Gasherbrum IV and Gasherbrum III which are almost 8000 thousand meters high, are still a challenge that stands erect and they are described as the very image of inaccessibility. Gasherbrum III has only been climbed once by a Polish team led by... more

Lured by timeless volcanoes, sweeping glaciers, and medieval landscapes, three journalists and friends descend on Iceland, an island of mystery and intrigue, isolated high in the North Atlantic Ocean, cresting the artic circle. The trio aims to... more

The Wadi Rum, located in Jordan near the lost city of Petra, is a vast, silent landscape of ancient riverbeds and pastel coloured stretches of sandy desert, suddenly shattered by towering sandstone mountains and sheer, shimmering cliff faces. A... more

Burma offers everything which travel agents and their customers dream of: spirituality and the exotic, coupled with a pristine condition and the Asian joie de vivre. All too often, however, mention is not made of the fact that the lion’s share of... more

Annette Kniffler, Christian Rottenberger and Andreas Seiler wanted to climb the 8000 m peak Gasherbrum in Pakistan. This would not be particularly unusual had they not travelled on their bicycles to arrive there. Talking to Michael Pause, they... more

In early March 2007 three Spanish parachute jumpers flew over Antarctica in wingsuits – a feat that nobody had ever achieved before. The only previous attempt, by a US team, ended in tragedy. The film follows the meticulous preparation of the... more

Join three women who test their limits racing their huskies 1000 miles through the Yukon and into Alaska's frigid Interior on the toughest sled dog race on earth - the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Get an insider view and find out why... more

This film is based on the director's field research conducted in Tibet in 2006, when he made a ritual pilgrimage to Kailas - the khorra - following the norms of behavior of Buddhist monks, and attended the central annual Tibetan festival - Saga... more

The Alps of Europe are the most famous mountain range in the world. They gave birth to the „alpinism“, however, they are not the only „Alps“. Three further mountain massifs exist which have been given the same name by their first European... more

The list of persons who have managed to climb the Seven Summits, the highest summits of all seven continents, amounts to only 108 persons. A few years ago, the German Karl Flock decided to become a member of this exclusive circle. When the doctor... more

How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His... more

The Mont24 was a 24-hour mountain bike race held in the scenic pine forests of Canberra, Australia in October 2007. Follow two teams riding the race: a professional male team of four, and an amateur team of six female riders. Live the journey of... more

The twin brothers Ravier, born in 1933, were quite reckless climbers. Without ever having been taught how to tie a Bulin knot, without ever having drilled holes into rock faces, they have opened almost all classical routes in the Pyrenees. With... more

“West is a landscape of loss. West is where the light dies” – Jim Perrin. ‘The Western Lands: Hoy’ is one episode in a proposed 12 episode feature film: a poetic documentary based on the life of acclaimed rock climber and award winning writer Jim... more

“Eisenwurzen” is an insight into the folk music of the Eisenwurzen region, people singing and stamping, so telling the history of the legends and plagues of the Austrian Eisenstraße (“Iron Route”), almost a western musical and an echo off the... more

Pakistan 2007, at the foot of the 8611-metre K2, the Portuguese mountaineer Joao Garcia attempts his 9th 8000. This is time for him to go back on his various ascents of the Himalayan giants: Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Everest, Gasherbrum 1 and 2,... more

Forensic anthropologist Eric Crubezy made a sensational discovery. Whilst excavating the permafrost of Yakutia, in eastern Siberia, he unearthed an ancient burial site containing a truly exceptional find: the body of a woman lying in a wooden... more

CO2 and climate change influence our environment in quite different ways. In the tropical rainforest, especially in the treetops, the first signs that might well fundamentally change the rainforest eco-system can already be seen. Dr Jörg Salzer, a... more

In the 1950’s climbing standards exploded. It was due to two men - Joe Brown & Don Whillans. They were small wiry men of immense power and small stature. Never before or since has one pair of climbers pushed the standards so far or so hard. Their... more

In the southern Carpathians, on the Luncanilor plateau Romanian farmers, most of them shepherds have been living in an almost completely isolated world for centuries. They have survived all political turbulences without any harm, simply because... more

