EOFT 11/12

Powderturns with ocean view: you can get that only in Fjord Norway and on the Lofoten Islands – and this is a very special experience even for the best freeskiers in the world!

When looking at the Norwegian mountains, one is not surprised anymore that Norwegians have invented skiing. The best freeriders in the world, among them Henrik Windstedt und Aksel Lund Svindal, meet here, at this place, where the Fjords are reaching far into the country and where the sun does not go down during the summer.

For the first time ever, a film team was allowed to shoot here in the Norwegian back country and the Lofoten Islands – which is a special highlight even for the most experienced freeriders since the ocean is within sight!

At 40 degrees Celsius below zero, snow gathers inside the tent and not even the warmest down sleeping bag does the job of keeping one warm. At a height of over 7000 meters, it is simply freezing cold. One must admit that this is quite a unique trio that has set out to climb the GasherbrumII (8034m) for the first time in winter.

Simone Moro and Denis Urubko seem to handle the extreme temperature and the physical exertion better than Cory Richards, who, at the same time, also films the expedition. Richards seems to slightly regret his decision to come along with each further altitude meter. With the cold getting more and more unbearable, Cory’s self-doubt becomes stronger and stronger. But turning around is no option. Not without a summit victory. And not even that is a guarantee for a successful ending of this adventure: the way down is always more dangerous than the way up.

Being able to surf a wave is one thing. Being able to film it is something completely different, especially when you are in the water yourself while filming.

The bigger the wave, the more spectacular the images – but how does such footage come about? In Dark Side of the Lense, the cameraman and photographer Mickey Smith lets us see the world through his eyes. He has chosen his profession carefully since he cannot imagine anything nicer than paddling-out in the cold water, observing surfers and pressing the shutter button at the right moment. His favorite spot for filming and taking pictures is in the rough sea off the Irish coast. He loves playing with the elements, the solitude and the feeling of living the moment and he is sure to be richer than most others because of that – even if not in a material sense.

"No matter what happens: Don't panic!" (Hendri Coetzee)

There are special kayak expeditions, there are dangerous ones – and there are especially dangerous ones. The Congo-expedition Hendri Coetzee, Chris Korbulic and Ben Stookesbury undertake definitely falls into the last category.

The Congo is something like the "holy grail" among kayak expeditions. The muddy stream winds through Central Africa for 4.300 km and it is not only the raging rapids one has to be afraid of. The shallow riverbanks are full of hippos and crocodiles and, apart from that, the military is omnipresent in the country battered by poverty and corruption.

The South African Hendri Coetzee is the only one who can assess all the dangerous aspects of this expedition. Together with him, Ben Stookesberry and Chris Korbulic set out on their journey to the black heart of Africa. In the middle of the river, however, the expedition takes a dramatic turn.

Life Cycles is no ordinary mountain-bike movie since Life Cycles is not starring the mountain biker but instead the bicycle itself.

The movie tells the bike’s story: from the manufacturing all the way to its scrapping – and all the ups and downs in between. For seven years, Derek Frankowski and Ryan Gibb have worked on their masterpiece; with a lot of passion, a lot of love for detail and mostly a lot of patience. "Spend time not money" – was their motto and the movie shows clearly that they stuck to that principle. The bicycle is considered to be the greatest invention of mankind.

Life Cycles sets an impressive monument through movement and very aesthetical images. This movie cannot be described in words – one has to watch it.

Anna Stöhr is a master at keeping calm during a competition and not for nothing, she has been the world champion in bouldering since July 17, 2011. Yet Juliane Wurm, in third-place this year, won’t go down easily.

What happens when two of the most experienced boulderers try out crack climbing in Utah, for the first time? The two women do not have to set foot on unknown terrain all by themselves. In the US, they are meeting up with Lynn Hill, who, in the 80ies, was one of the best female competitive climbers in the world and who is now supposed to introduce Anna and Juliane to this new climbing technique at Castleton Tower in Utah.

Travis Rice can fly without wings. All he needs is his snowboard, a run and a kicker. With this equipment taking off is quite easy. In The art of Flight Travis Rice, John Jackson and Mark Landvik prove that even snowboarding is an art form. In front of the gigantic mountain range of Alaska the three snowboarders add some new tricks to their repertoire.