMES Hold your breath Apnoea diver Guillaume Néry (known from "Free Fall" E.O.F.T. 10/11), extreme cyclist Gerhard Gulewicz and wingsuit B.A.S.E. jumper Halvor Angvik push themselves beyond the comfort zone.

But how far can you go? For apnoea divers this translates to: How deep? This special Ocean-Film-Tour edit of "Attention – A Life in Extremes" grants a peak into the psyche of free diving world champion Guillaume Néry.

RAY

50 m

75 m

The old man and the sea Ray Ives has dived all his life. Today he's 75 years of age and still hasn't had enough. He loves the silence, the void and the weightlessness under water and has collected enough treasures in the dim light of the ocean bed to fill a museum. But he knows, that one can't hoist the biggest secret of the sea.

Directed by Amanda Bluglass, UK 2011

100 m

She did not know if her round-theworld sailing tour was against all odds. When Laura Dekker set sail from the habour of Gibraltar on August, 21st 2010 with her little boat Guppy she had already dealt with a lot of challenges. It seemed that her entire home country knew better than herself what was good for a 13-year-old girl. After one year of legal disputes between her father and the Dutch authorities she was allowed to break moorings. Because all the television crews were waiting for her at Portimao, she set off from Gibraltar – and returned 518 days later. She was the youngest solo sailer who ever sailed around the world. Maidentrip is her story.

Directed by Jilian Schlesinger, USA 2013.

LAST OCEAN Environment documentary

For more information go to www.oceanfilmtour.com

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The Road from Karakol

Lonely road, vast land: From rolling hills to stony mountain paths – Kyle Dempster saw it all on his Kyrgyz adventure.

NOT WET BEHIND THE EARS Usually, Kyle Dempster is an alpinist, but then he decided to ride his bike through Kyrgyzstan for seven weeks. Since then, borders have shifted for him – geographically, politically, and personally. In our interview, Kyle tells us about his fear of rivers, the culture shock, and about how important olive oil is on such a trip.

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E.O.F.T.: Kyle, tell us the truth: how much vodka did you have during your trip?

Kyle Dempster (laughs): That was just once at a military checkpoint. It was a bit strange to be handed a big glass of vodka instead of a glass of water after riding 60 kilometers. Naturally, I was instantly drunk after such a long day.

They didn’t offer you any water at all?

No, I could choose between vodka, beer, and fermented horse milk – very fermented! I tried all three, and I have to say that I needed a sip of water even more afterward. But it was also fun. You know, the soldiers are sitting somewhere on the border with China, there’s nothing going on, of course they drink vodka. When they WWW.EOFT.EU

The Road from Karakol

I y su Ic urrrou o nd din ngss: Soomee sum mm miittss of Ti T ann Shan, the m moounntain ttaainn ran ange g i Easste in tern rn Kyr yrgy gyyzst gyz zsta zs tan att a tan height off 70 7000 00 m, aree ye y t to be con onqu quer ered ed..

Torrential rivers, s, no bridg gess: There's only one way forward – cross the river by foot and hope it's not to deep.

Smile an a d drrink k up: That's the mot Th otto at th thee Ka Kara ra Sayy chec ch eckp kpoi oint. Af Afte terw te rwards the soldi old errs we were re appeasedd and nd possed with Kyle for o thi his snapshott

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Fotos (5) © Kyle Dempster

“Wh hile you’re away, the noise and d pitfalls th hatt usually deterrmiine our daily routine just disap ppeaar. We turn in nto raaw mateeriial.

That iss why we traavel. That is why we’ree here.”

Kyle Dem mpsterr

EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 23

The Road from Karakol

see a white guy coming along on his bike, they think, surely he would like a drink as well.

"MY PACKLIST FOR MY BIKE TRIP"

© BOB Trailer

© Kyle Dempster

So people in Kyrgyzstan are friendly?

They were fantastic. I often met nomads, who were driving their sheep through the mountains in summer. I always had to make sure I had enough to eat. What people gave me made for a nice addition.

They often gave me tea or nan bread, sometimes also fresh meat. Their generosity was amazing.

In the critical scene of the film you’re alone: during the river crossing. How did you feel?

