The highest mountain in North America rises mightily above the vastness of Alaska. Climbers plan an average of 3 weeks for the 6,190 metres high Danali – and only around 35% make it all the way up. Very unstable weather, low temperatures and often strong winds make the endeavor a real challenge. But you are by no means alone on the mountain: in this year’s 2024 season, the National Park Service issued almost 1,000 permits for the ascent, spread over the months of May and June.

I am here to film a documentary and to capture stills of everything that will happen.

After a small passenger plane drops the climbers off at the ‘strip’, they drag all their equipment onto the ice giant with ‘sledes’, as soon as it gets steeper, a ‘cache’ (camp in the snow) is set up, which is picked up in the next few days. The camps are constantly busy both during the day and at night, alpinists prepare for the onward march, others come back after a successful summit ascent, dismantle their camp straight away and set off on their descent – due to the location so far north, it only gets a little dusky and no longer dark in summer.

The community on the mountain is really amusing, there are so many interesting characters from all over the world and because you have absolutely no mobile phone reception, you actually ‘have’ to talk to the people around you! Navy Seals training, a hand surgeon from the UK, Italians, French, Poles giving us their food that they no longer need. We help each other wherever we can.

Originally we wanted to climb the Cassin ridge, but unfortunately the route via the North Folk was too crevassed and the conditions on the route didn’t look too good from afar, a rescue operation in this remote area harbours immense risks. And so we decided in favour of the normal route, the West Buttress. Unfortunately, one of the members of our Starkl expedition started coughing on day 2 and at 4,300 metres, regeneration is simply not a given. After a few days‘ break, constant back-and-forth thinking and a clear deterioration, we finally decided to call it off the next day. As we packed everything up the next morning, I thought to myself that I would probably never come here again and that I should at least attempt the summit. After a brief consultation with the other two members of our team, I stuffed everything I needed into my rucksack, packed my skis and set off up the mountain.

Despite the cold and strong wind, everything went like clockwork, 14,000ft camp, summit, 14,300ft camp in just under 6.5 hours, it simply goes downhill faster on skis ;). I packed the rest of my things into my duffle bag, tied the sledge to it and continued down to catch up with the others, which was perfectly timed about 1.5 hours before the airstrip. What an experience!

Following the legendary pioneers Toni Kurz and Anderl Hinterstoißer that died on Eiger 1936, the two Bavarian alpinist Philipp Reiter and Martin Schidlowski biked from home in Bad Reichenhall to Grindelwald in Switzerland.

Whereas for endurance athlete Philipp the 550 km bike packing trip with 5.000m+ in only 3 days seems not that hard, the Eiger North face is more the habitat of mountain guide and climber Martin Schidlowski.

A story about mountain history, value of friendship and where everything does totally different as planned.

Movie in „Bergauf-Bergab“ in the Bavarian TV: Click here

Usually the Hoch Tirol ski route in the Austrian Alps takes six days of gut busting effort and every ounce of your endurance.

When Philipp asked his French friend and world class Ultrarunner Francois d’Haene to join his 100 km long adventure spiced with 10,000 m vertical gain in 24 hours, connecting Großvenediger (3.657m) and Großglockner (3.798m) he was immediately in.
“There’s a saying that it’s well known that something isn’t possible, and then someone comes along and just does it. You set a new limit and show that something once considered impossible is possible.”

Based on the idea of Philipp, ten trail runners take on the Alps to observe the folly of division. Europe was once divided. It was nation against nation, alliance against alliance. Borders were militarized and wars claimed millions of lives. No longer. 

One of the former conflict zones is the border in the Alps between South Tyrol, Italy, and its northern neighbor, Austria. Opposing troops fought over this line when Italy annexed South Tyrol on 10 October 1920.

One hundred years later, starting on 6th October, 10 runners ran along this historic frontier to celebrate the hard won and fragile unity that Europe now enjoys. Follow their adventure on 850 km with 55,000 m in elevation gain in breathtaking scenery.

The border – a thing of human imagination – pens its way through majestic mountain landscapes and breathtaking nature. Relics of darker times – forts, bunkers and trenches – are dotted along the border where mountain soldiers battled during the First World War.

The aim of the AlpFrontTrail run is to celebrate Europe’s unity and freedom and to observe the historical tragedy of division and rigid nationalism. By running this line of separation, the athletes seek to remind us all of the importance of unity and Europe’s shared cultural heritage. We take this for granted at our own peril.