2017-2019 EVEN DREAMS SLEEP—ANIOL
It started with a picture. A Paul Nicklen photograph showcasing incredible waterfalls flowing from an ice wall into the sea. The lighting, the place, the concept…I was totally inspired. I was also filled with questions: where were these waterfalls? When would they have enough water to run? Was this a common phenomenon or an exceptional occurrence? How could I fund such a trip? A bit of research, and I had some answers. The photo was taken in Svalbard, a small archipelago between Norway and the North Pole. One of the most remote, inhabited areas of the world.
In 2017, my brother Gerd and I were close to Svalbard and decided to try making a trip happen. Things were falling into place when the Norwegian government revoked the permits at the very last minute. Rather than give up, I proposed the project to all my main sponsors. While there was interest, it simply didn’t happen. It was too expensive, too risky, and too hard to organize, with too much bureaucracy for such uncertain terrain. It was clear this was a mission of a different magnitude, and we would need massive sponsorship and support to pull it off. So I put the dream aside, but never stopped thinking about it. Until, out of the blue, Red Bull called, telling me they had found a partner to collaborate on the project.
A DREAM TAKES SHAPE—MIKEL
In 2019, when Aniol told me he wanted to try Svalbard again, I wanted to help make it happen, but wasn’t fully sold. In 2012, Ben Stookesberry, Chris Korbulic, and Pedro Oliva had gone to Svalbard with the same dream. The images I had seen made it clear how challenging such a trip would be. They had only been able to run small drops at very low flows. Why would we succeed where they didn’t? We knew the waterfalls had to start somewhere. There must be a river, formed from the melting ice, at some point on the ice cap. What if, instead of focusing only on the waterfalls, we could hike up, study the best miles of an