May the Wind Be With You: Our Self-Produced Snowkite Film from Norway
Self-produced in the Norwegian winter: up by snowkite, down by speedriding wing – Lyngen, Lofoten, −20 °C. And why the EOFT passed on our film because nobody got hurt.
Written by
Tobi Deckert
Reading Time
6 minutes
The idea: a “natural lift”
The initiative came from Sebastian Bubmann and Philip Kuchelmeister, who had already been to Alaska several times – climbing mountains and snowkiting. With Maxi Kühnhäuser (kite developer at Flysurfer) we were a team of four. The idea: let the snowkite pull you up the mountain, pack the kite at the summit, take the speedriding wing out of the backpack and fly back down – then switch again. A natural lift, no cable car involved. Nobody had done it in that form before – which is exactly what drove us. We are all sponsored athletes, but this was pure personal passion: capturing the athletic challenge on film.
Norway: boat, basecamp, minus 20 degrees
We filmed in Lyngen and on the Lofoten islands – high-alpine terrain with real crevasses. We took a boat to the foot of the mountain and climbed with touring skis and all the equipment until the wind picked up (and when it didn’t, we hauled everything back down). On the glacier we built a basecamp and spent almost half a day digging a snow cave into the ice – like a living room. Great fun, but demanding: a constant −20 °C, and if you stopped moving, your extremities froze fast. I still carry a small souvenir – my right toenail partially froze, died off and is growing back very slowly.
The biggest challenge, though, was the weather: a project like this needs snow, wind and ideally sun. If it rains for a week straight, the snow in the lower sections is gone and avalanche danger rises up high – then nothing works at all.
In front of AND behind the camera
I have been filming and editing since I was a kid – first with my father’s analogue camera (MAGIX software), then switching to Adobe Premiere as a teenager, all self-taught. That creative hobby has become part of my profession today.
In Norway we had no camera crew – we had to film ourselves. Two of us ran Garmin action cams, I used a GoPro; plus DSLRs and a DJI drone. Filming in the cold and strong wind was demanding – we were impressed ourselves by how well the drone caught the summit snowkite shots at sunset (something new for the time). We edited without any cloud: identical folder structures, project files sent back and forth, as a team. I spent several months in the edit.
Exactly this experience – knowing which angle to capture and how to keep a through-line – helps me on every set today. We built in short interview parts so that someone who doesn’t know the sport can follow the challenge. For the trailer I even booked an American voice-over artist. Watch the trailer.
Why the EOFT passed on us – and why I am proud of it
We applied to the European Outdoor Film Tour (EOFT) and initially got a yes – but in the end we were not selected, because nobody gets hurt in the film. Drama seems to be almost a must-have for action and outdoor films these days. That was never our vision. We wanted to show the athletic challenge – and just as much the fun with friends. Nobody has to get seriously injured or risk their life to make a beautiful adventure film. That attitude matters to me to this day.
What a production takes away
This film shows what I bring beyond modelling: I plan, shoot and edit myself, hold a story together under harsh conditions (−20 °C, wind, self-sufficiency) and think about camera angles, light and workflow from the start. For a production that means: a performer who speaks the language of the camera, thinks along efficiently on set – and knows what is possible on the mountain.
The full film (around 20 minutes) plays at the top of this article – alternatively on Vimeo. Planning an outdoor/action production? Send a booking request.
FAQ
What is “May the Wind Be With You” about?
Four athletes snowkite up Norwegian mountains (Lyngen, Lofoten) and fly back down on speedriding wings – a “natural lift”. The film is self-shot, self-edited and self-produced.
What is the difference between snowkiting and speedriding in the film?
When snowkiting, the kite pulls you uphill or across the flats on skis. When speedriding, you fly down the mountain fast and close to the terrain on a small wing. In the film we switch from one to the other at the summit.
Why wasn’t the film selected for the EOFT?
Because nobody got hurt. We deliberately wanted to show the athletic challenge and the fun with friends – without staged drama.
Project facts
Title | May the Wind Be With You |
Year | 2017 (produced with Flysurfer) |
Team | Sebastian Bubmann · Philip Kuchelmeister · Maxi Kühnhäuser · Tobi Deckert |
My roles | athlete · camera · edit |
Locations | Lyngen & Lofoten, Norway |
Disciplines | snowkite · speedriding |
Screening | Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival |
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