Lightning Strike

Arwa Tower

Christoph Frutiger, Stephan Siegrist, Christine Kopp

The story of two teams of climbers, who in the early summer of 2007 take to the Arwa Tower, a wonderful six-thousand-meter peak in the northern Indian Garhwal-Himalaya. One team – comprising of world re-knowned Swiss mountaineer Stephan Siegrist, along with Thomas Senf (D) and Denis Burdet (CH) – has the almost 1000 meter high, as yet unclimbed Northface as their goal. The men are successful: On the 7th of June, after 12 days of climbing on the wall, and overcoming extremely difficult passages using free and artificial climbing, they stand on the summit. They name their first ascent “Lightning Strike“ (900 m, VI, M5, 5.9, A3). The name is derived from the distinctive pattern which runs through the lower part of the wall like the remaining traces of a lightning strike. The other team is made up of two women: Ines Papert (D) and Anita Kolar (CH). They want to repeat the route on the West pillar, first opened by French in 2002. Unfortunately, however, the two strong alpinists – Ines Papert is the leading female ice and mixed climber in the world – have to abandon their attempt due to bad weather just 200 meters below the summit. In the film, Stephan Siegrist tells us the story of this expedition as the first-person narrator.

The film accompanies the two teams to the mountain: you see the porters and the fantastic landscapes of the Garhwal. The audience will experience the type of dramas that can unfold in an expedition at this altitude as they witness the rescue of Anita at the beginning of the trip – she becomes ill with pulmonary oedema and has to be taken immediately to a lower camp until she is able to get up again using her own strength. The odd joke and quiet self-irony is also present: The film not only puts the mountain and the physical efforts of the climbers in the foreground, but also the cameraderie shared by a handful of friends. And even when at the end the men succeed and the women (unfortunately) don’t: The summit is not so important, the experience, however, is …

Christoph Frutiger

Christoph Frutiger was born on 9 April 1965 in Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland where he lives with his wife and the two daughters. After having become a teacher, he underwent further training to qualify as a cameraman in New York. Thereafter he worked as an assistant cameraman in New York, in the Bavaria Studios of Munich and in Switzerland. After that he began his work as a freelance cameraman. Amongst other things, Christoph Frutiger works for television channels in Switzerland and other countries. As second unit he has been involved in two Bond films and "Band of Brothers" by Steven Spielberg. In addition, he produces commercials and documentary films. In the past few years he has contributed to several large screen productions for the Mystery Park at Interlaken.

2008 DIE GEIGE
2008 LIGHTNING STRIKE
2004 ADRIAN FRUTIGER - DER MANN VON SCHWARZ UND WEISS
2002 CERRO TORRE - SIE WOLLTEN IHN NICHT VERSTEHEN...

Stephan Siegrist

Stephan Siegrist was born on 17 December 1972 and lives in the Bernese Oberland (Switzerland). With his spectacular first ascents in Patagonia, the Alps (particularly on Eiger where he opened three of the most difficult climbs on the North Face), the Himalayas and in Antarctica, Stephan Siegrist belongs to the most reknowned alpinists of the world. The films (especially the one about his 2006, successful expedition to Thalay Sagar in India) and pictures of Stephan Siegrist’s big wall adventures in America, his amazing and difficult alpine performances in Europe and Canada, his bouldering routes in Africa and Australia, and most of all, his successful expeditions in South America and Himalayas, have traveled around the world and been distinguished with several awards.

2008 LIGHTNING STRIKE

Christine Kopp

Christine Kopp was born in Berne on 15 January 1967 and lives in Lecco in Northern Italy. After qualifying as a translator she in 1991 began her career as a freelance translator, journalist and editor. She has specialized in mountaineering and tourism issues and so far translated nine books from Italian and French. Since 1994 she has been the editor responsible for the pages about mountaineering of the well-known Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

2008 LIGHTNING STRIKE
2004 ADRIAN FRUTIGER - DER MANN VON SCHWARZ UND WEISS
2002 CERRO TORRE - SIE WOLLTEN IHN NICHT VERSTEHEN...

Internet

Website Stephan Siegrist

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