© Moon Studio Ltd

STEVE BACKSHALL

& THE VERTICAL MILE

3 Week Digital First Interactive Event

1 Week Pre Climb Filming in Switzerland

3 x 30’4K/ 2 x 50’4K TV Documentary

BBC & International Co-Production

The North Face of The Eiger is the most iconic vertical mile of

crumbling ice and rock in the world. 64 people have died trying to

climb it and now Steve Backshall is determined to give it a go…

© Moon Studio Ltd

“The North Face of the Eiger is the single climb I have most

coveted in my entire life. It’s within my capabilities, but will take

me right to the edge.” (Steve Backshall, 2016)

SIZZLE TASTER FILM: https://vimeo.com/185716227/7c8dff3153

Heroic stories from the Eiger inspired

Steve to start climbing as a teenager.

He’s tried and failed on the Eiger

once before, now he’ll be guided by

the ‘Rock Star’ of British climbing, Leo

Houlding.

A NEW, LIVE AND IMMERSIVE STYLE OF ADVENTURE STORYTELLING…

• Mid Jan 2017: Steve will launch his challenge with a terrifying short film

(2-3 minute) revealing a snapshot of his training and what he’s up

against. He could also come into the CBBC studios. TV Presentation /

Blue Peter, Youtube, Web, Instagram, iPlayer.

• 3 weeks of uk training, roughly themed with 2 drops each week

(climbing skills, strength, endurance, food & health) with content

released twice a week Mon & Fri: short films, instagram updates,

facetime with TV presentation and challenges for audiences. TV

Presentation / Blue Peter, Youtube, Web, Instagram.

• Pre Climb films x 7 All based around Swiss training and prep eg. ice

climbing, altitude, sleeping out, recces, weather / conditions checks.

• 3 x 2’ Hero films of past climber’s surviving against all odds or meeting

grisly ends on the mountain. Could be‘unlocked’ by Steve & Leo

© Moon Studio Ltd

reaching the relevant points on mountain. TV Presentation / Blue Peter,

Youtube, Web, Instagram.

• 3+ x 10’ Daily Highlights Packages of climb and pre climb training in

Switzerland. Web, TV & iPlayer

• 5 x 3’ Virtual Reality 360 Films of crux moments for total immersion. Web

& Mobile

• Facetime, photos and texts to and from Steve for involvement in

decisions eg. what shall I eat tonight? Web, Mobile

• Graphic up to date of Steve track up mountain of 3 Day Climb. BBC

Website.

• 3 x 30’ & 2 x 50’ True 4k (or HD) Documentaries. TV & Intl Distribution.

• UGC send in campaign for inspiring messages to send to Steve with

examples of what kids have done themselves.

© Moon Studio Ltd

DAY ONE: The goal will be to get past the ‘Stollenloch’ where they will sleep out on an icey ledge with no tent, but

just a waterproof sleeping bag for protection.

Continual critical decisions: the best routes, timings, gear, when to rest, when to push on. Some of these will inevitably go

wrong and they’ll have to deal with that.

DAY TWO: The goal is ‘Death

Bivouac’ at 3300 metres, it’s the biggest climbing day covering a

whopping 700 metres up with all their kit. Mentally it could well be the

toughest day for Steve. There is no going back, nor any summit to reach, it will just be brutally gruelling hard

work. Leo will have to be a patient climbing partner but they’ll both be

feeling cold and tired after what was probably a pretty rotten night’s sleep.

DAY THREE: The goal is ‘Summit’ at

3970 metres, Steve says this would be the greatest achievement of his life

and a results of years of work. Win or lose - it will push Steve to the edge

and give us all the chance to experience an epic mountaineering story.

The Icefields: The ice can be perilously thin, too thin for the ice axe and crampons, but the rock will be too slippery without,

making it exhausting going.

Frozen Waterfall: With the rope paid out up to 60 metres, there is no opportunity to doubt. It literally will be a question of mind

over matter if Steve’s going to make it up. When he says the climb will take him the

edge – this is the moment.