I was swept away during an earlier crossing and had to swim with the strong current of the Üch-Köl river, which was really scary. At that point I was running on empty, I had had enough, I was afraid, and 24 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

Tent -----backpack Cilogear Worksac (30 liters) -----2x OR 35L Duct Tape Dry bags -----Light weight sleeping bag -----Stove that burns Kerosene, small pot, fork -----lighters -----GoPro

-----panniers (both rear wheel and handlebar) -----CLIMBING GEAR: 50Mx6mm Edelweiss rope, Black Diamond Couloir harness, 4 quickdraws, 2 ice screws, 3 cams, BD Cobra Ice tools w/Spinner leash, chalk bag -----Boots & climbing shoes -----CLOTHING: Spandex Bike Shorts with EXTRA think butt padding, rain jacket, polo shirt, 2 hoodies, pants -----OR Papyrus Brim Hat

-----Goal Zero Guide 10 solar panel -----Ipod -----maps -----photographs of my girlfriend and family -----„East of Eden“

by John Steinbeck

-----Julbo sunglasses

-----Kyrgyz/Russian/English language guide -----A whole ton of psych!

© Outdoor Research

Although they often didn’t know what you were doing there.

Right. But I had a small English-Kyrgyz dictionary with me and had learned around 20 words before setting out.

In total, I stopped three times to go climbing, once for four days. I usually did the following with the nomads: I pointed to the mountain, then to the bike, and then to them. Afterward, I picked up the bike again.

steal frame bike Cheap less than $200 (no need to buy an expensive one, it may get stolen, or you may even leave it in Asia!)

-----extra inner tubes, extra spokes -----super glue -----multitool -----BOB trailer

I just didn’t want to tempt fate any longer.

You also left a very personal note before crossing the river.

When I see that scene, I remember how scared I was by the river. It was a message to my friends and family, along the lines of: if this doesn’t work out, know that I love you! I thought if I was washed away, someone would at least find my camera.

In one scene you talk about the “unknown path”, which you chose instead of the other one.

What I meant is the power of aspiration. Or the spirit of discovery, also discovering yourself. Today there are so many things that are basically “ready-made”, so we can live in a sterile world. But we can always break out of this to find out what we can discover.

Both in the world outside an inside ourselves.

What did you discover for yourself during this trip?

I learned that river crossings are a nightmare. And that climbing trips with a bike make sense. I also saw the social decline of a post-Soviet country – the abandoned cities, mines, and military bases were physical proof.

What was your routine during this trip?

I had a light tent to sleep in. I often got up very early, had a quick breakfast, made coffee, packed up, and then rode as far as possible. I always tried to reach a river at the end of the day to get fresh water. I also fished there. It was just a day-to-day existence. To be honest, apart from the river crossings it was quite stressfree. I only had to patch a tire once. And I ran out of chain grease. I just used olive oil instead.

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UNTETHERED: SOLAR POWER EVERYWHERE ANYTIME

Hier BlinderText Blind

SOLAR PANELS – CHARGERS – ACCESSORIES www.goalzero.eu

ALEX HONNOLD‘S KIT: GUIDE 10 PLUS

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SOLAR POWER. PERFECTED.

EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 25

© Kristin Folsland Olsen

Retrospection

Secluded and sociable at the same time: During their expedition to South Georgia, the Baffin Babes had waddling companions all along. With around 400,000 animals, the island in the Atlantic is the most important breeding place for king penguins.

ONLINE www.sgisland.gs/download/ BaffinBabes2012report.pdf The South Georgia diary by the Baffin Babes

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PINGUIN KINGDOM The Baffin Babes are best known for their 80-days expedition on Baffin Island (E.O.F.T. 11/12). Now they conquered the south.

“I felt so sick the whole time,” Baffin Babe Kristin Folsland Olsen tells us about getting there. Their destination was an island without an airport, so far away from the mainland that even helicopters cannot reach it – South Georgia, 1,400 kilometers to the east of South America’s east coast. The high winds at these latitudes made the trip arduous, but it was worth it. South Georgia boasts great, unspoiled skiing areas and inqui-

sitive animals that have not seen any tourists before.

“The penguins made this trip unique,” Kristin says.

The Baffin Babes had 15 days there, but would have liked to stay longer. So here’s their tip for all those who manage to get a visa for the desert island: check how long the trip there and back will take according to the crew of your ship.

And: pack medication for seasickness.

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© Scott Rogers

Filmprogramm Retrospection

SUGARLOAF MONKEYS Andy Lewis and the Moab Monkeys discover Brazil and set new records between Sugar Loaf and favela.

ONLINE If you’d like to know what Andy and the Monkeys are up to, check out their blog at www.facebook.com/MoabMonkeys

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Andy Lewis wouldn’t be Andy Lewis if he didn’t constantly think of something new – after all, he’s known as THE Mr. Slacklife, a trailblazer and driver of a movement. At times he nakedly crosses a rope above the heads of a delighted crowd, as happened recently at an outdoor festival in Friedrichshafen. He also performed in the Super Bowl halftime show in 2012, at Madonna’s invitation.

