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1
00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:15,000
What do you reckon Carla, are you happy with this?
2
00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:20,080
We'll try and get quite a lot of speed by the way,
so keep the runway clear so we don't hit any objects.
3
00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:23,160
Can you just see if it's recording?
4
00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:24,000
Yes, it's recording.
5
00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:26,440
Okay...
6
00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:29,920
Alright, you ready?
I'm ready.
7
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So always just keep it pointing as much at me as possible.
Yeah, yeah.
8
00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:38,720
Sometimes, in the mountains, you end up
somewhere completely unexpected.
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It's a bit like editing films -
you're always finding new things,
10
00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:53,880
making your way through another kind of landscape
- one made of stories.
11
00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:56,600
Oh, what a beautiful day today.
12
00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:07,320
These pictures were recorded a lifetime ago,
by my father Gottlieb.
13
00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,480
My Dad was a skilled and ambitious mountain guide.
14
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He emigrated from Germany to New Zealand,
after meeting my Mum, Anne.
15
00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:21,080
He loved exploring the wilderness
of his new home around Lake Tekapo
16
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and skiing was his favourite way to move.
17
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:33,640
When my sister, Elke, and I, appeared on the scene,
we were taken along on every adventure.
18
00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,920
Throughout our lives, Dad was always taking photos.
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And he guided all sorts of wonderful people,
including our former Prime Minister, Helen Clark.
20
00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:54,680
The last thing we all expected was
that he would pass away aged 59.
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Because Dad was always behind the camera,
I can't find that many old photos of him.
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I'm looking for them ... to help tell
the story of his most elegant journey.
23
00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:11,280
My Dad was an explorer.
To him, mountains were not a grim place...
24
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They were a place to think and be creative.
25
00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,840
Dad kept a record of his climbing trips
from all over the world.
26
00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,560
These old pages hold hundreds of memories.
27
00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:35,080
Dad completed his mountain guides training
while studying nuclear physics.
28
00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:41,840
He was clever and efficient -
good at dreaming, but also doing.
29
00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:48,440
In 1985, he made a plan to do something
no-one had ever done before:
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to ski across New Zealand's largest mountain chain,
The Southern Alps.
31
00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:58,840
He dreamt up a route from their heart,
through the major passes and glaciers around Mount Cook,
32
00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:06,280
making one epic traverse to the West Coast -
which he thought might just be possible in one single day.
33
00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:13,840
He set out with two friends, Franz and Daniel,
in the Godley Valley, far from their goal.
34
00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,680
They climbed a total of nearly 4000 vertical meters,
35
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skiied down almost the same amount,
and covered 47 kilometers.
36
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By sunset on the same day, they'd made it
to Fox Glacier on the West Coast -
37
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unsupported, in a non-stop, 18 hour marathon.
38
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One year later, Dad wrote a story
which gave the traverse its name.
39
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A ski traverse is like a well-composed piece of music.
40
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It flows with harmony, surprises with the unexpected.
41
00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:53,880
It engages all your emotions
and the melody lingers in your mind afterwards.
42
00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:59,360
Good music needs players who are
masters of their instruments.
43
00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:55,400
It's now thirty years since my father skiied
the first the Symphony on Skis.
44
00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:02,480
There's no better way to celebrate this milestone
than to ski it again.
45
00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:04,800
My sister Elke will lead us.
46
00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,720
This is one of Dad's old maps, one of the originals.
47
00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:15,160
Dad's route hasn't changed much, but this trip
is still no mean feat, even spread over multiple days.
48
00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:22,200
Like our father, Elke's become a fully qualified
mountain guide - and her skills are essential.
49
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She's responsible for staying on top of everything.
50
00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:32,800
It seems apt to repeat this traverse,
and also it's just a fantastic adventure.
51
00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,720
We all just want to do it for the sake of doing it.
It's fun!
52
00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:40,800
The fun starts … with packing.
53
00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,480
The five of us are not trying to make
the West Coast by sunset.
54
00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:50,040
This time, we're going to take a whole week.
55
00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:54,360
Elke's husband Keith is helping me
take on the task of filming.
56
00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:55,920
Oh, now it's going spastic!
57
00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,720
He's even custom made a camera stabiliser.