THE EIGER VERTICAL MILE - OVERVIEW

Hinterstoisser Traverse: blank icey slabs of rock 450 metres up. It is named after the first person to conquer it in 1936 – who

became it’s most famous victim, when he couldn’t get back down.

Brittle Crack & Traverse of the Gods: Tottering vertical rock negotiated by edging along a disintegrating crack running through the middle. Traverse of the Gods is over a

sheer kilometre drop.

© Moon Studio Ltd

3 WEEKS OF TRAINING & BUILD UP

WEEK 1: LAUNCH FILM & CLIMBING SKILLS

In this terrifying film Leo tests Steve’s metal on the Gogarth Sea Cliffs in

Anglesey and both Steve and Audiences get a taste what he will up against

when he tackles the Eiger..

We discover the vital facts about The Eiger and Steve’s desire to climb it.

Steve himself admits that he’s not a natural climber – he’s too big and too

heavy, BUT climbing the Eiger is requires sports climbing skills of grade 5a. In

plain english that is really, really hard..

And when Leo sets Steve the task of freeclimbing (this is with ropes) and

leading the way up this puny 80 metre sea cliff we all learn how much Steve

has to do to tackle the mighty mile high Eiger.

2-3 Min Film + Shorter, platform specific versions

LAUNCHES WITH STEVE IN MEDIACITY pres/BP Or both

PUSH to website where there is much more.

LEO’S TRAINING PLAN

Leo sets the real training regime that Steve will need to undergo to be Eiger

ready. (Perhaps a homepage sets out the skills and abilities Steve will need

with his progress so far?)

The on-going story of Steve’s progress is told is with films, wow clips, gifs,

pictures and social media updates.

© Moon Studio Ltd

VIEWER CHALLENGE - Are You Eiger Ready?

Many of Steve’s challenges can be adapted into viewer challenges to play-

a-long and post their achievements too with the best being rewarded each

week with mentions.

Steve’s on going training follows 3 themes and we can either major on one

theme each week or following all three themes unfolding across three

weeks..

THEME / WEEK 1: CLIMBING SKILLS

Examples could include…

Complete a 5a root at his local climbing wall… with a rucksack on his back.

Like all the challenges, it is unlikely that Steve will manage this the first or even

the second time so this going to be an on going challenge that Steve will

need to return to and we release updates each time he does..

In Leo’s absense (being an jetsetting explorer he’s in antarctic) the tiny skinny

Kirsten Piper, a 13 year old British climbing champion, could demonstrate it…

Complete The Hinterstoisser Traverse at home.

This is first crux challenge on the Eiger, it will require him to balance with his

boots (with crampons) on a ledge about 5 mm thick. The rock is completely

smooth with no hand holds, so he must edge his way along using pure

balance for about 20 metres – and for the real climb he’ll be a third of mile

up in the air.

Steve re-creates it with a plank of wood along a wall at home…

VIEWER CHALLENGE – Climbing

Complete 5a route or a personal best at your local climbing wall and send us

a video – best will reposted to our followers. Could be promoted through

climbing clubs and sports climbing groups via social media.

ALTERNATIVE / EXTRA - Ice Climbing

Steve has limited experience, but its obviously vital on the Eiger, so he goes to

an indoor facility with Leo to see if he can get his head around hanging off

crampons and an ice pick.

© Moon Studio Ltd

THEME / WEEK 2: STRENGTH & FITNESS

Examples could include…

Helen’s Olympian training regime

The endurance target set by Leo includes completing 4-hour runs and being

able to hang off his finger tips doing pull ups. Steve’s wife Helen is Olympic

Gold medallist, so who better to get him into shape… she designs a regime to

meet Leo’s targets and it’s brutal…

13 year old girl and British Team Climber, Kirsten Piper’s strength challenge

To hang for a minute or do 10 pull ups on his finger tips, walk a slack line with

no leg shake, hold a crucifix pose whilst hanging on ropes or hold a plank

pose for 4 minutes.