Now Sketchy Andy has set several new records. Together with the Moab Monkeys he traveled to Brazil in January 2013 to film spectacular highline and BASE jumping videos.

One of the highlights was a new highline called “Brazilian BBQ”. Lewis was the first to cross a rope between two rocks, 300 meters above the water, with a view of Sugar Loaf and the statue of Jesus Christ. The team of four (consisting also of Andy’s fiancée Hayley Ashburn, Scott Rogers, and Brian Mosbaugh) also established Brazil’s longest highline as well as the longest urban highline. Probably the Monkeys had an even better view of the metropolis, though, when they landed right in the middle of Rio in their BASE jump wingsuits.

EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 27

Film School

BLIND TRUST Mountaineer Andy Holzer relies entirely on his sense of touch on his routes, as he does not have eyesight. Four participants of the second European Outdoor Film School accompanied this extraordinary athlete for the GORE-TEX速 Experience Tour.

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Film School

all pictures Š Joachim Stark | www.joachimstark.de

Action! Filming in alpine terrain is a challenge, not only for the blind mountaineer Andy Holzer, but also for the participants of the second European Outdoor Film School.

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EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 29

Film School

PARTICIPANTS

YVON from Geneva is the proud owner of a minicopter. He uses it to create highly professional films, but prefers his second hobby: he is a longboard extremist, and has been among the world’s best for years. He earns a living by transporting convicts from court to prison. During the waiting times he cuts his films.

From set to cutting room: The participants working on the last few details in the cutting room

Andy Holzer from Tristach in East Tyrol is a mountain climber. He grew up in the beautiful landscape in the heart of the Austrian Alps between the High Tauern and the Lienz Dolomites and knows every path and every climbing route there by heart. However, he can only feel and sense the beauty of his native mountains – he has been blind since birth. But he still succeeded in becoming a professional climber.

The project The “European Outdoor Film School”, which took place for the second time in June 2013 within the Gore-Tex® Experience Tour, has given four filmmakers-to-be the opportunity to portray the mountaineer Andy Holzer. That is why Gabriel, Yvon, Marta, and Ondra have arranged to meet Andy in the Lienz Dolomites.

They already have experience as a cameraman, filmmaker, journalist, and marketing specialist – the perfect basis for making a film in six days.

Location check 1,000 meters above Lienz can be very far away from the heat of the office and the stress of everyday life. Shortly after the film crew, Andy and his climbing partner Anda arrive at the parking lot. They have come directly from Tristach, the closest town in the valley. “Hi, I’m Andy,” he grins broadly and greets everyone with a firm handshake. The one-and-a-halfhour hike to Karlsbader Hütte and a comfy 30 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

evening spent in the hut are a good start to get to know Andy, Anda, and the two mountain guides Hanspeter and Hubi and to discuss the details. Charismatic Andy clearly is the center of attention. He has the rough charm of a Tyrolean ski instructor, but is very cooperative and patient. He has chosen a climbing route that is perfect for filming: a steep edge with drilled belays, not too long, not too difficult, but impressively exposed. With the help of mountain guide Hubi, Gabriel and Jochen accompany Andy and Anda on the wall. Marta and Ondra climb the neighboring peak on Hanspeter’s rope, Yvon films from below with a telephoto lens.

Action!

Clouds are gathering, and it looks like rain.

Gabriel is a professional cameraman, but has never been on an alpine route, climbing and filming. With each pitch his respect for the blind climber is growing. “It’s amazing how Andy feels the rock,” he says about his main character. Only when he’s leading would an outsider notice that something is different.

Andy has to feel out handholds and footholds, find the right route in a sea of rock, and detect possible anchors. It is late afternoon when Andy reaches the top of Kleine Gamswiesenspitze. A few drops of rain greet the mountain climbers. Usually this would mean taking up the rope and heading down the path that is

MARTA is a journalist from Barcelona.

She runs ultra races, which means 100 kilometers and more. And very quickly. Afterward, she quenches her thirst with a beer. Also very quickly.

ONDRA was called Andrew for the sake of convenience at the set – though he’s actually from the Czech Republic. He lives in Prague and works in the marketing department of a mountaineering retailer.

GABRIEL cameraman from Munich, often travels around the world for his job – to Congo, Liberia or Lower Bavaria.

He would like to devote his camera skills to outdoor sports in the future.