58
00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,800
Keith saw the Symphony as a good excuse
to design this gadget for us,
59
00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:04,000
which fits on the end of a ski pole.
60
00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:09,400
He can also fix almost anything,
which means doing all of our bindings.
61
00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,040
Jochen came over from Germany to join us.
62
00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:19,680
As a freeskier, he's quite often airborne
but also very down to earth.
63
00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:29,800
He heard about the Symphony from his brother Axel,
who spent a lot of time skiing with my Dad.
64
00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,680
Like him, Axel moved from Germany to live in New Zealand.
65
00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:41,280
And Axel has dreamed of doing the Symphony
ever since Dad told him all about it.
66
00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:34,000
Before any mountain adventure, I always feel
an equal mix of apprehension and excitement.
67
00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,640
Despite best preparations, a lot must be left up to luck.
68
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:47,200
Thinking about tomorrow's uncomfortably heavy pack,
the early start, and no shower for a week,
69
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I remembered that I could just as easily
have stayed at home.
70
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But that was the last place I wanted to be.
71
00:08:56,680 --> 00:08:58,600
So when's breakfast?
72
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Breakfast will be quarter past five, half past five.
73
00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:12,560
For my Dad's team, the night before would have felt similar:
carefully getting everything ready,
74
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dwelling over thoughts of the daunting task ahead.
75
00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,360
Franz, thank you for the water.
76
00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,640
Well if you all get ready the soup is ready in a minute.
77
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Put a place on the table
78
00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:36,680
Right.
79
00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:46,000
Yeah, for seven, the message is: is it possible
for base to be on stand-by tomorrow at 7am?
80
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:50,080
Because we may have a message to
be relayed on to Lake Tekapo, over.
81
00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,120
A short sleep and then it was time to move.
82
00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:09,240
Quickly, the starlit night absorbs us three
after leaving the comforts of Rankin Hut.
83
00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:14,240
The challenge was immense.
84
00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:19,240
Four thousand vertical metres' climb,
and 47 kilometres distance,
85
00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:26,240
linking the major glaciers and snowfields
of the Mt Cook region into one long traverse.
86
00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:32,600
There were four major passes to cross,
five of New Zealand's largest glaciers to traverse.
87
00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:38,760
We would need all our skills and strength
to complete the journey with daylight.
88
00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:49,240
We set off much later than Dad's group had.
89
00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,000
We were forced to delay our start,
to be sure the weather was going to co-operate.
90
00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,000
The most important is one smooth movement.
91
00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:03,360
Smooth, yeah, really smooth...
92
00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:32,960
Early in the morning, when Gottlieb, Daniel and Franz
were moving up the Rutherford,
93
00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,880
they had a number of unexpected problems.
94
00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:41,600
The gusty wind from the North is more than
the thermal downdraft expected during the night.
95
00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:42,960
Will the weather hold?
96
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:54,840
Like in 1985, the weather was hard to predict,
overshadowing our trip right at the start.
97
00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:03,720
The forecast was for cold southerlies,
but easing and clearing.
98
00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:08,600
I was worried that the winds were still going to be
too cold and too strong up high.
99
00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:13,200
What actually happened is the winds
eased a lot sooner than expected,
100
00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,480
and the temperature rose quite significantly
in a very short space of time.
101
00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:22,000
So my main concern going up the Rutherford
was avalanche danger.
102
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,640
And so suddenly we had a lot of time pressure.
103
00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:37,000
The hot sun was already melting und loosening
the damp snow above us on the steep valley walls.
104
00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:48,120
Every step we took was onto old avalanche debris,
which was not really so old.
105
00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:07,960
For me it was actually a very stressful day, because
on the one hand I had people wanting to get video shots
106
00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:12,360
of this dramatic scenery, of the events that were unfolding,
and on the other hand
107
00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:20,600
I had the very immediate danger of if we are in one place
for too long, we could get avalanched.
108
00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,480
So I was pretty grumpy on the first day.
109
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,720
Ok, just in front of me.
110
00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:29,080
Super, thank you!
111
00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:38,200
So due to filming, not only were we slower
because it took more time to get shots and things,
112
00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:44,240
but also, the packs were a lot heavier.
We had a lot more equipment to carry around with us.
113
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:47,000
So even when we were moving, we couldn't move as quickly.
