The BEEB in the Remarkables

The BBC wanted something extreme for their Sunday Ski Show at 10pm on Sunday nights in the UK. So well-known base jumper Chuck Berry put them in touch with the safety and rigging crew at Independent Mountain Guides in Queenstown.

After some careful thinking, a plan was contrived... A 70-metre Tyrolian traverse between the two peaks of Double Cone on the Remarkables Mountains near Queenstown, with a 150-metre down climb/abseil thrown in, finishing off with a 350-metre ski and snowboard descent of a 47 degrees steep snow gully to Lake Alta, close to the Remarkables Ski Area.

To get to the top of the peak wasn’t easy. Queenstown’s Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters provided the taxi service. Local pilot Pete Saxton had the skills for such a tricky landing (a hover exit), as one of the photos demonstrates.

The IMG team of riggers, Mark Whetu, Nick Flyjborg, and Tarn Pilkington, were tasked with safely rigging both the Tyrolian and the descent off the middle peak. The two BBC presenters, Ed Leigh and Graham, then skied and snowboarded down the Grand Couloir, dodging a small (Class 1) avalanche on the way!

The safety/rigging team had been waiting for several days to rig the shoot for the BBC. Initially, the rig was supposed to take 2 days and the shoot 1 day; but weather issues meant the rig was done in only 4 hours and the shoot in 3 hours!

The BBC team were well supported by Kiwi cameramen Geoff Aldridge and Chris Kirkham. Destination Queenstown’s Hazel Murturg helped with the filming permits from DOC.

The BBC crew were a great team to work with, leaving the safety, the rigging, and the logistics to us, and then carrying out a safe descent and successful shoot all in one! The first ever Tyrolian traverse of Double Cone on the highest points of the Remarkables. It was a dream come true!

Cheers,

Dave Macleod

Independent Mountain Guides, Queenstown