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Film School secured with wire rope as quickly as possible. Hubi and Hanspeter are nervous: “The peak is absolutely off-limits during a thunderstorm. The wire ropes act as lightening arresters, and standing close to them can be fatal.” But fortunately no big storm develops. A quick descent would hardly be possible for Andy – although he has done this dozens of times. “My mood is always a little marred on the summit, because this is where I start to feel unsafe,” Andy says. When climbing uphill, he holds the world in his hands. But downhill he has to walk upright, so that they are not in contact with the rock, and he does not really get

“Meeting Andy Holzer personally was a great experience!”

Gabriel Streif a feel for the terrain through his shoes.

This is why a partner such as Anda is so important for him. Andy places his hand on Anda’s backpack, so that he can feel his friend’s every move and step while walking. It goes steeply downhill, close to the edge, with short climbing passages. Stumbling is not an option.

The two friends are calm and focused while descending. They understand each other intuitively.

ONLINE Further details here www.experience-tour.dom

Almost done: Gabriel films Andy Holzer reaching the end of the route

FILM SCHOOL

ANDY HOLZER Born in 1966 without eye sight, Andy Holzer went on to become a masseur and pursues hobbies like surfing and playing the guitar.

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DIY If you would like to make films yourself instead of just watching them, don’t miss the next European Outdoor Film School.

For more information on this and many other great GORE-TEX® Experience Tour projects visit www.experience-tour.

INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN SUMMIT 5th International Mountain Summit From 17 to 22 October 2013, the 5th International Mountain Summit will take place in Brixen. The IMS is the only international conference where mountaineering professionals and alpinists-to-be can meet to swap experiences and to discuss the current developments in the field of mountaineering. Apart from Reinhold Messner, Stefan Glowacz, David Lama, Benedikt Böhm, Sebastian Haag, and many other professional alpinists and speakers, Andy Holzer will also attend this year’s IMS. www.IMS.bz EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 31

GoPro

Small, lightweight, and powerful The HERO3: Black Edition: portable and mountable to your equipment, waterproof down to 60 meters, can record ultra-wide 1440p 48fps, 1080p 60fps, and 720p 120fps videos as well as 12 MP photos at 30 pictures per second, making it the world’s most versatile camera

With the GoPro HERO3 you are in control – and get everything in focus...

THE FOCAL POINT Smaller cameras, better image quality, new viewing angles – amateurs and film pros are discovering the world with GoPros.

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Despite their handy size, action sports cameras make videos in movie-theater quality and have revolutionized an entire film genre. The audience has never been as close to the athletes as today. You can watch their adventures onscreen as if you were experiencing them yourself. To make sure the camera films what it should and that it remains fixed and neither bothers the athletes nor damages equipment, there are many possibilities of attaching it to your equipment or to your body. Clamping, gluing, or screwing – the options are virtually unlimited.

The main thing is that the perspective has to fit the sport. The viewer has the perfect POV experience when the camera is worn on the head or helmet – e.g. when kayaking or skiing. Mountain bikers, on the other hand, prefer to mount the GoPro on their chest. This way, the handle bar is visible and you can watch the rider’s hands. If you mount the camera on a lightweight rod or in the wristband housing, you can star in the clip yourself. Your hands will remain free and you can control the camera perfectly.

So take the camera into your own hands and head into the next adventure to experience the vast possibilities of the GoPro yourselves. Be inspired at the E.O.F.T.

Chest-mount harness Fully adjustable and perfect for skiing, mountain biking, motocross, kayaking, or other activities for which a point of view from below the helmet is important. Get a better view of your arms, knees, poles, and skis... or your arms and handle bar when riding your bike or motorcycle. This perspective is even more intense than from your helmet.

The new GoPro App With the new GoPro App for iOS® and Android® you can easily share the videos and photos on your camera’s SD card from your smartphone or tablet via email, text message, Instagram™, Twitter®, Facebook®, and other platforms.

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BMW Concept Active Tourer

www.bmw.com

Sheer Driving Pleasure

GET AWAY FROM THE EVERYDAY. Pack more into your leisure time, with the BMW Concept Active Tourer.

Find out more at www.bmw.com/conceptactivetourer

THE BMW CONCEPT ACTIVE TOURER.

BMW Active Tourer concept vehicle shown.