Andi Kromer and Philipp Feldbacher lead us into the Klostertal. However, they don’t do it in the traditional way, because the Trial World Champion and the World Cup Downhiller use the marvellous landscape as a playground for their bicycles. They... more

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on the islands of Vanuatu, humans have a fascination for a particular animal. Sacred stones honour its memory… Drums announce its presence… Dances and chants celebrate its glory… It embodies wealth, it is at the... more

“DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM” is an intimate portrait of the nuns of Kala Rongo, a rare and exceptional Buddhist Monastery exclusively for women in remote northeastern Tibet. Here, these women are receiving unprecedented educational and religious... more

The year 2008 sees the 30th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest by Austrians. On 3 May 1978, Wolfgang Nairz, Robert Schauer and Horst Bergmann, together with Ang Phu, stood on the summit of the highest mountain on Earth. On 8 May,... more

The Austrian Christian Stangl is the new star of the international scene of extreme mountaineering. His special discipline is Sky running – climbing mountains as fast as possible and without any technical support like oxygen or stored supplies... more

Terray. This name sounds like challenge, and shines in the unconscious collective of the mountain dwellers. For all of them, Lionel Terray will always remain the Conqueror of the Useless par excellence. Forty years after the disappearance of this... more

Catherine Destivelle is one of the greatest personalities of mountaineering and among the most renowned climbers of our times, both in France and abroad. Her popularity makes of her an excellent ambassador of the French Alps. Directed by Rémy... more

In the early years of flying, pilots were celebrated like heroes. Their records hit the headlines and cast a spell over people worldwide. Their motto was: faster, farther, longer and higher. One of the biggest challenges has always been to cross... more

Irmtraud Hubatschek and Joel Jenin want to look for the footsteps of the mountaineering pioneers of Corsica. In addition to the explorer Felix von Cube they find famous names coming from all of over Europe, among them numerous well-known... more

„Never marry someone from Dankhar“, people in the Himalayas say, „up there, life is too hard“. At an altitude of 4.000m the village Dankhar majestically overlooks the Spiti valley. Here, in the wasteland near the Indian border to Tibet, the... more

Since China’s occupation of Tibet, Ladakh, the „Land of the High Passes“ in the north of India has remained the last refuge of the Tibetan high culture. In the village Saboo the 82 –year old shaman Ayu Lhamo lives, a legendary oracle healer... more

The mountain village Gondo is located on the south side of the Alps, in the Swiss canton Wallis, on the foot of the Simplon pass on the border to Italy. On October 14, 2000, an avalanche of stones, mud and water flooded the small mountain village... more

This award-winning film is about how Hannes Schneider became known as the “Father of Modern Alpine Skiing” by starting his famous ski school and ski shop in St. Anton, Austria in the early 1900s and then spreading awareness of alpine skiing... more

On March 28th 1958, a delegation of the Austrian Himalaya Society was dispatched to an expedition to Pakistan to make the first ascent of the Haramosh peak (7,409 m / 24,307 ft), the peak that a team of english alpinists tried to climb the year... more

Everest: A Climb for Peace is not just a typical Everest film, but a socially relevant documentary about peace, war, and the human spirit - an inspirational film, which also has some of the most incredible Everest footage ever shot, including a... more

Even nowadays, porters carry the food to the alpine huts in the High Tatra in the north east of Slovakia. Carrying provisions has a long tradition and it corresponds to the living culture which is marked by freedom and independency. Viktor Beranek... more

In the first winter to show the undeniable effects of global warming, Absinthe Films has explored the effects of a changing planet. For those who live to snowboard, these changes can be perceived as impossible challenges or creative opportunities... more

The „Action Directe“ in the Franconian Jura Mountains was the first route of an 11th difficulty degree. In 1991, Wolfgang Güllich succeeded in the first ascent, and until now, only 9 climbers have managed to repeat the climb. One of them, and the... more

Freediving is diving only with a mask and a snorkel. For years it has been a dream of Stig Aavall Severinsen, World Champion in this discipline, to dive and interact with the beautiful and mesmerizing Killer Whales. Stig takes the viewer deep down... more

In „The Great Warming“, Keanu Reeves and Alanis Morissette present an alarming snapshot of our planet which is endangered by the impending climate change. Through real life stories they document how our living space is threatened by the increasing... more