114
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:53,480
I didn't realise it, but I was putting
this entire trip at risk
115
00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,440
by wanting to film the first section in too much detail.
116
00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,240
How is that Carla?
Uff, got too much stuff.
117
00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:03,520
I think maybe we need to take some weight off Carla's pack.
118
00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:07,840
We need to be able to move faster than this.
119
00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:10,120
Yeah that's what I said, I could take the camera.
120
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:14,760
Carla, keep on moving!
121
00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:20,200
We had to make the decision that either
we turn back here straight away
122
00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:22,240
and get down the valley as quickly as possible,
123
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,360
or we go as fast as we can and get above the danger zone.
124
00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,480
It was a fifty-fifty decision.
125
00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:35,240
Either way we were in the same amount of danger,
and we needed to go fast.
126
00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:45,240
First, day, first rest, already blisters?
127
00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:49,360
Unfortunately. Probably too heavy a bag and too hot.
128
00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,360
And we just want to get up there without stopping.
129
00:14:54,880 --> 00:15:00,760
During the course of our break, the decision
was made easy for us, because the clouds came over again,
130
00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:05,320
the temperature dropped below zero again,
things stopped moving,
131
00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:09,880
and yeah, there was no reason not to continue.
132
00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:16,840
When I start zigzagging, please do one on each zigzag.
So I zig, you zag.
133
00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,360
What means zigzag, also zigzag is -
Zig-zag!
134
00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:24,720
Yeah, yeah, no but what do you mean with -
I zig, you zag!
135
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:26,600
Ah ok, always –
I zig, you zag.
136
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,880
This is an unexpected extra water supply.
137
00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:08,360
Slowly we have gained this height.
138
00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:14,600
At last we reach smooth snow, where
skinning becomes the familiar tune.
139
00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:21,360
Sharp cold wind greets us from the north.
The Main Divide is in clouds.
140
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:29,440
Skins off, a photograph taken. These are the few restful
moments that mark our break between climb and descent.
141
00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,360
When we reached the top of our first pass,
142
00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:43,120
Elke was already thinking about the next issue,
and that was the visibility.
143
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:48,080
It was quite difficult to see the line down
into the Harper Glacier,
144
00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:52,000
and we were also slowly starting to run out of daylight -
145
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,360
we only had another hour and a half left.
146
00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:59,600
Even so, we were all looking forward
to our first turns downhill.
147
00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:27,080
Slow down, slow down, slow down, slow down.
148
00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:33,000
I think we'll have better snow in there.
149
00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:40,280
Yep, that's my waypoint.
150
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:48,120
The better snow is further over like the last section
I skiied is much better.
151
00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,080
Yeah!
So nice!
152
00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:14,960
Well, we've got a clean run down.
153
00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:28,440
So Murchison Hut, up there, in profile,
you can just see it, the little black thing.
154
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:33,760
Managing the uncertainties in mountaineering,
it's one of the big challenges.
155
00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:41,240
But I think that's also one of the really enjoyable aspects
of it, and that's what Dad also found very enjoyable,
156
00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:47,000
it's the problem solving side of it, and
finding a creative solution
157
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,560
to the trouble that has presented itself.
158
00:19:54,760 --> 00:20:00,000
Well in society, we always live in a very defined way,
you know you have traffic lights, everything,
159
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,240
and everything is decided for you.
160
00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,760
Once you go beyond that,
you have to make decisions yourself
161
00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:10,800
you have to be creative, you know,
just finding your own way up the mountain.
162
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:15,920
The mountain is unforgiving,
so you have to read the mountain
163
00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:21,240
and read the weather and everything,
and then it's a very nice experience.
164
00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:52,240
Heading up the final slope to the hut,
the snow changed and it became icy.
165
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:58,760
Elke asked everyone to put their ski crampons on.
But just two minutes after that, Jochen stopped.
166
00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:00,800
One of his had broken.
167
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:04,240
First day I use it.
168
00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:06,760
Where did it break?
169
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,800
I can show you, right here...
We'll look in the hut, it's all right.
170
00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,480
Right where the fixture is.
171
00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:25,480
Thankfully, the hut wasn't far, although we
had no hope of seeing it at this time of day.
172
00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:43,480
When we finally got to Murchison Hut,
there was one last challenge to overcome.