Better Places

BETTER PLACES The heroes of the E.O.F.T. size up the world: where would they like to be right now? Eight breathtaking answers

© Kyle Dempster

ZION NATIONAL PARK UTAH, USA Kyle Dempster („The Road from Karakol“, E.O.F.T. 13/14) Alpinist

34 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

© Meg Haywood-Sullivan

37°12’0.1’’ N 122°59’10.8’’ W

My favorite place in the world is Zion National Park, rock climbing in the park specifically. 2500ft shear sandstone walls and the beautiful, quite canyon. Amazing climbing, great wildlife, it's just fantastic!

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Better Places

© Martin Lugger

46°58’25’’ N 12°53’51’’ E

© Martin Lugger

ZIRKNITZ GROTTO AUSTRIA Peter Ortner („A New Perspective“, E.O.F.T. 12/13) Alpinist

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The Zirknitz grotto is the perfect training area for difficult winter ascents. There are routes in the grotto that have an overhang of up to 25 m and a climbing length of 50 m. These endurance challenges are perfect as a preparation for new projects.

EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 35

Better Places

© Xavier de le Rue

© staphy – Fotolia

65°39.115 S 64°12.834 W

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA ANTARCTICA Xavier de Le Rue („2112“, E.O.F.T. 12/13) Snowboard champion 36 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

The Antarctic Peninsula is the mecca of steep riding, and getting there is the ultimate adventure! The traverse of the Drake Passage is the most severe passage in the world, so be ready… Once you are down there, you have 2000 km of coastline fjords to pick your line from. Penguins, whales and seals everywhere, you are surrounded by immense ice palaces… it's incredibly beautiful.

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Better Places

© Keith Ladzinski

43°44’16’’ N 6°21’50’’ W

© Bob Carmichael

LE GORGE DU VERDON FRANCE Lynn Hill („Outside the Box“, E.O.F.T. 11/12) Climbing icon

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If I had to pick a place I'd like to be right now, it would be Le Gorge du Verdon in Provence, France. I fell in love with climbing on limestone in the Verdon. I've always had a great time there with friends, including Patrick Edlinger whose spirit lives on in this magical place!

EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 37

Better Places

© Chris Bray

© Chris Bray

70°0’45’’ N 52°59’0’’ W

DISKO BAY GREENLAND Chris Bray („The Crossing“, E.O.F.T. 12/13) Adventurer

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Filled with hundreds of icebergs ejected from nearby Jakobshaven Glacier, Disko Bugt is a breathtakingly beautiful sight in summer when the ocean's not frozen. In 2011 my then-girlfriend (now fiancee) Jess and I passed here while setting out to become the first people to sail a junk-rigged yacht through the infamous Northwest Passage over the top of Canada and Alaska which we completed in 2012. To get this pic of an amazing arched berg, I hopped in our blow-up dingy and rowed around one side, and Jess sailed around the other. I missed her first pass as a berg beside me exploded and rolled over sending waves my way – you can still see the ripples fading away here on the otherwise glassy sea. See www.YachtTeleport. com for more photos and videos of our journey.

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Better Places

© Red Bull Content Pool

49°17’35’’ S 73°05’24’’ W

© David Lama

COL DE LA PACIENCIA ARGENTINA David Lama („A New Perspective“, E.O.F.T. 12/13) Climber and alpinist WWW.EOFT.EU

The Col de la Paciencia really deserves its name: after my descent from Cerro Torre it really taxed my patience. Peter Ortner and I had just rappelled from the summit for three hours by night and finally wanted to tuck in our well-deserved travel lunch „Hunter’s stew“ , but our lighter didn’t work! I took the lighter apart, dried every single piece, put it back together and still – it didn’t work. For the first time on this long day we were close to despair. After numerous attempts, Peter tried it with the vehemence of a person, who wants his „Hunter’s stew“ bad.

At last a spark flew and finally brought us a memorable dinner with a spectacular backdrop!

EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 39

Better Places

© Anson Fogel

© Anson Fogel

19°52’23.6’’ N 97°15’28’’ W

TOMATA 2 GORGE MEXICO Anson Fogel („Cascada“, E.O.F.T. 13/14) Filmmaker

40 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

The Alseseca River in the low mountains of Veracruz Stare, Mexico is to kayakers what the North Shore trails are to mountain bikers.

Perhaps no other place in the world has such a high concentration of runnable large waterfalls.

Combine this with the incredibly rich, thick jungle, banana and fruit plantations, wonderful light, and welcoming, humble locals and you have a recipe for perfection.

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Better Places

© Wenzel Prokosch

62°29’28“ N 07°47’09“ E

© Ellen Brennan

ROMSDALSHORNET NORWAY Ellen Brennan („Birdmen, E.O.F.T. 12/13) Wingsuit B.A.S.E. jumper

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Whether you are interested in hiking, climbing or wingsuit BASE jumping, Romsdalshornet has got to be one of the most epic places in the world. Standing at the top, you are directly facing the infamous Troll Wall. To jump from this point is the biggest challenge for many BASE jumpers because you have to climb on an exposed mountain with a heavy pack and no rope.

