Austrian Freeriders fly Zeppelin to ride pristine alpine slopes
Zeppelin Skiing
Freeriders take
a different kind
of lift to go riding
in the Alps.
In mid-February, 2019, three Tyrolean Freeriders, Stefan Ager, Andreas Gumpenberger and Fabian Lentsch, step into the cabin of a 75-metre airship, at the Zeppelin hangar in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and take off in the direction of Brandnertal, Vorarlberg, Austria. They arrive above Kleiner Valkastiel (2,233m), open the hatch and throw a 50-metre rope into the abyss.
Harnessed in, they rope down and float in the air to experience the surreal, breathtaking scenery. It took several attempts by Ager and Gumpenberger to persuade Zeppelin to trial their Zeppelinski idea. Zeppelinskiing can’t be compared with heliskiing, as the aircrafts are designed for much lower altitudes: “For this project we had to rise to the maximum flight altitude. Every gram of weight, every fluctuation in temperature, difference in air pressure and wind speed decides our success or failure,” explains the 53-year-old pilot in chief Fritz Günther.
Preparation is everything.
It took the crew two
years of intensive
preparation to make
this idea a reality.
Info
- Client: Lensescape Productions Ager & Gumpenberger OG
- Video Production: Lensescape Productions
- Photos: Mirja Geh Photography
Ager and Gumpenberger live in Innsbruck and run Lensecape Productions; a full-service agency for film production and location management. They share their stories here. Lenscape produced a documentary for Servus TV BERGWELTEN and screened it on the European Outdoor Film Tour 2019/2020. Fabian Lentsch is a professional big mountain skier and adventurer. Find more information about him here.
eyesprint was booked to handle TV, online & social media distribution, as well as public relations for the project.