173
00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:48,760
No-one had been there for weeks,
since before the last storm.
174
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:53,560
There was a big bank of snow up against the door
so we had to do some digging.
175
00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:32,800
What's for dinner?
176
00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:33,720
We have...
177
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:40,200
a home-made dehydrated meal which is
beef curry
178
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:42,240
with brown rice
179
00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:46,040
and extra chilli.
180
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,160
Oh, hang on, out of focus...
181
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,760
Extra chilli.
I've got to get it sharp... there you go.
182
00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:56,000
I just need to reverse these two, and then it would work.
Ah, yeah, probably would.
183
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,720
Jochen had broken his ski crampon
on the way up to Murchison Hut.
184
00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,960
But with the right tools and Keith there to fix it,
he was soon set to go again.
185
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:08,200
We have some Kiwi ski engineering – who got it fixed!
186
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,520
Technically it works. It's a little bit dodgy,but
187
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,680
...if you can get it in it stays in.
188
00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:18,720
If it gets in.
If it gets in.Yeah, yeah...
189
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,680
And yeah, hopefully it'll work.
190
00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:24,480
We are ready for Graham Saddle.
191
00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,440
That's probably only a moderately good idea.
192
00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:36,720
I guess yes...
193
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,920
Wriggle your feet a bit, Axel.
Oh, that's awesome!
194
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:43,160
They certainly look smelly…
Actually,it looks like it's green steam!
195
00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:04,440
In the wide open valley of the Murchison,
I couldn't help but think what Dad might have thought here.
196
00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:08,000
That it's such a privilege to have
this whole valley to yourself.
197
00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:11,480
We were keen to get going.
198
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:15,080
But at the same time, we weren't
racing the sun like Dad had been.
199
00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,000
On the original Symphony,
he would have been on the West Coast
200
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,720
about the same time we'd reached
the valley floor the night before.
201
00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:29,240
Before we headed on, we had time to go exploring
202
00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,400
and we had the perfect conditions.
203
00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,480
We told Jochen it was always like this in New Zealand.
204
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:40,000
Coming to New Zealand is absolutely refreshing to me.
205
00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:46,560
Actually it's my first time out here
in the Mt Cook, Tasman region in New Zealand.
206
00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,920
At home it's completely different
to what I've been doing here.
207
00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:55,560
You have much bigger backpacks, and first of all
you have to get used to all this stuff.
208
00:24:55,560 --> 00:25:00,320
In Europe, at home, I just go out with my ski gear
and yeah, that's it.
209
00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:05,480
Yeah, it's quite a little bit more challenging
out here in New Zealand.
210
00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,160
But it's absolutely much more adventurous.
211
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,200
Doing such a trip especially with my brother is quite a...
212
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,400
Shit, what’s the word for experience?
Experience.
213
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:27,920
For me it was a challenge and a good possibility
to go out skiing with my brother.
214
00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:29,280
Let’s go!
215
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:46,280
We haven't been able to ski together for quite a long time,
because he went to New Zealand.
216
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:54,880
Yeah for me that fits really well together because
he's the endurance guy and I'm the freeski guy
217
00:25:55,040 --> 00:26:00,480
and the Symphony on Skis, it's quite
a really nice combination of both.
218
00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:07,440
On the one side you really have the whole endurance part
of the Symphony and on the other side,
219
00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:12,080
I'm really interested in looking
for the freeskiing parts of it.
220
00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,480
That’s definitely too steep for me here.
221
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:21,080
Man is that cool!
222
00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:26,000
Is there enough room up there?
223
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:30,080
Well, to be honest…
224
00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:33,520
The hardest part is yet to come.
225
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:37,880
As soon as I have my skis on…
226
00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:40,320
Then it’s all good!
227
00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:45,240
There would have been no chance
to go up from the other side.
228
00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:47,000
Okay?
229
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:04,480
It was quite sketchy!
230
00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:05,800
Yeah?
It's not wider than this!
231
00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,480
Together with my brother we scoped quite a nice line.
232
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:26,920
He's gone.
233
00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:27,880
Can you see him?
234
00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:33,200
It's quite hard for me to judge it, because the snow
is definitely different than at home, in Europe,
235
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:34,640
and it's much more changeable.
236
00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:39,880
From meter to meter, from one rollover to the next,
it could be completely from ice to powder.
