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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