Stephen Gerrards Leg strength training

Steve is put through his paces by one of the hardest working footballers he

knows – Stephen Gerrard.

VIEWER CHALLENGE - Strength

Get a friend to video you hanging off a door frame for as long as you can, or

do as many pulls ups as you can. Anyone that can beat Steve’s time gets

massive credit and reposted.

ALTERNATIVE / EXTRA - Who’s fitter Steve or Leo?

Steve meets Leo and he suspects that he has been slacking off because he

can rely on his climbing skills, but they soon find out who is the fitter…

THEME / WEEK 3: HEALTH & PACKING

Examples could include…

Steve’s Target Weight

Steve is naturally a bulky guy, which isnt ideal for climbing, so whenever Steve

takes on a big climb, he has to go on a strict diet to get his weight to strength

ratio down. Steve weighs himself to see how much he has to loose… its

several kilos.

He shows us his new meal regime including his favourite homemade

smoothie and protein powder mix.

© Moon Studio Ltd

Operation Ouch Check Up

Steve gets himself checked out by Chris and Xand, the damage and healing

from a horrific climbing accident, 9 years ago. Steve fell 25 feet, broke his

back in 2 places, smashed his ankle, but its not stopped him climbing…

Then could also discuss fear, of heights in particular and the symptoms like leg

shake and how to overcome it…

Getting Kit down to weight…

It’s not just Steve, but his kit also needs to weigh an absolute minimum. He

takes us through his kit and shares fun facts eg. they have to carry all waste

with them – so in go poop bags…

Unfortunately his kit is far too heavy though, so he has to go to extreme

lengths to get his kit weight down, including chopping his toothbrush in half

and making some very difficult choices of what to take.

VIEWER CHALLENGE – Motivational Messages

Viewers can send a motivational send-in to keep him going on the climb – eg

music tracks/words of wisdom / a funny image / inspirational examples of

how kids have got over something – courage/determination /

perseverence/inspiration

DEPARTURE

Last night Video message

On his last evening before leaving, Steve reveals how he’s feeling about the

climb, reads some of the messages of support he’s had and says a big thanks

to everyone.

Travel to Switzerland

We see him saying goodbye to Helen – or travelling with her?

Fun home vid and travelling pics with Leo of getting to Kleine Sheidegg – the

Swiss village at the base of the Eiger.

© Moon Studio Ltd

ALTERNATIVE OR ADDITIONAL THEME / WEEK 4:

We could include the alternative / extras above AND look at food…

Tilly’s expedition food

Steve confesses that he hates expedition food and visits Tilly Ramsey to see if

she can make something better. It is then sent off for freeze drying…

When it comes back Steve and Leo try them and chose what to take..

VIEWER CHALLENGE – Food

Cook and send in pictures of your perfect expedition meal that could be

freeze dried. Steve will select best ones and try them and possibly even take

them with him.

© Moon Studio Ltd

DELIVERABLES & DROP SCHEDULE

The whole build up, including launch and hero films, is planned carefully so it

can be filmed over 8 days (2 days per build up theme / week + 2 days for

departure / voiceovers, studio launch and FTs).

Release begins 3 weeks before departure with 2 main drops being released

weekly…

DROP 1: Mon-Thurs

TV, WEB + YOUTUBE

2-4 min film / video + 1 min version of the emotional moments

TWITTER, FB and possibly other approved cbbc social accounts.

5 x 15 sec Wow moment clips

Pictures / 3 sec Gifs

FACEBOOK:

No sound friendly 1 min version of film / video using text for older fans

HASHTAGS & REPOSTS WITH STEVE, LEO & INVOLVED CELEBS

VIEWER CHALLENGE UGC IS REPOSTED WITH MENTIONS AND CREDITS

DROP 2: Fearless Friday

PRES

FT with Steve – Each week in the FT he will share stories from his training and

credit his favourite viewer send-ins of the week.

Duration: 3-4 mins within Pres.