237
00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:44,560
So I always, don’t really know
what's happening in the next turn.
238
00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:50,720
Actually the line was bigger than expected.
Everything was a little bit larger.
239
00:27:54,920 --> 00:28:01,000
Really nice to ski, definitely, but in the end,
I was stupid enough to get caught by my own sluff.
240
00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:11,800
Nothing big, but you always try to avoid
a tumble when filming.
241
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:14,720
It was quite a nice run anyway.
242
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:19,680
Jochen saw a way down I would have never dreamed of.
243
00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:25,040
It reminded me how each person has their own way
of interpreting the landscape.
244
00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:32,920
It was time to get back on the Symphony route
and follow the tracks of the pioneers.
245
00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,720
The Murchison Headwall looks good.
246
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:45,240
Five steep, sweeping traverses let us climb to the height
that separates the Murchison from the Tasman Glacier.
247
00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:16,880
No clouds on the Main Divide South of Tasman Saddle.
248
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:21,480
Half-time, halfway. We will have a chance.
249
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:23,560
Take a deep breath...
250
00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:29,480
a firm grip on the ski poles.
Now we can cover distance fast.
251
00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:12,480
Hello!
Hello.
252
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:13,720
Come in!
253
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,960
While ski touring here on the Symphony
it's the first time I've been in New Zealand huts.
254
00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:23,560
And they are kind of weird, compared to
everything that I know! But really interesting.
255
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,960
and actually I prefer the New Zealand style.
256
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:31,960
In Europe, often you just pop up at the hut and you
just have to pay for everything but everything is there.
257
00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:36,280
And here is nothing.
Here is just a wooden hut and it's cold.
258
00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:38,680
It changes the whole program a little bit!
259
00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:45,880
But the huts they are so cool don’t you think?
260
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:51,240
Iron box somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
261
00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,000
And when you look out the door
262
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,000
…then it just goes bzzzipp!!
263
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:57,200
…then it just goes bzzzipp!!
Straight down.
264
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,240
Straight down.
265
00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,800
Friday 25 September.
266
00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:10,440
Cloudy periods in the East, mainly
morning and night, fine in the West.
267
00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:14,720
Tasman Saddle: south-easterly twenty
rising to thirty in the afternoon, no precipitation.
268
00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:17,320
Free-air freezing level rising to 2000m.
269
00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:22,040
Elke decided the weather forecast was not good enough
for a crossing to Graham Saddle.
270
00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:25,000
So we opted to spend an extra day at Tasman Saddle Hut.
271
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,080
Copy that alright?
272
00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,440
But this didn't mean we had to stay indoors.
273
00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:34,480
Yeah, let’s not stress, just let me
get my things nicely sorted out.
274
00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:35,240
Come on.
275
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:37,280
Yeah, yeah… the weather is crap anyway.
276
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:39,520
That doesn’t matter.
277
00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:41,880
I'm all ready.
278
00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:45,680
The nice thing is, Carla now has
to make subtitles for all of this.
279
00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:46,680
Exactly.
280
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,720
Make sure you take your crampons and ice axe,
so we've got crevasse rescue kits
281
00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:54,000
because we'll be going through the Canyonlands,
so right into the crevasses.
282
00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:56,320
Got everything.
283
00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:00,240
All there. I get your skis ready.
284
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,480
You get my skis ready? I get the rest ready.
285
00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:13,680
Get down in there, have a look see what's there.
And you'll see heaps and heaps of cool features.
286
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,280
Until you're in there it's hard for you
to imagine what it's like.
287
00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,160
And you’ve got this whole valley in the background.
288
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,880
I see it as a window... to a different world
289
00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:42,080
Yeah – what a contrast though huh?
290
00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:45,040
Absolutely, gigantic contrast!
291
00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:47,680
That's so amazing.
292
00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,920
Yeah, I'll go a little bit slower going in.
Because I don't have poles.
293
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:39,160
Yeah it's quite hard.
294
00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:08,160
Shit.
295
00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:13,000
I don't know what to do with it to be honest.
Everything alright with Keith?
296
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:16,080
I'm fine I just…
His little gadget's covered in snow.
297
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,480
The next day, we had to get up early.
