Private Project

Symphony on Skis

The Symphony on Skis is a winter transalpine adventure in New Zealand's Southern Alps. The journey crosses the country's most impressive glaciers and four major passes, including the tricky Main Divide.
The iconic route was pioneered in 1985 by Gottlieb Braun-Elwert, Franz Waibl and Daniel Frey. They travelled from the Godley Valley to Fox Glacier, covering over 40km and 4000 vertical meters in an unsupported 18 hour push. Despite the tough aspect of the tour, Gottlieb compared it with something creative and beautiful – music.

"A ski traverse is like a well composed piece of music. It flows with harmony, surprises with the unexpected. In engages all your emotions and the melody lingers in your mind afterwards."

September 2015 was the 30th anniversary of the original Symphony. To celebrate and rediscover this fascinating route, a small group of inspired adventurers set out on their own journey and created this film. In doing so, Gottlieb's daughters, mountain guide Elke and filmmaker Carla pay homage to their late father's legacy.

  • Carla Braun-Elwert
    Director
  • Carla Braun-Elwert
    Writer
  • Atara Film GmbH
    Producer
    Wild New Zealand
  • Elke Braun-Elwert
    Key Cast
    "Elke Braun-Elwert"
  • Jochen Reiser
    Key Cast
    "Jochen Reiser"
  • Axel Reiser
    Key Cast
    "Axel Reiser"
  • Keith Payne
    Key Cast
    "Keith Payne"
  • Keith Payne
    Photography
  • Carla Braun-Elwert
    Photography
  • Matthew Goodman
    Photography
    Wild New Zealand
  • Pim Niesten
    Photography
    Wild New Zealand, Megeti
  • Moritz Katz
    Photography
    Wild New Zealand
  • Kilian Helmbrecht
    Photography
    Wild New Zealand
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Sport, Adventure
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 31, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 NZD
  • Country of Origin:
    New Zealand
  • Country of Filming:
    New Zealand
  • Language:
    English, German
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival
    Tegernsee
    Germany
    October 20, 2017
    World Premiere
    Audience Award, Jury Prize
  • Mountainfilm Graz
    Graz
    Austria
    November 14, 2017
    Austrian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Bilbao Mendi Film Festival
    Bilbao
    Spain
    December 9, 2017
    Spanish Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Wasatch Mountain Film Festival
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    United States
    April 6, 2018
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • New Zealand DocEdge Film Festival
    Wellington
    New Zealand
    May 11, 2018
    New Zealand Premiere
    Official Selection
  • New Zealand Mountain Film Festival

    New Zealand
    July 4, 2018
    Jury Special Mention
  • Down Under Berlin Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    September 22, 2018
    Berlin Premiere
    Audience Award for Best Drama / Documentary
Distribution Information
  • Ananda Media
Director - Carla Braun-Elwert