Programme - Thursday 18 October 2018 - Day

We’ve all been that kid in the back of their parents’ car, wishing dearly to be somewhere completely different. Dreams grow wings and during a drive through the snow-laden cities of British Columbia they actually come to life: Isn’t that Tom Wallisch beside the car, one of the world’s best free skiers, jumping across rooftops and sliding down railings?

They have to get out at 5 am every morning, in any kind of weather. They have to be swift and reliable. Because it is the Bavarian avalanche warning team’s job to transmit their daily report at 7.30 am exactly. This is where skiers, ski tourers, communities, road maintenance, ski lift operators and mountain inn keepers get their information about the current avalanche risk. It’s not an easy job and there is no room for mistakes – as they could be fatal.

11-year-old Vincent often is the only boy on his favourite mountain, the Feuerkogel. His tomcat Socke and his parents replace friends his own age. In any kind of winter weather he skis down steep mogul pistes to his school in Ebensee, together with his father. Vincent worries about climate change because he knows: no snow means no guests. Later in life, Vincent would like to take over his parents’ mountain inn.

Zozooloi and her family live in a yurt in the Altai mountains of Mongolia. She labours like a man, carrying water, hacking dung and milking the cows. She tells her story of a foreign, fascinating and endangered world. She goes to school in Tsengel, which is 75 miles away, where she also manages her grandmother’s household. Finally, she gets Internet access. But which of these two worlds holds her future?

Marcel and Andrezj are very different characters. Marcel likes to hog the limelight, while Andrezj always caters the support act. Yet, together, they form a strong team and were the first to storm the highest peaks of their animated world. Presently, the two likeable cartoon heroes face their greatest challenge, and their path is riddled with obstacles. Even worse, Andrezj is fed up with his existence in Marcel’s shadow.

The Rocky Mountains turn the Northern American continent into a place of extremes. Erecting a massive barrier across its north-south axis, they contain 22 national parks, an immensely diverse flora and fauna and treat skiers to “champagne powder” in winter. Dirk Steffens took the leap to explore North America’s fate in the Rockies.

Jewels – this idea includes both natural treasures and outstanding architectural landmarks. In Vorarlberg, the Alpine Rhine Valley and the expansive region surrounding Lake Constance offer magnificent contrasts against massifs such as the Silvretta Alps. In the Tyrolean Inntal and Lechtal Valleys, the main Alpine ridge’s peaks as well as the Karwendel Range loom above enchanted castles and monasteries. Local treasures also include National Park Hohe Tauern and the Lienz Dolomites, facing South Tyrol.

Christof Franzen, Russia correspondent for Swiss TV, has been reporting on crises and conflicts for ten years. Now, he would like for once in his life to stand on top of Mt. Elbrus, the roof of Europe. But he is no mountaineer. A Russian mountain guide shows him the first few steps towards the summit. En route across the dormant volcano’s flanks, Christof nearly loses heart. What on earth was he thinking?

Hugo and Lipe are back on the wall. This time, they face fierce conditions on a very alpine route. Wet and icy rock, communication problems and constantly changing conditions give the animated heroes a hard time. Hugo and Lipe won over the hearts of Tegernsee audiences a couple of years ago, when climbing at Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain.

“If anyone wants to save me here, they’re gonna need wings” – or a chopper. In the 1950ies, Luigi Bombardieri was one of the great pioneers of aerial rescue in the Alps. What counted as spectacular single incidents at the time is everyday life in the mountains by now – at least in the Alps. At the extreme altitudes of the Himalayas, however, flying remains an art form. Maurizio Folini perfects this art and was able to conduct the highest rescue operation of all times at Mt. Everest.

Among mud volcanos and cold air columns, the Erzgebirge Mountains offer biospheres to many specialists. The water shrew hunts in mountain brooks, peregrine falcons nest in rock crevices and the tardigrade even survives a deep-freeze around here. Growth and demise in the Erzgebirge are determined by the power of water, which shaped the rocks, tilled caves and valleys and created the hill moors.

Three Belgian world class climbers are on their way to Patagonia. The El Regalo de Mwono Route on the east face of Torre Central (Torres del Paine) is where Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll is headed (as always equipped with his flute), together with

Nicolas Favresse and Siebe Vanhee. The route extends across 1,200 m (almost 4,000 ft), is extremely difficult and was only free-climbed once before. The trip lasts 19 days. Accentuated by not always harmonious melodies, it revolves around more than just climbing, particularly around mountain camaraderie.

In 1963 Norman Dyhrenfurth starts a new chapter in the history of high altitude climbing — as the organiser, fundraiser and film maker of the US expedition to Mt. Everest. Not only do the first US-Americans reach the world’s highest peak, a further endeavour succeeds: the first traverse of Everest in two teams across two routes, of which one, the western ridge, had never been climbed before. As their cinematographer, Dyhrenfurth reaches an altitude of 8,700 m (28,543 ft). Upon its return, the Everest ’63 Team is honoured by President John F. Kennedy in the White House, which represents the zenith of Norman Dyhrenfurth’s career. This impressive documentary film is narrated by nobody less than Orson Welles.

After working as an expert for mountaineering sequences in large-scale Hollywood movie productions throughout the 1970ies and 80ies, Norman Dyhrenfurth shot this acclaimed and award-winning documentary about Tibetan funeral rituals, the Dalai Lama and the concept of reincarnation. The making of this film once again took him to the land of the Sherpas, at the foot of Mt. Everest.

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Few people know that there are a number of quite high mountains situated near Rome, Italy. The Abruzzo is a mature massif and its Mt. Corno Grande is almost as high as German Mt. Zugspitze. A small group of passionate mountaineers departs on a discovery tour into this less known mountain range. There, they encounter not only mediterranean firn ice and warm rocks, but also plenty of culture and culinary delights.

Six friends take off to climb the Lorax Route in Tasmania’s remote West. The adventure’s zenith is a BASE jump from the peak, at least according to plan. Surrounded by pristine wilderness, the team faces extreme weather conditions and a path through challenging, rugged terrain. But they trust their own abilities – and never lose their sense of humour.

Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger are a rope team with ambitious goals and an age difference of 18 years. A passionate winter mountaineer, Simone already has a track record of many achievements. So far, responsibilities were clearly divided: Simone as master and Tamara as his student. However, when they undertake the world’s highest eightthousander traverse at Mt. Kanchenjunga, circumstances force the routined duo to abruptly switch roles.

Beyond the glaciers of the Arctic Circle, brutal temperatures, unpredictable weather and a 9-month winter ensure that humans avoid this region. But in summer, the never-setting sun allows this landscape to bloom, which makes incredible, never attempted mountain bike routes accessible

Ultramarathon runner Alicia Hudelson decides to brave one of Scotland’s toughest long distance runs: the infamous Ramsay’s Round. This 24-hour challenge takes her across 24 Scottish “hills” and to a total altitude gain of 8,500 m (27,887 ft) amidst the overwhelming landscape of the Scottish Highlands.

A morning in Munich. Harshly, the alarm clock terminates a beautiful dream of untouched powder snow glistening in the sun. A student decides to break free from his unbearable daily grind, with the help of his skis. Whereto: Japan? Or simply to the Tyrolean mountains? After all, freeriders do not need to travel to the end of the world to make the white gold fly!

Switzerland is an overused part of the world. Thousands of plant and animal species are endangered. But a different Switzerland exists. Here, a new wilderness is in the making, where nearly extinct animals find a home. For the first time in almost 200 years, bears have been spotted, bearded vultures once more circle the summits. It is possible that even Europe’s biggest mammal will make itself at home again in Switzerland – centuries after its disappearance.