298
00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:32,560
Ahead of us lay Graham Saddle,
the highest and hardest climb
299
00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:38,800
and we had to get to the top before the sun
hit the steep slopes, making them unstable.
300
00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:58,840
I'm impressed with Keith.
301
00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:04,520
It's 4 o'clock and you see Keith, he's set up and filming.
302
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:06,320
That's dedication.
303
00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:17,480
The cloud from the day before was still
hanging around in the valley.
304
00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:20,920
But we could see stars above the hut.
305
00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:28,120
So we decided to descend,
306
00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:33,240
hopeful that we would be just spending a few hours
in the mist before breaking through into the sunshine.
307
00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:34,560
Okay, everybody ready?
308
00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:10,000
Yeah, just when I stop, just stay spaced evenly because
it's sometimes hard for me to tell what's ahead.
309
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:15,000
The dark and cold at 5 o'clock in the morning
are not to everyone's liking.
310
00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,400
But these things are all part of the experience.
311
00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:25,560
And if there's someone who can be counted on
to see all of this in a positive light, it's Axel.
312
00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:33,560
There's no single, one single thing that I like most.
313
00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:38,080
It's like in a symphony.
314
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:45,600
A symphony needs to be listened to
in its entire length I think, that's what makes a symphony.
315
00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:50,840
That's why it's not a song or a poem or something short.
316
00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:56,560
And all the instruments have to play together,
and that makes a symphony.
317
00:37:56,560 --> 00:38:01,920
It's not the single, not a violin makes a symphony
but the whole orchestra playing together.
318
00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:03,880
And I think this is the same for me.
319
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,720
Jochen felt a little different about the situation.
320
00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:19,600
Following Elke, and I have no idea where we are going.
321
00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:23,000
Never been here before, can't see anything, yeah.
322
00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:31,160
As you can see, Keith,
doing a technically perfect snowplough.
323
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:41,080
Axel, I'm going to go behind you I've got a bearing on
my compass, and I'll tell you if we're going left or right.
324
00:38:41,080 --> 00:38:43,320
So you just start, keep following that track, yeah.
325
00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:53,520
I can at least see a contour now.
326
00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:01,400
Yeah, we're right on track still. Perfect.
327
00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:07,000
Hey Jochen, how do you like the Tasman?
328
00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:10,960
It's great hey?
329
00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:13,320
It's fantastic!
330
00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:18,880
Welcome to New Zealand conditions - wet cold.
331
00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:21,400
Usually it's an awesome view...
332
00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:23,520
Never had a better ski descent!
333
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:26,480
What was that Jochen?
All good!
334
00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:30,920
I said I never ever had a better ski descent!
335
00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:37,160
Elke was focussed on finding the right way.
We couldn't miss the next turn off.
336
00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:41,520
So we just need to keep following this.
Yeah, you can keep following this for a bit longer Axel.
337
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:45,080
That way?
Yep, that's our bearing!
338
00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:48,840
Are we halfway down?
Yeah we're over halfway there, this is Darwin Corner.
339
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:50,440
Over halfway, yay!
340
00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:55,480
Luckily she's an expert navigator.
We would be quite lost without her.
341
00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:14,680
I would call this a rock slalom.
342
00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:40,240
De La Beche Corner!
Very good!
343
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:42,160
Thanks Axel, for your help.
344
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:45,240
I think we will get a reward for this…
345
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:52,480
some pretty good ski runs later in the day.
346
00:40:57,120 --> 00:41:02,360
My eyes travel far ahead and scan the terrain
for suitable contours,
347
00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:07,880
so that my skis can lay a track with steady gradient
providing for comfortable footing.
348
00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:15,200
The travel was anything but comfortable.
349
00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:22,200
In thirty years, the glacier has changed a lot.
350
00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:26,800
I didn't expect to encounter a field of rock and stone.
351
00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:39,040
In 1985, Gottlieb, Franz and Daniel would not
have had to carry their skis around this corner.
352
00:41:48,720 --> 00:41:50,120
How's it going, Keith?
Good.
353
00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:52,480
I was filming.
Oh, good one, shall we keep going?
354
00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:53,360
Yeah.
355
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:04,560
I think it's pointing a little bit too far up.
356
00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:11,480
We skin from here?
Yeah, I reckon we can.
357
00:42:15,560 --> 00:42:16,480
Awesome!
