Thomas Ulrich (adventurer)

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Thomas Ulrich (* 16th November 1967 in Interlaken ) is a Swiss mountaineer , outdoor - Photographer and author .

Live and act

Thomas Ulrich learned the trade of carpenter, taught himself to take photos, worked as a helicopter flight assistant, in rock protection, as a tester of paragliders for the Swiss company Advance and completed his training as a mountain guide .

Projects were the first winter ascent of the Cerro Torre west face in 1999 on the route first climbed by Casimiro Ferrari and friends in 1974, together with the Swiss Stephan Siegrist and David Fasel and the American journalist Greg Crouch. He first published the pictures of this climb in the March 2000 issue of National Geographic Magazine . In 2003 he crossed the Southern Patagonian Ice Sheet, together with Børge Ousland - for the first time without outside help and without previously installed depots. The expedition was sponsored by National Geographic and documented in the August 2004 issue of the magazine. In 2006 he failed in his attempt to cross the Arctic Ocean solo on the 1800 kilometer stretch from Siberia via the North Pole to Canada. In a rescue operation that lasted several days, Russian helicopter pilots picked him up from an ice floe shortly before going under. In 2007 he started from the North Pole together with Børge Ousland and followed in the footsteps of the pole drivers Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen . In 85 days, the two of them reached the islands of Franz Joseph Land on foot, on skis, by train sails and by kayak. From there they sailed to the North Cape and docked there 113 days after the start at the North Pole.

In addition, he worked as a safety guide for the James Bond film Golden Eye in Switzerland and for Miss Smilla’s feeling for snow in Greenland, guided the action camera in the film Eiger Nordwand about the failure of the rope team made up of Andi Hinterstoisser and Toni Kurz, and he initiated an inspection the north face of the Eiger on the Heckmair route, where alpinists Stephan Siegrist and Michal Pitelka used the reconstructed equipment and clothing of the first climbers from 1938 and filmed on Mount Everest for Swiss television. In 2004 and 2005 Ulrich toured Switzerland with his multi-vision show Everest - Patagonia . The 50 lectures were attended by around 15,000 people. In addition to public events, he also gives lectures as a motivational speaker for companies. Thomas Ulrich regularly leads groups of adventurers across the last degree of latitude to the North Pole. For advertisers, he organizes expeditions to remote locations for photo and film shoots. Thomas Ulrich is the father of three daughters. He lives with his family in Interlaken.

Expeditions (selection)

  • 1988: First expedition in November / December to Patagonia, successful ascent of Fitz Roy with the Swiss Georg Hoedle via the Franco-Argentine route.
  • 1996: Third expedition to Patagonia. Successful ascent of Cerro Torre via the compressor route from 1970 with the Swiss Stephan Siegrist .
  • 1997: Sea kayak expedition to Greenland, among others with the Germans Stefan Glowacz and Kurt Albert . Second ascent of Mount Tupilak .
  • 1999: Fourth expedition to Patagonia, Cerro Torre, for the first time in winter. Together with the Swiss Stephan Siegrist and David Fasel and the American journalist Greg Crouch, Ulrich climbs the Cerro Torre over the west face.
  • 2002: Inspection of the north face of the Eiger as a photographer and filmmaker. The alpinists Stephan Siegrist and Michal Pitelka undertake the classic Heckmair route in which they wear the same equipment and clothing as the first climbers from 1938. During this climb, Thomas Ulrich films and photographs, a book with black and white pictures and a film for the Swiss television.
  • 2003: In spring, Ulrich climbs Everest up to 8600 m; he works as a cameraman for Swiss television.
  • 2003: In autumn crossing the Southern Patagonian Ice Sheet with Børge Ousland .
  • 2007: In April Ulrich led his first commercial expedition to the North Pole .
  • 2007: May to August. After the guided tour, Ulrich stays in the Arctic and starts together with Børge Ousland from the North Pole on the “ Franz Joseph Land ” expedition and to the North Cape in 113 days.
  • 2010: In July and August, Roger Schäli, together with Simon Gietl and Daniel Kopp , succeeds in opening a new tour in Greenland on the more than 1300 meter high east face of the Grundtvigskirken . Thomas Ulrich, who discovered the summit on a previous expedition in Greenland, is also the expedition leader and photographer.

