EXPEDITION OVERVIEW

A small team goes to Tasmania to highline in some of the most iconic, remote and beautiful places the Apple Isle has to offer – and if Tasmania has anything, it has iconic, remote and beautiful.

The objective is firsts and the ethos is exploration. The team will identify, establish and ascend highlines that have never before been done.

Equally as important as the highliing is documenting it. Our team will document the expedition in a way that not only captures the daring and action of this relatively-new and spectacular sport but also reveals the beauty of the natural environments and the burgeoning highliner lifestyle.

locations

Starting from mid-December, we will spend four weeks in Tasmania, enough time to explore multiple, varied locations.

A detailed itinerary is tricky to lock down due to the capricious Tasmanian weather, which can swing wildly from day-to-day. Fortunately, despite its relatively small size, the regionality of the weather means there is generally somewhere where conditions are more favourable. Therefore, the small team will remain agile on the ground so as to take advantage of weather windows as they arise.

The main focus will be on establishing highlines in challenging mountain environments requiring both highlining and rock climbing skills. Whilst ‘firsts’ are a priority, legacy is also important and we would like for the expedition to provide inspiration for others to follow and emulate our feats.

Fortunately, Tasmania’s breathtaking and diverse natural environments provide myriad unique and exciting opportunities.

Locations that we hope to visit include:

Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, Mount Geryon
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Frenchmans Cap
Tasman National Park, Cape Pillar
Tasman National Park, The Moai
Mt. Wellington, Organ Pipes
Ben Lomond National Park, Jacobs Ladder
Devils gullet

EXPEDITION MEMBERS

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Alex Bogdanova and Stepan Novikov - highliners, adventure and Gold Coast lovers

Alexandra and Stepan are top Russian and now Australian highliners. They have travelled all around Europe and scored some of the best highlines available on the Old Continent. Inspired to come to Australia at the beginning of the 2015, the pair have already established themselves at the top of the Australian highline community by traveling NSW to repeat the longest established lines and by putting up new ones. They now set their sights on crossing the airy gaps between the challenging peaks of Tasmania.

Alex is a student completing a Masters of Architecture at Bond University. In addition to highlining, she is also a passionate surfer and runner. Stepan is a teacher who, before taking to the highline, was the Russian champion in kayak slalom racing.

Simon Madden - director, producer, writer, photographer, rock climber

Simon is publisher and co-editor of Vertical Life Magazine – Australia’s only climbing media outlet, and has supplied adventure-based content to leading titles in Australia and overseas. A writer and photographer, Simon also produces video content. It is hoped that in addition to content production, his rock climbing skills will play an important role in gaining access to the anchor points, which will allow our highliners to set the lines and perform their magic.

Kamil Sustiak - photographer, rock climber, nature lover, founder of OnTheRope Photography (www.ontherope.com)

Kamil is a rock climber and freelance adventure photographer based in the Blue Mountains, NSW. His photography is driven by a passion to capture the pure joy of being outdoors, a project that revolves around documenting the journeys of others chasing their adventurous dreams. Kamil’s photos are punctuated by passion for life, remote landscapes, happiness and living in harmony with nature. His work stands testament to the fact he always goes the extra mile to deliver unique, compelling and authentic images.

MEDIA COVERAGE & SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION

Documenting the trip is one of the main objectives of the project.

The dramatic nature of highlining and the striking Tasmanian environments provide the perfect opportunity for creating content that is evocative and inspiring. In addition to this, Alex and Stepan have strong personal stories that can ground the inspirational content with meaningful, human stories.

Professionals with extensive experience, Kamil and Simon are image-makers and writers skilled at adventure storytelling. The team plans to focus on still images but will also produce short film vignettes that draw out the human story and provide a deeper exploration of the community and lifestyle of both highlining and expeditions..

Whilst there are no guarantees when it comes to media coverage, we are confident that the combination of professional content created in striking places and our media networks will ensure that some media coverage will follow the project. Image and word packages will be published through Vertical Life Magazine but we feel expedition coverage would be perfect for titles like Australian Geographic Outdoor and Sidetracked magazine, amongst others.

Content will be disseminated through the social media networks of the team, with strong links through not only the adventure space but also photography and the media.

In addition to media coverage generated by the team, we will also provide a portfolio of action and lifestyle imagery from the trip to be used as collateral for our expedition partners.