Adventure Magazine

Dominik Dernler in action - Image by Lorenz Holder/ Red Bull Content Pool
"Creativity is super important for me; thus we are
working with a completely new material. With ice,
we can create obstacles that you can't do in a
regular wake park on plastic obstacles."
#theshackletonwhisky
Despite temperatures dropping down
to minus 18 degrees Celsius - that had
seen men and equipment being frozen
over - the trio swiftly broke the ice
and demonstrated their creative trick
repertoire.
Georgii said: "Creativity is super important
for me; thus we are working with a
completely new material. With ice, we can
create obstacles that you can't do in a
regular wake park on plastic obstacles."
As wakeboarders normally flock to warmer
destinations to ride in board shorts, this
time the three athletes suited up in 6mm
thick wetsuits to remain warm for over
an hour in 1° degree-cold waters before
landing their trick and heading back
indoors to warm up. The 29-year-old
added: "We have to get our hands on the
best neoprene equipment there is."
Gührs, 32, explained: "After two days it got
really cold, it was minus 10 degrees and
then I started to freeze up, my jacket was
all frozen, my boots were frozen up and
I just felt like a proper ice man. I couldn't
move anymore and in the end it was
actually pretty extreme."
After learning how to stay calm while being
pulled upside down under the ice, Georgii
connected with two-time Red Bull Illume
Overall-winning photographer Lorenz
Holder to create the perfect shot.
German Holder placed his flashes facing
down on the ice surface and used the ice
body as an amplifier to shine light through
the dark waters, freezing Georgii in the
perfect moment while being pulled from
one side of the ice opening under the
surface to the exit.
Georgii enthused: "Under water it's just
black everywhere, but you can feel the ice
sliding along the board and that's a super
awesome feeling."
Throughout the 11-days build, the
crew and machinery had to withstand
temperatures of down to -32° degrees
Celsius, resulting in frozen beards,
chainsaws and pools, that were reopened
and cleared every morning. In total 518
tons of ice were lifted out of the lake from
which roughly 10 tons were used to create
the obstacles on three distinctive lines.
The 110 metre-long feature line pushed
the riders to deliver big airs and technical
slides; a natural line demanded quick feet
to jump from pool to pool and a creative
line meant the wakeboarders could slide
over a long slab of ice equipped with ice
walls.
Hernler, 31, declared: "My highlight was
definitely the riding, sliding around on ice
obstacles was something new I've never
done before."
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