EOFT 15/16

Trailer

©Dustin Damron 2015

Burn it down

Fast descents in downhill paradise

The winding roads of the western Sierra Nevada are seemingly endless. They are perfect for James Kelly, and there is no stopping the young longboarder when he’s descending into the valley. Kelly rips down the asphalt at 70 km/h, blasting through curves without brakes. BURN IT DOWN is a breath-taking ride that always takes the racing line.

Film information

Length: 3 min
Direction: Jack Boston
With: James Kelly
Production: Arbor Collective, USA, 2015
©TamaraLungerArchiv

Tamara

At the peak of emotions

In 2012, Tamara Lunger saw the 8,611-meter summit of K2 for the first time. The sight of it was awe-inspiring, not least because K2 is considered the most dangerous of the 8,000-meter peaks: More than 80 climbers have lost their lives here. Still, in 2014, the 28-year-old made her way back to Pakistan with alpinist Nikolaus Gruber to take on the biggest challenge of her mountaineering career. Between fear, passion and happiness—this is a portrait of a woman who lives and loves extremes.

Film information

Length: 17 min
Direction: Joachim Hellinger, Christian Schmidt
With: Tamara Lunger
Production: Helliventures Filmproduktion, Germany, 2015
©Unbranded - The Film

Unbranded

Across the USA on wild mustangs

Childhood dreams often drive the most unusual and monumental achievements. Ben Masters’ dream was to ride horseback across his native United States, a 3,000-mile adventure through the American West from Mexico to Canada. But it wouldn’t be on just on any horse. Ben and his friends Thomas Glover, Ben Thamer and Jonny Fitzsimons wanted to do the trip on adopted wild mustangs that they had broken in themselves. Riding narrow desert trails, through the Grand Canyon, and traversing the wide-open plains, the dream became an extraordinary journey through America’s vanishing wilderness.

Film information

Length: 19 min
Direction: Philip Baribeau
With: Ben Masters, Thomas Glover, Ben Thamer, Jonny Fitzsimons
Production: Fin and Fur Productions, USA, 2015
©Sterling Lorence

Unreal

Escape on two wheels: fleeing reality

Professional mountain biker Brandon Semenuk found it – that other world where endless singletrack trails snake through the lush green alpine landscape. It’s a world beyond concrete high-rises, a world without limits or deadlines, where Anthill Films has made the unreal a reality. Racing herds of horses, jumping glaciers and landing the biggest front flip in MTB history, UNREAL is the mountain biking film of the year that’s knocking the world off its axis. It’s time to get off the beaten path.

Film information

Length: 13 min
Direction: Darcy Wittenburg
With: Cam McCaul, Tom van Steenbergen, Brandon Semenuk
Production: Anthill Films & Teton Gravity Research, USA, 2015
©Christian Gisi

1h 46min

Dani Arnold on the Matterhorn

When you are the fastest in the world, your only competition is your own head. Dani Arnold breaks one speed record after another. In 2011 he took a full 20 minutes off Ueli Steck’s best time for the Eiger North Face. Now he’s going after the Matterhorn. But what makes Dani Arnold tick? A fascinating glimpse into the psyche of an exceptional athlete.

Film information

Length: 8 min
Direction: Nicolas Falquet
With: Dani Arnold
Production: Mammut Sports Group AG, Switzerland, 2015

Onekotan - The Lost Island

Skiing the volcano

Somewhere between Kamchatka and Hokkaido is an uninhabited, largely inaccessible island in the middle of one of the coldest regions in Russia. For professional free riders Matthias Mayr, Matthias Haunholder and Phil Meier the adventure begins just trying to get to Onekotan. Their goal: the first descent of the volcano at the center of the island, but with temperatures of -20 degrees and unrelenting storms the expedition quickly becomes a dangerous odyssey.

Film information

Length: 18 min
Direction: Simon Thussbas
With: Matthias Mayr, Matthias Haunholder, Phil Meier
Production: M-Line, Mischfabrik | Co-Production: Red Bull Media House, Austria, 2014
©Daniel Wagner

Masters of Slack

Andy Lewis vs. Jaan Roose

Bouncing on a slackline Jaan Roose and Andy Lewis have probably had more ups and downs in their lives than most other people. These two very different personalities are united by a deep love of their sport and a conviction that wearing clothes is sometimes overrated. Jaan, who comes from the isolated forests of Setomaa in Estonia, is a natural slacklining talent. He became one the world’s top athletes in just five years – eventually surpassing Andy, the “Godfather of Slacklining”, who had dominated the competition scene before deciding to celebrate “slacklife” instead. A portrait of two contrasting characters and their lifestyles which proves you’ll never find your balance by standing still.

Film information

Length: 9 min
Direction: Matthias Edlinger
With: Jaan Roose, Andy Lewis
Production: Moving Adventures Medien, Germany, 2015
©Austin Siadak

A Line Across the Sky

Walking the line in Patagonia

Alex Honnold on a rope is a rare sight, but he and Tommy Caldwell chose a real monster for their first major alpine route. Together the pair ventures to the Fitz Traverse in Patagonia, seven pinnacles at frosty elevations that will demand more than just the standard climbing know-how from these two Yosemite veterans. In terms of weather and climbing, Patagonia is nothing like California. It’s a fact these two learn the hard way, but they never lose their sense of humor. The story of a crazy adventure.

Film information

Length: 25 min
Direction: Peter Mortimer, Josh Lowell
With: Tommy Caldwell, Alex Honnold
Production: Sender Films & Big Up Productions, USA, 2015
©Tero Repo

Degrees North

Some people never seem to grow up. Xavier de le Rue is one of them. He may be older and wiser than the current generation of younger snowboarding talent, but he’s never lost his youthful exuberance and sense of curiosity about the world. The professional snowboarder and adventurer chooses his lines with care and with good reason – he is still the fastest, boldest and most confident athlete you’ll find on the steepest of mountain faces. Always seeking new challenges, he’s teamed up with Samuel Anthamatten to take motorised paragliding and freeriding to a new level on the Lofoten Islands and in Alaska.

Film information

Length: 9 min
Direction: Guido Perrini
With: Xavier de le Rue, Samuel Anthamatten
Production: Timeline Missions, Norway, USA, 2015