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Moose's Tooth

In summer 2012, David Lama was looking for new perspectives at Nameless Tower; in 2013 he tackled a first ascent with speed specialist Dani Arnold (“Je Veux”, E.O.F.T. 12 / 13) through the central headwall of Moose’s Tooth in Alaska. In just 48 hours they climbed “Bird of Prey” – a top mountaineering performance.

© David Lama | visualimpact.ch

QUICK PREY

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Moose's Tooth

Š David Lama / visualimpact.ch

On the summit: Dani Arnold (left) and David Lama chose the coldest and iciest route onto the 1,500-meter mountain close to Mount McKinley. But after 40 hours they have reached their goal. The nightly descent took eight hours.

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EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 43

Dani Arnold Born 1984. Known as one of the world's best speedmountaineers. In 2011 Arnold broke the speed record of the Eiger North Face, mastering it solo in 2hrs 28mins 44 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

© Ken Robinson

© MAMMUT

© Dani Arnold

Moose's Tooth

David Lama Born 1990.

Already now more than a talent, he won the European Bouldering Championship.

As a alpinist he prefers difficult first ascents

The mountains are still hiding beneath a thick layer of clouds when a small plane drops off Dani Arnold and David Lama in the middle of Buckskin Glacier in the heart of Alaska on April 10.

It is the first expedition to the Northern end of the United States for the two alpinists.

The thermometer reads -25 degrees Celsius – even colder than usual at this time of year according to the locals. When

they see Moose’s Tooth for the first time, the climbers immediately notice a line. It runs along a complex system of cracks, directly next to the still untouched headwall to the peak. “To think of a first ascent when you’re climbing in Alaska for the very first time is certainly quite bold,” David Lama says, “but this sort of open-mindedness also opens up new perspectives.” Only two days after arriving in the WWW.EOFT.EU

Moose's Tooth

ONLINE www.daniarnold.ch und www.david-lama.com Den Extrem-Alpinisten nachgestiegen

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them using aid climbing. He carefully climbs past a large, unstable snow cornice.

Suddenly an edge breaks off.

His back touches the cornice, and a heavy chunk of snow falls down, directly onto the rope. But David’s last placement holds, and so they get off lightly apart from a broken off hook. To make quicker pro-

“David’s optimism was contagious.

So we climbed meter by meter.”

Dani Arnold

gress, Dani and David leave behind their tent and bivvy.

They stake everything on one card – they now have to reach the summit and return in one push. Pieces of rock break off and fall down to the snow fields at the bottom. Climbing

around the large snow pillars turns out to be tricky and very strenuous. The last few pitches through ice are easier, but still require a great deal of concentration. “I always climb 60 meters without protection.

The ice was hard and brittle.

If the ice axe had broken out of the ice, this would have had fatal consequences,” Dani says. At 6 o’clock in the evening the two exhausted, but happy mountaineers reach their goal. It is still -20 degrees Celsius up there, and because the weather is supposed to turn, the two have to rappel down the route for half the night. At two o’clock in the morning, just 48 hours after setting out, Lama and Arnold are back at their base camp. „In my opinion, Bird of Prey is the most logical line through the steepest and most imposing part of the entire wall,” Dani says. What makes the two proudest is that they managed to find this tricky but at the same time “easiest” way up the impressive headwall.

THE ROUTE MOOSE'S TOOTH

Bird of Prey 1500m, 6a, M7+, 90° A2 east wall of Moose’s Tooth, Denali National Park, Alaska David Lama (AUT) & Dani Arnold (CH) 12 to 14 April 2013

© David Lama

Steep and icy: "The loosening of an ice pick would have had lethal consequences!, says Dani Arnold.

base camp, 29-year-old Dani from Switzerland and 22-yearold David from Austria get going at two o’clock in the morning. A brisk wind makes the temperatures feel even colder, but when they arrive at the foot of the wall, the conditions are almost perfect.

“David and I both had the same idea of the difficulty up to which we could climb solo. So we were really quick, especially on the lower third of the wall,” Dani remembers.

After that, the wall becomes increasingly steep and difficult.

David leads during the first part, then it’s Dani’s turn: “There wasn’t enough ice there for climbing at the time.