358
00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:42,360
Clouds reappear on the Main Divide.
359
00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:47,920
Rocks start hurtling down the moraine walls,
and sprinkle the white of the Rudolf Glacier.
360
00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:52,000
Our pace is still unchanged,
though striding out requires more effort now.
361
00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:59,320
It's soaking wet, it's cold, and ski touring sucks.
362
00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:04,000
No, opposite! Powder here we come...
363
00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:07,400
Can’t be too far away!
364
00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:17,920
Now we're talking!
365
00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:22,600
So we've got 650 metres, and we're up the steep bit.
And from there it's pretty easy.
366
00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:31,240
So I really equally like each single part of it, like
skinning up has got all sorts of fascinating things for me.
367
00:43:31,720 --> 00:43:38,480
Trying to choose the most mellow terrain
and the softest fit into the landscape,
368
00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:44,600
so you get up the hill with the least amount of effort
wasted, and the least amount of kick turns.
369
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:50,640
I think that's what Gottlieb always tried to
teach me - is to find that perfect line uphill.
370
00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:56,120
Like you know, obviously if you're following a track,
it's a bit like karaoke.
371
00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:00,000
You just follow another line.
372
00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:07,520
But if you put in your own track into an untouched slope,
you haven't really seen it before,
373
00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:11,760
and you need to read it and fit your track into the terrain.
374
00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:15,480
So that's why I think that's like composing.
375
00:44:40,680 --> 00:44:44,360
Sometimes the Symphony is not really on skis.
376
00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:54,520
Heavy bags, a steep climb, deep snow, and
not much time for stopping make it just plain hard work.
377
00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:02,440
I thought about what Dad would tell me.
378
00:45:04,120 --> 00:45:06,560
Just put one foot in front of the other
379
00:45:07,800 --> 00:45:10,160
and then the other foot in front of that.
380
00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:38,600
This one, over there, would be a perfect line!
It would be really awesome if we could ski it.
381
00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:46,760
It was a pretty damp morning. Damp, miserable,
382
00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:49,440
and you couldn't see anything.
383
00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:04,480
The clouds have disappeared again, no more spindrift.
384
00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:06,360
The wind has dropped completely.
385
00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:09,920
Excitement pulls us up the never-ending neve.
386
00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:17,680
The steepest section of our trip was almost behind us,
and we could look forward to putting skis on again.
387
00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:31,800
The upper section of the Rudolf leans back,
388
00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:35,800
and skinning becomes the well working routine again.
389
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:15,680
Isn't that bloody amazing!
390
00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:39,920
At last we can look down to the spectacular West Coast,
391
00:47:40,160 --> 00:47:44,000
and let our bodies soak up the warmth of the late afternoon sun.
392
00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:47,640
We have reached the highest point on our journey.
393
00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:56,000
Reaching Graham Saddle was the best chance
to look both ahead as well as back.
394
00:47:57,520 --> 00:48:00,640
But there was a good reason to turn
to the East side once more.
395
00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:04,760
We couldn't leave the best powder snow behind us
without skiing it.
396
00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:24,280
Go for it!
397
00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:17,200
Or you do a 360 triple-flip and then ski out -
what do you reckon?
398
00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:18,840
Yes with a big backpack... but
399
00:50:20,520 --> 00:50:21,560
just not kidding -
400
00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:28,120
do we ski on the left-hand side to the roller,
and then Elke takes us down in a line?
401
00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:35,200
New Zealand's snow conditions are never the same
from one day to the next
402
00:50:35,200 --> 00:50:37,480
or from one side of the mountains to the other.
403
00:50:40,120 --> 00:50:40,960
Okay!
404
00:50:53,920 --> 00:50:59,640
Once we dropped off the Main Divide to the West,
the fluffy powder was replaced by noisy wind crust.
405
00:51:03,120 --> 00:51:05,320
It was like crossing a frozen ocean.
406
00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:27,800
One more climb, one more pass.
407
00:51:28,320 --> 00:51:29,640
We have to make it.
408
00:51:37,320 --> 00:51:41,200
As our adventure drew to a close,
I thought back to its beginnings.
409
00:51:42,200 --> 00:51:45,920
The original Symphony on Skis was done in 18 hours.
410
00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:48,120
We took seven days.