WEBSITE + YOUTUBE

2-4 min film / video + 1 min version of the emotional moments

FACEBOOK:

No sound friendly 1 min version of film / video using text for older fans

HASHTAGS & REPOSTS WITH STEVE, LEO & INVOLVED CELEBS

VIEWER CHALLENGE UGC IS REPOSTED WITH MENTIONS AND CREDITS

© Moon Studio Ltd

SWISS TRAINING & PREPARATION

As soon as a clear weather comes they will have to go for the main ascent,

but they may only have time for one or two day’s training…

Swiss Ice Training

Short Film. Steve needs to ensure his ice climbing skills are fully honed, so he

practices on some local ice faces with Leo. They’re straight in attempting a

serious alpine ice wall. As well as climbing, they will need to practise hanging

a tent off a cliff, cooking dinner and know the toilet drill too!

Eiger North Face Recce

Short film. They will need to plan their route and scope out conditions on the

rock face via the Stollenloch – a viewing hole a third of the way up and

reached from a tunneled trainline. Possibly recce it via helicopter too..

Daily weather checks

Video Messages. We’ll see the Steve and Leo checking conditions for real to

see if they can set off.

If they cannot set off immediately there will be time for more training and

prep as necessary…

© Moon Studio Ltd

Practice Climb Neighbouring Peaks

Short film / VR 360 Film. There’s Jungfrau and Monch either side of the Eiger as

well as countless ice climbs to try. Leo could set him practice pitches and

Steve could practice leading.

Audiences – what should Steve practice? Ice climbing, cliff camping,

sleeping in snow holes?

The Extreme Honeymoon

Short Film. Helen and Steve will be just married and what better to celebrate

than with an ice wall! Is Helen converted to climbing?

A.N.Other Short film / VR 360 film. ( Ed to suggest)

Altitude Training

Campcraft sleeping on a cliff face

Extreme Skills eg. Paraglide off a peak / perhaps landing on skis

Wild animals in the mountains – can he tracking them down?

Help me choose my look!

Video Message. The glare is extreme but what shades should Steve wear?

The retro or the wraparounds? And the bobble hat or hi tech cap?

A Night in a Snow-hole

Short film. Some say they are warmer than a tent. Is that really true?!

Final Night Packing & Leaving

Video Diary / Short Film. Pre departure nerves the night before. Saying

goodbye to Helen in the morning then we’ll follow Steve and Leo upto the

first bit of serious climbing…

CLIMB DAY ONE This is climbing’s ultimate theatre – the north face is in full view of tourists –

including Steve’s wife Helen - on the terraces of Kleine Scheidegg just a mile

away. They’ll trek and train to the bottom of the cliff at 2320 metres. The

summit is 1650 metres straight up at 3970 metres.

Day one’s goal will be to get past the ‘Hinterstoisser Traverse’ – blank icey

slabs of rock 450 metres up. It is named after the first person to conquer them

in 1936 – who later became their most famous victim when he couldn’t get

back across on the way down.

© Moon Studio Ltd

The weather is brutally changeable

and small rock and ice falls can be

daily occurances as the sun warms

parts of the mountain each afternoon

(less of a problem in the winter but

then the weather is worse).

They will have continual critical

decisions to make. The best routes,

timings, gear, when to rest, when to

push on and some of those decisions

will inevitably be wrong which they’ll

have to deal with too.

The dangers to be overcome are loud

and clear in the stage names…

First there’s the ‘The Shattered Pillar’

and ‘The Difficult Crack’, then the gut-

wrenching ‘Hinterstoisser traverse’ –

There’s a fixed rope there now, which

purists doggedly ignore. Steve and

Leo ask the audience what they should do?

Hero Film – Andreas Hinterstoisser

Aged 22, he was the first man to cross this terrifying

traverse and he did it in hobnail boots. He invented a

roping technique known as the ‘pendulum’ which still

used today.

