Programme - Friday 20 October 2017 - during the day

According to an ancient legend, the inhabitants of the Swiss canton Uri had to make a pact with the devil in order to build a bridge over a dangerous gorge.

Kea parrots love snow and the cold mountain climate. Curious and creative, they break into houses and rubbish bins, open locks and steal tools. Ski pistes are a favourite destination.

The first Chinese amateur team of all-female mountaineers attempts to scale Mt Everest and make history. Instead, the ladies fall victim to Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, the deadliest natural disaster ever to hit Everest.

While journeying from the Northern Balkan across the Rila mountain range to the green Rhodopes in the South, we encounter dancing bears and the fantastic Rila Monestary.

Locals love this shallow moor lake close to the Bavarian town of Bad Tölz. Like a black pearl it sits amidst ancient moors that originated during the last ice age.
This film is not screened for competition

Freeriders Alex, Max and Rafael are merely testing their tent when a breathtaking roller coaster ride through the mountains begins. Their tiny magical tent brings our heroes to unimaginable places.

Colin is nine years old. His grandparents are renowned wildlife film makers who live inside Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park — in a village at 1,650 m of altitude near the Aosta Valley. While visiting, Colin learns stealth, how to read tracks, use crampons and camp in the wild. However, one animal proves particularly hard to capture.
In 2011 Erik and Anne Lapied received the Great Price of the City of Tegernsee.

On bamboo bicycles, three friends traverse the remote Himalayan regions of the Pamir. En route, they also scale a couple of near-sixthousanders and meet locals who strive to preserve their culture and regain political autonomy.

Four German friends make their third snow-kiting attempt in Alaska. Staying relaxed despite bad weather and avalanche warnings pays off: the wind pulls them up to the summit in no time where they unpack their skis and a speed flyer for the descent.

Bob Coomber is an intrepid adventurer determined to be the first to traverse the Sierra Nevada’s Kearsarge Pass (3,569 m) in a wheelchair — while fighting diabetes. He overcomes immense obstacles, advancing by mere inches. His greatest mission however is to inspire others to overcome their limitations and dare the impossible.

Half a million visitors flock to Germany’s highest peak every year. A veritable fair ground in summer, Mt. Zugspitze also offers many other stunning facets.

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.

Cave explorers search for a second exit from a cave that can only be entered during a frost and turns into a deathtrap during rain.

Mt. Hochalmspitze (3,360 m) with its long valleys and elegant shape bookends the Eastern Alps. Its glaciers and ridges invite mountaineers to enjoy stunning classic high routes.

Picture small ridges flanked by sheer drops and long lines of mountaineers waiting to pass snow-swept bottlenecks. Many world records have already been set at Mt. Everest. Tyrolean extreme sportsman Lukas Furtenbach hopes to be the first to capture the mountain by drone.

Ines Papert and Mayan Smith-Gobat attempt the first freeclimbing ascent of the “Riders on the Storm” route at Torre Central in Patagonia. At first, their endeavour seems more pain than gain.

In 1986 mountain guide Gottlieb Braun-Elwert traversed New Zealand’s southern Alps on skis in just 18 hours, mastering a massive glacier, four mountain passes and 4,000 m of altitude. He never thought of this experience as a struggle, but likes to call it a symphony.

Distinguished by National Geographic as “Adventurers of the Year”, three daredevils try to haul their transport kayaks across 1,000 km of Greenland ice — with the help of kites. On their way to the island’s northernmost passable river, they treat viewers to truly breathtaking scenery.

During a first ascent in Cashmere, three Swiss mountaineers discover a mysterious rope break. Based on local rumours about a British climber’s previous tragic accident they embark on a high altitude investigation.