So I first had to scrape off all the ice, and then use aids most of the time,” he says. There was a moment of doubt for Dani when he asked himself whether they would ever reach the summit with such slow progress. But: “David’s optimism was contagious.”

David’s strengths on the rock perfectly complement the ice specialist’s skills. But the wall becomes more and more forbidding. The two often think that they have reached a dead end, but somehow they always find a way out. “There wasn’t just one pitch that gave us trouble. It was rather the need to use a combination of different climbing techniques with poor protection,” Dani says. At nine o’clock the two climbers find a small ledge on which they spend the night.

However, at first light the two exceptional alpinists are back on the rock. Again, they have to connect the crack systems several times with the help of pendulum traverses. “From below the terrain didn’t look too difficult, rather classical.

But then it was a lot steeper and exposed then expected,” says Dani. David completes further pitches, some of

ALASKA Average temperature in Central Alaska in April: 4.5 degrees Celsius. Noticeably less on east walls.

EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 45

European Record

Š Thomas Senf

Autotimer: Stephan Siegrist and photographer Thomas Senf (left) at the top of Dufourspitze.

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European Record

EUROPEAN RECORD BALANCING ACT ON DUFOURSPITZE

Little oxygen, but lots of will power: At 4,620 meters extreme alpinist Stephan Siegrist sets up the highest highline in Europe – and masters it.

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European Record

© Thomas Senf

After an arduous ascent on skis, Stephan Siegrist and Thomas Senf are standing at the top of Dufourspitze. Their lonely tracks can be seen winding through the untouched snowy landscape, skirting crevasses. The extreme alpinist and the photographer started out in Zermatt and climbed to Monte Rosa Hut via the Gorner Glacier. From there, they still had 1,800 meters of elevation to overcome. On the summit, they had to take a deep breath, as getting there was not the end of their project for the day. Siegrist had picked Switzerland’s highest mountain at 4,634 meters to set a new record – crossing Europe’s highest highline. The sun shines in a deep blue sky, providing a breathtaking backdrop for the record attempt together with the snowcapped four-thousanders all around. But the pretty view is treacherous – there is a drop of more than 3,000 meters between here and Zermatt.

CLIMBING HIGH Climbing on Castleton Tower and ski mountaineering on the Lofoten islands – the E.O.F.T. Mammut Alpine School Camps offer you the possibility of visiting the original settings of the E.O.F.T. films.

With the experienced mountain guides of Mammut Alpine School by your side, there is nothing standing in the way of your outdoor adventure.

“For a moment I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to muster the concentration necessary for this balancing act.”

Stephan Siegrist

The preparations begin in the afternoon of 13 June 2013. Siegrist sets up the rope between two pinnacles, 14 meters below the summit. He wants to tackle this highline above 4,000 meters without a balancing pole, protected only by a thin loop. Fixing the narrow band takes time. Will he entrust his life to the anchoring points? The air up here is thin, Siegrist feels the strenuous ascent in his legs; the lack of oxygen makes itself felt in his head. But now he has to fully focus on the narrow band ahead of him and try to forget all tiredness. First it seems as if he has set his target too high. “The first attempts of walking on the highline were difficult. For a moment I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to muster the concentration necessary for this balancing act,” he says.

But he inches his way forward step by step; he starts to loose his balance, regains it, and crosses the abyss meter by meter. After 21 meters he finally reaches firm ground on the other side of the highline. Take another deep breath – the European record is his. And as a reward Siegrist and Senf get to enjoy a wonderful ski run down untouched slopes, in ultrafine snow, at sunset.

ONLINE Watch the video on www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzNZtPrP_WA&feature=youtu.be

48 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

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Mammut Alpine School

ONLINE www.mammut. ch/alpineschool Find more offers here

© Robert Boesch

© Keith Ladzinski

TRIP 1: CLIMBING IN UTAH UND NEVADA Where?

With 300 days of sun a year and low humidity, the Western United States is the ultimate climbing paradise. The locations: Maple Canyon and the Red Rocks (Nevada) as well as the climbing mecca Moab with its well-known spots Indian Creek and Castleton Tower. Our journey starts in Salt Lake City, and the tour also includes side trips to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

What?

Safe lead climbing skills up to 6a, as well as experience with multi-pitch climbing and basic skills with regard to the use of friends and nuts.

When?

12 to 25 April 2014; no. of participants: 5 to 8; price: EUR 2750 (excl. flight)

© Rainer Eder

TRIP 2: SKI MOUNTAINEERING ON THE LOFOTEN ISLANDS

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Where?