They thought they’d done the hardest bit of the climb

and took the rope with them. Unfortunately disaster

struck and they later had to retreat, but were stuck

the wrong side of the traverse. Shortly after an

avalanche of ice swept Andreas off the mountain

and he was found right down there…

© Moon Studio Ltd

Virtual Reality 360 Film – The Hinterstoisser Traverse

Join Steve on the Hinterstoisser Traverse for a totally immersive immersive

second screen experience. You will be able to pan and tilt Steve’s point of

view and hear the fear in voice as edges along with you. (Delivered same

day but not live).

The combination of experiencing the thrill and fear of climbing a mile high

rock face in 360 and an unfolding human story will be unique.

Night One

Steve reveals his state of mind as he calls Helen from a tiny ledge a third of a

mile up. We discover what its like up there and there’s multi-choice quiz to

guess how they go to the loo…

© Moon Studio Ltd

CLIMB DAY TWO After a night at -15, day two’s challenge is ascending three near vertical

icefields that often become streams of crumbling ice and stones in the

afternoon, as the sun warms the mountain. If that happens they’ll literally

needs to cling on, tucking their heads in like a tortoises under their helmet

shell and hope their don’t get hurt or their equipment smashed.

The Day’s goal is ‘Death Bivouac’ at 3300 metres, so it’s their biggest climbing

day covering a whopping 700 metres up with all their kit.

Its all about ice-climbing today with 3 icefields to cover but the difficulty is

that in September the ice will be perilously thin – particularly this year when

there was so little snow. It could be too thin for the ice axe and crampons

and the rock too slippering to rock climb making it frustrating going.

Mentally it could well be the toughest day for Steve. There is no going back,

nor any summit to reach, it will just be brutally gruelling hard work. Leo will

have to be a patient climbing partner but they’ll both be feeling cold and

tired after what was probably a pretty rotten night’s sleep.

Between the ice fields are delicately thin traverses done in clumsy crampons.

One slip off and Steve or Leo will go arching across the mountain face in

sheer terror and praying the don’t hit anything on the way down. Then it’s

painstaking and exhausting climb back up the rope.

The final icefield is reached by climbing up the ‘The Ice Hose’ which can be

a very cold stream of water. Their original weather forecast will also become

less reliable and the Eiger is notorious for storms whipping in an instant.

© Moon Studio Ltd

Night two is in ‘Death Bivouac’ – named after two 1935 climbers who

sheltered here in a storm and never emerged. In 1966 John Harlin spent his

last night here waiting for a storm to pass. Steve makes an exhausted call

back down to Helen.

Hero Film - John Harlin

He was a competitive and charasmatic

American obsessed with ‘the most direct

route’ ascent. He assembled a team,

including Britain’s Chris Bonnington.

But there was a rival German team who he

was determined to beat. The Germans set off

in poor weather, Harlin was playing a deadly

game of catch up. For speed he risked using an old rope just above Death

Bivouac. He was ahead in the race… until it broke and he fell 1000 metres to

his death.

But the drama was not over . The weather worsened, winds getting up to 75

miles per hour but both teams carried on, this time together. Equipment was

blown away - one climber was badly injured and another inched up with just

one crampon and one ice axe. But 3 days later, 5 climbers made it the top

and the route became known as ‘The Harlin Route’.

Virtual Reality Film – Traversing in Crampons

With thinning ice crumbling all around him, join Steve trying to rock climb with

clumsy ice climbing spikes on his feet. The chances of a fall are greater than

ever and its an almost 1000 metre drop.

© Moon Studio Ltd

CLIMB DAY THREE The Summit or bust. Leo and Steve will need to set off before dawn to have a

chance. They will be praying for better weather with another 650 metres to

climb. Motivation will be sky high but up here being too eager can be fatal.

They’ll not be looking forward to taking on the ‘Frozen Waterfall’ straight after

breakfast. It’s overhanging, caked in ice and reputedly the most difficult part

of the climb. Every placement of the axe shatters the thin ice into a shower of

‘glass’ and the rock below is probably too hard for Steve to climb with kit.

He’ll be convinced he’s going to fall but he needs to hold tight. With the rope

paid out up to 60 metres, there is no opportunity to doubt. It literally will be a

question of mind over matter if he’s going to make it up. When he says the

climb will take him the edge – this is the moment.

