Trust — the reverse of the Trautmann stunt

On the ratchet stunt for „Trautmann” I put my life in Bastian’s hands when he fired the ratchet. Here it was exactly the other way around: Bastian sat in the wheelchair and I steered him. We have known and trusted each other for many years — he recognises my ski skills, I his technical ones. Through many rehearsals beforehand on the road, under different conditions, we could ease our way in. Bastian doubled Heiner Lauterbach, who in the film is paralysed after a stroke and can only fire the rifle. The loud shots and the bang were an extra distraction for me — and we were being shot at too (blanks), certain scenes had to match, like the shot-out rear window. The real location also had a steep slope: I focused only on the dangerous curves and the speed, Bastian on the rifle action. With several degrees below zero, staying warm between takes mattered — concentration is everything on a stunt like this.

Two actors who can do exactly the opposite

The funniest part was the irony of real ability: Emilio Sakraya can’t ski in the film but very much can in real life — and Sonja Gerhardt can ski well in the film but can’t in real life. So both had to be doubled. That is exactly the point I make in Agency or Direct?: look and real ability are two completely different things. Telling too: as the lead, Sonja was not allowed to do her own stunts, even though she skis well — the injury risk would have been too high, and an injured star halts the whole shoot. How that risk is calculated cleanly is in the risk matrix.

Make-up, night and deep snow

With Emilio I had more scenes — piggyback skiing, riding into a tree and more, all routine. A night ski descent in deep snow had to look as real as possible; with the camera team that was genuinely fun. And yes — as a stunt double you get made up again and again to be indistinguishable from the actor.

What a client takes away

For bookers the message is clear: I don’t just ski well, I deliver exactly what the script calls for on camera — and that is often not normal skiing. Riding into a tree at night in deep snow has nothing to do with clean carving on a groomed slope. It is a mix of ski skill and stunt craft: skiing is the base requirement, the falling and the technical know-how come on top — exactly as I describe in The Sports I Perform on Camera. Real, safe crashes without a CGI break are also the core of my Eddie the Eagle work. Planning an action or winter production? Send a booking request — credits on IMDb.

FAQ

What was Tobi Deckert’s role in „Kalte Füße”?
Ski stunt double for Emilio Sakraya — among other things in the modified wheelchair racing down a frozen road behind a car, and in ski scenes like a night deep-snow descent.

How is a wheelchair stunt on ice made safe?
Through training, short skis for steering and engineering on the rig: welded-on bobsled brake handles for separate braking, removed disc brakes (useless in snow) and a soft, wood-based kicker.

Why double actors who can ski themselves?
Because the injury risk endangers the whole shoot — and because script-precise action (night, deep snow, into a tree) is stunt craft, not normal skiing.

Project facts

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