Ski mountaineering on the Lofoten islands – a winter’s tale. Fjords and coves, bizarre mountain peaks with steep sides that plunge right down into the sea, in between soft hills, small fishing villages, and patches of clouds dancing in the wind – the spectacular Lofoten islands are full of contrasts, a small miracle of nature.

What?

The experience is more

important than mountaineering accomplishments at the ski mountaineering camp in Lofoten. The ski tours are comparatively easy from a technical point of view, are located at elevations between 500 and just below 1,100 meters, take between 3 and 5 hours, and are manageable with an average level of fitness. However, a safe skiing technique in deep snow and in various types of snow is a precondition.

When?

Dates: 1 to 8 March 2014; no. of participants: 5 to 7; price: EUR 1,600

TRIP 3: SNOWSHOEING, SKI MOUNTAINEERING, AND FREERIDING IN ÖTZTAL VALLEY Where?

If you would like to leave your worries behind, enjoy a wintery mountain wonderland, and feel the powder, our Ötztal trips are just the thing for you.

What?

The aim is also to prepare the participants for their own activities and to teach them how to competently handle safety equipment and manage risks. For our tours and courses we exclusively use the latest Mammut products, including the avalanche transceiver Mammut PULSE Barryvox, which has won numerous awards. You have to be able to manage ascents of up to five hours and 1,200 meters of elevation.

When?

31 January to 02 February 2014 / 21 February to 23 February 2014 / 14 March to 16 March 2014; price: EUR 299 / CHF 389

EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14 I 49

Musik

IN A STATE OF TRANCE

© Jonas Jaeggy

© Joachim Hellinger

© Jonas Jaeggy

It was the most musical Mont Blanc expedition of all times: after months of training and abstaining from nicotine, the French singer ZAZ gave a concert on the 4810-meter summit – also featuring a double bass. In our interview, ZAZ tells us about prejudices and what she learned about people in the Alps.

ONLINE www.eoft.eu/de/soundtrack Latest playlist and E.O.F.T. soundtracks 50 I EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR 13/14

ZAZ, as we all know, the ascent is only half the battle when climbing a mountain. What was the descent from Mont Blanc like?

First it’s all about getting to the top, of course. But when you’ve managed to reach the summit, you need to get down again. I didn’t think about that at all during the ascent. The way to the summit was hard enough. I had to gather all my strength, and when we reached the top, I was completely exhausted. It wasn’t easy to build up new energy for the descent. I hadn’t slept properly for three nights. Halfway down all I could say was: “Impossible! I can’t go any further.” But somehow I managed to do it anyway. I can remember it... but I experienced it all as if in a state of trance.

After climbing Mont Blanc you wrote a song called “La Lessive”...

I wrote it because I wanted to send a message to the mountain guides who accompanied us. Before we set out, I had the feeling that they were thinking: “Oh, another one of these artists who want to climb Mont Blanc for some whimsical reason.”

I am a singer, and I do what I love. But it’s the same with the mountain guides, they only have a different kind of passion – the mountains. During the ascent I had the feeling that all prejudices were slowly disappearing. We all knew: we’re here together, and it’s hard for all of us.

What was your motivation for the tour?

I went up there because I wanted to and because I trained for it – it was a very personal thing. And I’m very proud that I succeeded, that I managed to get up the courage and the will for it. I very much respect the people who were with me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. I was amazed how little time it took before we were telling each other personal things during the ascent. The climate up there is harsh; the weather changes from one minute to the next. In these conditions, you start to have deep conversations pretty quickly. These mountain guides have lived through avalanches and have seen people die.

They are confronted with the extremes of life. Living, dying – it’s all part of the game. You start to understand again that life is something really wonderful and precious, a gift that we receive.

What was it like back in civilization, getting back to your normal life?

When you return to your every-day life, you realize that something has changed. At the top of Mont Blanc you live one hundred percent in the moment. Back home you do what you always do, but life isn’t quite the same any more. It’s so important to take that feeling of presence that you experience up there home with you. It shouldn’t be so hard, because if you manage to do it on Mont Blanc, you should also be able to do it in your every-day life.

How has your life changed? What sort of experience have you gained?

Personally I realized that I want to do everything to be free.

And I want to share the freedom within me with others. There are always things that you don’t like, but I don’t mind them so much if I know that I’m free. And there’s another lesson: the press frequently condemns and criticizes me and confronts me with an image of myself that’s foreign to me. In the past, that often used to hurt me. On Mont Blanc I learned to not give anyone the power to hurt me. I know who I am, and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved so far. I no longer care what others think.

This expedition helped me to finally internalize this properly.

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