Following that there’s the aptley named ‘Brittle Crack’ – tottering vertical

rock negotiated by edging along a disintegrating crack running through the

middle. The ‘Traverse of the Gods’ is then sheer kilometre drop. And then it’s

on up the notorious ‘White Spider’ ice sheets that were Toni Kutz’s undoing.

Hero Film Toni Kurz

He was Andrea Hinterstoisser’s partner in 1936 and they

were on track to make the summit. But when they

reached the ‘White Spider’ an Austrian climber in another

team was knocked unconscious by rock and ice fall. Kurz

and Hinterstoisser called off their own attempt to help get

the injured climber down.

© Moon Studio Ltd

But in the process they dropped a rope and didn’t have

enough rope left to get down. After days on the mountain

on a mini avalanche swept them down. Hinterstoisser and

one of the Austrian fell to the deaths, the other Austrian was

strangled by the rope whilst trying to hold them up.

Kurz was left dangling, metres from his rescuers who could

not reach him. With frostbitten hands he could do nothing

and his final words were, ‘I cannot go on’ and he died.

Steve and Leo - cont

Even with helmets, they’ll be hoping the White Spider will be more generous

with them.

Shattered and almost a mile up, they must then snake up the ‘Exit chimney’ is

polished smooth and a nightmare in crampons. It is is also where John Harlin

fell.

But if they make it they’ll be on the knife edged Mittellegi Ridge leading right

to the top. The film is about Steve’s determination to take on the mountain

and what he’s prepared to do to conquer it. Win or lose - it will push Steve to

the edge and give us all the chance to experience an epic mountaineering

story.

Virtual Reality 360 Film – Frozen Waterfall

Likely to be Steve’s most terrified moment of the whole climb…

© Moon Studio Ltd

Virtual Reality 360 Film – The Summit

The elation – if they make it!..

Feasibility

It can be most safely climbed from Mid Feb – April and Steve has availability

and is pencilled.

We need a 3 weeks weather window to make the climb. The waiting time

would be used in training climbs are surrounding peaks and making the other

films that surround the main climb.

We will work with facility partners to supply a feed of footage and daily

update edits. This can be achieved using 4G technology or RF transmission

which is used extensively in sports and news coverage.

We will perform a technical recce upon greenlight to verify it all works.

© Moon Studio Ltd

Key Team

The team have worked together successfully before on an arctic adventure

documentary:

http://moonstudio.co.uk/portfolio/teenage-ice-trekker-cbbc/

(Prix Jeunesse Award Finalist 2016)

Using a specialist climbing crew and the latest small camera, drone and

audio technology, we’ll be at the heart of this very human drama. The

director will not climb but will be able to hear all the action and be in radio

communication to ensure we are getting the sync we need to tell the story.

On Camera Climbing Partner – Leo Houlding

If British climbing has a rock star, then it is Leo Houlding.

He is a phenomenal talent (first climbing El Capitan

when he was 18) and a friend of Steve Backshall so they

have a great chemistry together and will make good

telly.

Mountain Director of Photography – Keith Partridge

DOP of Touching The Void, he has completed and

filmed over 60 expeditions including summitting Everest,

the south pole and north pole several times. Has also

filmed on the Eiger North Face.

Off Camera Guide – Lorenz Frutiger

A Swiss mountain guide who grew up and lives in

Grindelwald right next the mountain. He has been

climbing and guiding on The North Face for ten years

and is IMFGA qualified which in Switzerland takes 7 years

of training in every aspect of mountaineering.

© Moon Studio Ltd

Executive Producer / Series Producer Director – Ed Kellie

Directed over 60 hours of TV Shows, Documentaries and Promos including The

Secret Life of 4 Year Olds (Broadcast Award Winner), The Apprentice, Mary

Queen of Shops (BAFTA Nominated), The Restaurant, Stand Up For Sport

Relief. He’s made documentaries in extreme environments in Greenland,

West Papua, Palastine and Uganda.