Photography and film

Thomas Ulrich plans and realizes his own photo reports for international magazines such as National Geographic Magazine, and also carries out commissioned work for magazines and companies (reports, documentaries, advertising.) The sports he documents are primarily ice and rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding, paragliding, base jumping , mountaineering and expeditions. Thomas Ulrich and his partner Hans Ambühl have been running the Visual Impact photo agency in Interlaken since 2001, which represents outdoor photographers worldwide. He began his cinematic work as a location scout for commercials and as a safety guide for the James Bond film “Golden Eye” and “Miss Smilla's Sensation for Snow”. This was followed by his own projects:

  • 2000: First own video about the big wall climbing of the Mescalito route on El Capitan (producer and camera). This film won the Italian Olympic Committee Award at the Trento International Mountain and Adventure Film Festival, Italy, and made it to the finals of the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Canada.
  • 2002: Cerro Torre - you don't want to understand him ... with Christoph Frutiger and Christine Kopp. This documentary won first prize in the alpinism category at the Mountain Film Festival in Cervinia , Italy (2003 edition), was broadcast on Swiss television and participated in other mountain film festivals.
  • 2003: Eiger-Nordwand - in the footsteps of the first climbers (coproduction with Frank Senn, Schweizer Fernsehen), wins the first prize in the alpinism category at two mountain film festivals in Banff (Alberta) and Graz, Austria. The film was broadcast on various television channels.
  • 2003: As a cameraman for the documentary Everest on Swiss television, he accompanied a group of mountaineers to film their ascent of Mount Everest. The group reached an altitude of more than 8,000 meters, but had to turn around before reaching the summit.
  • 2006: Co-producer with Børge Ousland on a film about their adventure on the Southern Patagonian Ice Sheet for Norwegian television NRK.
  • 2006: Co-producer of the documentary Alone on an Ice Floe - Thomas Ulrich's Failed Dream for Swiss Television.
  • 2007: Cameraman for the movie North Face . As an action cameraman, Thomas Ulrich shot the scenes that were actually filmed in the north face of the Eiger.
  • 2007: Co-producer with Børge Ousland for the film In Nansens footsteps for the Norwegian television network NRK.
  • 2008: For the documentary Die Bergführer he accompanies two rope teams as a cameraman through the Eiger north face and up to the Schreckhorn for Swiss television.
  • 2008: Co-producer of the documentary Beruf Adventurer - Thomas Ulrich between North Pole and Family for Swiss television. This won first prize in the "Adventure Films" category at the Moscow Film Festival.

Awards

  • 1996: Paragliding Photographer of the Year, Picto, France for Winter Forest .
  • 1996: Second place in the Sports feature category, Pictures of the Year for Hang time .
  • 2000: Special mention at the Banff Mountain Photography Competition, Canada, for Stephan Siegrist climbing the Schilthorn.
  • 2000 finalist at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Canada, with El Capitan (producer and camera).
  • 2000 Special Prize of the Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano at the International Mountain and Adventure Film Festival of Trento, Italy, for El Capitan .
  • 2002 finalist at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Canada, with Cerro Torre - They don't want to understand it… .
  • 2002 First prize in the alpinism category at the Mountain Film Festival in Cervinia, Italy (2003 edition) for the documentary Cerro Torre - You don't want to understand it… .
  • 2002 finalist at the mountain film festival Autrans, France, for the documentary Cerro Torre - you don't want to understand it… .
  • 2003: First prize in the alpinism category at the Banff Mountain Film Festival and first prize in the alpinism category at the Graz Mountain Film Festival for the Eiger north face - on the trail of the first climbers (coproduction with Frank Senn, Swiss television)
  • 2007 Adventurer of the Year, together with Børge Ousland
  • 2008 First prize in the “Adventure Films” category at the Moscow Film Festival for the documentary Job Adventurer - Thomas Ulrich between North Pole and Family .

Books

Filmography

  • 2000 El Capitan (protagonist, producer and cameraman)
  • 2002 Eiger North Face - On the trail of the first to climb (idea and cameraman)
  • 2002 Vertical Vibes (portrait of Ulrich, camera, produced by moving adventure)
  • 2004 Cerro Torre - You don't want to understand him (protagonist, producer, cameraman)
  • 2004 Patagonian Ice Sheet (protagonist and cameraman)
  • 2006 Alone on an ice floe - The failed dream of Thomas Ulrich (co-producer, camera Swiss television)
  • 2008 Job adventurer - Thomas Ulrich between polar ice and family, (protagonist, cameraman, Swiss television)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c curriculum vitae of Thomas Ulrich. (PDF; 31 kB) Accessed December 23, 2011 .
personal data
SURNAME Ulrich, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss mountaineer, outdoor photographer and author
DATE OF BIRTH November 16, 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH Interlaken , Switzerland