Three people in charge – involve all three

• Lift company/operator: tickets, transport, access, time windows.

• Head of slopes: responsible for slope safety, coordinates avalanche blasting. After fresh snow, the slopes around set and equipment storage have to be secured first – planned well ahead, not once base camp is already standing.

• Mountain rescue: safety and emergencies.

Safety & rescue: plan for the worst case

In developed areas much is simple: snowmobiles, and mountain rescue evacuates casualties in an akja sled. For riskier shoots, local rescue services should at least be informed. Helicopter rescue is fastest in the mountains – and for severe accidents it is the only option: with a spinal fracture, every transfer onto a sled is highly dangerous.

What few people know: on a plateau the helicopter lands directly; in demanding terrain, rescuers and emergency doctor are lowered on a line with a stretcher. The rotor downwash can blow away an entire set, and the pilot needs marshalling – landing on snow is hard (a white surface without contours; in fresh powder the helicopter would sink in). The marshal picks a good spot and raises both arms in a diagonal “Y” – the international sign for yes, land here.

More on assessing action scenes: how action bookings work (risk matrix).

Insurance & liability

I operate through my own company with professional liability insurance; privately I add personal liability, occupational disability and accident cover. Stunt performers are often covered via a collective policy, productions carry their own. Crucial: report the mountain shoot to the insurer. Helicopter rescue in particular is explicitly excluded by many policies – yet essential in the mountains and a real cost block at roughly €4,000–6,000 per mission. Camera equipment can be insured too; rental houses often have equipment pools with cheaper blanket cover. One thing is certain: gear wears far faster in cold and wet conditions.

Planning, timing & local knowledge

I live in Berchtesgadener Land, but my home turf is the whole Alpine region – Salzburg, Chiemgau, Bavaria, Tyrol – plus experience from France, Switzerland, New Zealand and Japan. Season lead time is getting harder: the glaciers have melted massively; the Zugspitze is now fully closed in summer. Half a year of lead time often is not enough anymore – winter collections are sometimes shot a full season ahead.

At the same time you need flexibility: mountain weather changes fast, and the northern and southern Alps differ a lot. For snowkite shoots, snow, space and wind have to align – at pro level you know the spots where the odds are high (Diavolezza at Bernina Pass, for example). And: contact tourism boards early – they open doors to authorities and accommodation for the whole crew. In hyped regions, villages are fully booked in peak times; the ideal off-season windows differ per region – March/April, for instance: still good corn snow, but far quieter resorts. Watch out for events that fill the slopes for a week.

What can go wrong – my Chiemsee story

For the Yodobashi shoot I had the jetboard early for training and went out on Lake Chiemsee – having checked in advance up to which motor power electric drives are allowed. I was clearly below it. Five minutes later: blue lights on the shore. The officer himself was unsure, we had a friendly conversation, and I packed up amicably. Two weeks later a €2,500 fine arrived anyway – a special bylaw explicitly excluded jet propulsion, regardless of power. After an appeal and some correspondence, €20 remained.

My lessons: know the (sometimes absurdly petty) local rules. Staying friendly and cooperative pays off. And as an individual you get permits far harder than a production with a recognizable benefit – for further training I switched to Austrian lakes, where motorboats are generally allowed.

Nature & respect on set

On the mountain there is not always running water or a toilet – you work from a base and move to set in small teams. Take wildlife seriously: grouse overwinter beneath the snowpack; scare them up and they burn so much energy they often do not survive the winter. Eagles need undisturbed space – see drones. And trash has to be planned: enough bins at the outdoor set, because when the director suddenly calls “we are shooting now”, everything gets dropped – and in snow, litter disappears until summer reveals it.

My value for a production

I am not just a performer but a local-knowledge consultant: I know the regions, the right contacts – lift company, head of slopes, mountain rescue, tourism board – the time windows, the safety and conservation topics. That saves a production time, money and risk. Send a booking request.

FAQ

Do I always need a permit to film in the mountains?
Almost always – but who issues it depends on the spot: forestry and conservation authorities in forests and protected areas, the lift company inside a ski resort, owners for buildings, plus separate drone permits. The more touristy the region, the stricter the rules.

What does a filming permit in the Alps cost?
Anything from a small deal with the owner to nearly €1,000 for half a day from a forestry office – and in brand resorts like Sölden, several thousand euros. Lift companies, by contrast, often cooperate cheaply or for free if the project brings them marketing – a good concept PDF opens doors.

When is the best time for a winter shoot?
In low light early in the morning (crew up before the lifts open!) or late afternoon – and seasonally in off-peak windows like March/April: still good snow, much emptier resorts.

What gets forgotten most often on mountain shoots?
Reporting the shoot to the insurance (helicopter rescue is often excluded and costs €4,000–6,000 per mission), avalanche control by the head of slopes after fresh snow – and the winch cables stretched across the slopes after closing time.

Facts

Permits are phase 3 of eight: the full chain from casting through permits and safety to usage is in the guide Planning an outdoor shoot.

And what the region itself can deliver

Permits are one half of a mountain shoot; the other half is whether the location delivers the image you need at the time you have booked. For my own catchment between the Chiemsee, Berchtesgaden and Salzburg I have written that down in detail — an annual calendar of what works when, the shrinking glacier window, the local wind systems, and why a locally informed enquiry gets through differently: Filming in the Bavarian and Austrian Alps.