411
00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:54,680
But no matter how long it takes,
for me this ski traverse compares to a lifetime.
412
00:51:56,160 --> 00:51:59,440
The last moments of both are never long enough.
413
00:52:03,920 --> 00:52:06,640
Immense joy overrides all tiredness.
414
00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:11,440
The last hurdle of our cross-country race is reached.
415
00:52:17,560 --> 00:52:21,160
Our rest on this magnificent grandstand is of short duration.
416
00:52:22,120 --> 00:52:26,600
We wish we could stay a little longer to watch
the sun plunge into the Tasman Sea
417
00:52:27,160 --> 00:52:30,600
illuminating the mountains
with all the colours of the spectrum.
418
00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:42,360
Once we reached the last pass,
where Dad took that final photo of Franz and Daniel
419
00:52:42,760 --> 00:52:45,160
I reflected once more on my image hunt.
420
00:52:47,400 --> 00:52:51,960
I'd been looking for pictures of my Dad in the 80s,
to fit neatly into my story.
421
00:52:52,520 --> 00:52:56,120
While I hardly found any, I found him nonetheless.
422
00:52:56,440 --> 00:52:59,280
In voice recordings, and images he took
423
00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:02,640
which were pictures not of him, but of my sister, and me.
424
00:53:04,080 --> 00:53:09,520
We have to put wax on the skis Dad, so they go faster.
425
00:53:10,760 --> 00:53:15,040
Here come Elke and Carla again…
both have already made lots of progress
426
00:53:16,880 --> 00:53:19,440
Elke’s in front and behind her is Carla.
427
00:53:21,040 --> 00:53:23,760
I have to watch out that I don’t fall over!
428
00:53:25,080 --> 00:53:29,760
I could relive the little tracks he led us along,
and the big mountains he took us up.
429
00:53:32,160 --> 00:53:35,480
Well done! Top of Mount Cook!
430
00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:45,280
The Symphony was one of his most challenging journeys.
431
00:53:45,280 --> 00:53:50,280
But taking us into the mountains was another,
which he always made top priority.
432
00:53:50,440 --> 00:53:52,560
Of course I'm proud of my girls.
433
00:53:52,560 --> 00:53:58,120
Well I think it's not just that,
it's nice to do things together that you can all enjoy.
434
00:54:03,920 --> 00:54:06,640
With Dad's encouragement I learned that on adventures
435
00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:08,800
you expect the unexpected
436
00:54:09,600 --> 00:54:13,080
and accept that you mightn't
always find what you're looking for.
437
00:54:17,960 --> 00:54:22,360
In the end, I found an answer to a question
I didn't know I was asking.
438
00:54:24,000 --> 00:54:27,360
I could see all of us being creative here in different ways.
439
00:54:27,960 --> 00:54:29,760
What was my way up the mountain?
440
00:54:30,480 --> 00:54:33,160
This journey brought me to the past and back again
441
00:54:33,920 --> 00:54:35,760
and through my greatest loss.
442
00:54:38,320 --> 00:54:43,400
The process of turning this into a celebration
was my own kind of mountaineering.
443
00:54:47,600 --> 00:54:51,200
One last time we don our skis and point them downhill.
444
00:54:53,280 --> 00:54:55,080
Okay, ready to go?
445
00:56:33,160 --> 00:56:40,080
Despite exhaustion, the senses of each player
are finely attuned to every movement, every effort
446
00:56:40,080 --> 00:56:44,320
to join together in achieving the final crescendo.
447
00:56:59,160 --> 00:57:05,400
We have made it, Chancellor Hut.
The Symphony has ended.
448
00:57:06,920 --> 00:57:09,520
Perfect line all the way down to the hut!
449
00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:32,360
The valley echoed with calls of Keas,
another sound reminding me of Dad.
450
00:57:33,120 --> 00:57:39,840
They seemed to be telling me all about my own sadness
of finishing, combined with the thrill and relief of arrival.
451
00:57:41,560 --> 00:57:46,440
Carrying the full spectrum of feelings,
we were finished, and yet not.
452
00:57:48,520 --> 00:57:53,360
Dad left us with a fantastic route
through the most amazing landscape.
453
00:57:53,360 --> 00:57:58,520
He led us to an experience which will last
long after we pack up our instruments.
41643
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