Programme - Thursday 19 October 2017 - Day

The big, proud mountains carry oil, gold and fire inside. The little mountain cannot compete. It only holds that tiny, odd, useless SOMETHING.

Anna is fascinated by the ibex’s gigantic horns. At Innsbruck mountain zoo she finds out about their near-extinction and watches the release of young ibex into the wild.

While playing in the woods, a group of children meets a team of explorers emerging from a cave — the kids get to ask all their questions.

On the idyllic Oberberg pasture, Malin learns about cattle farming, dairy work and how to get a 700 kg cow into the stable.

A charismatic goat herder and other locals reveal hidden paths as well as holy places in the scenic middle-German mountains.

This film is not screened for competition

This Austrian mountain valley can only be reached by one road — via Bavaria. To this day, local families continue the ancient traditions of Alpine farming.

For 30 years Reno and his family have been living in Canada’s oldest national park in Banff, among bears. Here and during excursions to Alaska, Kamtschatka and Siberia he has come to understand that a peaceful co-existence is possible, as long as we do not lose respect.

More than 30 animal species are at home in the mountainous Amadai region in Iran, including eagles and wolves. All of them withstand harsh winters and scalding summers, reaping their rewards in spring and autumn.

Few places on earth have remained as wild as the Canaries, despite human influence. Adjacent to enormous holiday cities, jagged coastal cliffs loom as well as romantic gorges, extensive pine forests and dunes. Award-winning director Michael Schlamberger takes us on an exhilarating journey through all climate zones.

The maker of this 1961 film about the middle-European ski boom is Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival initiator Dr. Otto Guggenbichler, who has produced over 100 documentary films, many on Alpine themes.

This super-short film records the integration of modern materials into ski manufacture in 1960.

Only after a shocking family tragedy does Stan Rey fulfil his dream of skiing the Tantalus, a jagged, glistening mountain range which flanks the highway between Whistler and Vancouver.

Winter is over, all projects completed. However, a snow-rich spring inspires two Austrian skiers to abandon their well-hatched plans to hang at home.

The thought of Greece certainly does not evoke high mountains or a ski and snowboard season. Yet these exist. While winter in the Greek mountains is magical, its ski industry struggles economically.

The Dauphiné with its Barre des Écrins (4,102 m) is one of the wildest mountain ranges in the Alps. A mountain guide and a world cup skier set out on an epic ski adventure.

Hero, womaniser, living mountaineering legend: a look at Fred Beckey’s life story reveals the very roots of North American climbing. Staying loyal to one’s dream sometimes involves being something of a “dirtbag”. At age 94, having nailed more first ascents than any of his compatriots, Fred remains unstoppable.

What happens when the last farmer leaves? This problem affects many mountain villages, also in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.

50 Years ago, Southern Tyrol experienced thunder storms of unprecedented ferocity. By now, effective measures for the protection of Alpine communities are in place.

Turned paraplegic by a tragic accident, Vanessa François relies on her friends and on her arms to keep climbing. While ascending the Grand Capucin, she realises that her disability does not imprison her as much as her relentless obsession with mountaineering.

Vijlen is a typical village in Limburg, yet also Holland’s highest, at 700 ft. Its inhabitants forge a viable future, while other villages lose their dwellers to the city. But not everybody appreciates changes to their tranquil lives.

Extreme Alpinists David Lama, Hansjörg Auer and Alex Blümel attempt to ascend Annapurna III (7,555 m) on its unclimbed Southeast ridge. Exhaustion, fear and the crazily exposed route threaten to crush them.

In honour of Dr. Otto Guggenbichler, initiator of the Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival.
Not only did he grow up in the Tegernsee Valley, Dr. Otto Guggenbichler was passionate about mountaineering and the history of Alpinism and produced numerous films on Alpine themes such as this intriguing 1976 production.

Its headwaters gush between the Karwendel Range’s steep mountainsides, giving us an idea of Alpine rivers at the end of the last ice age. Today, the Isar River is an endangered species.