British snow sculptors Justin Scott and Martin Sharp are feeling on top of the world after completing their stunning likeness of Sir Elton John on the slopes of Ischgl in the Austrian Tirol.
Ready to make a start
The two Yorkshiremen are frequent visitors to Ischgl to take part in the resort’s annual Shapes in White competition – in fact Justin met his wife Jasmina there – and with this year’s theme being 25 years of Top Of The Mountain rock concerts, it was the perfect opportunity to create a homage to Sir Elton John, who has twice performed open air gigs in Ischgl.
It was the second time that tree surgeon and gardener Justin, from Driffield, had modelled Elton in snow – the first was in January 2003 and he was thrilled to develop his design for this year.
Justin said: “We’ve done the best work we could have possibly done given the timescale. It’s a homage to the performance on the mountain, with the stage – and of Elton John, a British artist.
“One of the elements I do is to make a hollow in the sculpture. I cut it and Martin made the hollow and in the hollow he’s made a seat. Around it says Sir Elton John and a star, number 1, and people have been coming in and sitting there and having their photograph taken.
Shapes in the snow
“Initially when I first came here it was for a snowboarding holiday and as a trained sculptor it’s great to come away and do something with the snow. Ischgl means a lot to me.”
Elton John on ice
His sculpting partner, Martin, is a business coach and mentor from York. Ten pairs of sculptors from across Europe competed in the 27th annual Shapes in White, with Italians Ivan Holzknecht and Armin Rifesser from Val Gardena coming top with their creation ‘Guitar and Saxophone’. The sculptures will remain on the slopes to be admired by skiers and snowboarders until the Spring thaw.
Ischgl’s Silvretta Arena, which includes extensive cross-border skiing into Switzerland, comprises 239kms of perfectly groomed piste and 45 state-of-the-art skilifts. The five month long season is opened and closed by big name open-air concerts. This winter was opened on 30 November 2019 by Berlin-based cult band Seeed and will close on 3 May 2020, the day after the season-ending Top Of The Mountain concert by Italian pop-rock icon Eros Ramazzotti.
Ischgl stars in Hollywood movie
Ischgl stars on the silver screen having been chosen as the perfect location for the Hollywood comedy drama Downhill starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Zach Woods and Will Ferrell star in the film Downhill. PHOTO: Jaap Buitendijk © Searchlight Pictures
Location scouts from Searchlight Pictures and Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles visited the Tirolean ski resort several times and agreed it suited their exacting requirements for the film, which had its world premiere in the US ski resort of Sundance last month and is due for release in the UK on 28 February.
The film powerfully highlights the attractions and beauty of Ischgl and its ski slopes, says Tourist Director Andreas Steibl. “It wasn’t that easy to win the contract, it’s Hollywood after all and there are loads of details,” he said. “In the end, though, our pitch won against two competitors from Austria and one from Switzerland.
“The film will be seen in all the markets which matter to us. You’ll see how much snow there is in Ischgl and how great the ski area is. But the best part is that anyone who sees the film will know that it takes place in Ischgl.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell during a scene in the film Downhill which was filmed in Ischgl. PHOTO: Jaap Buitendijk © Searchlight Pictures
“Ischgl is in the script, they talk about Ischgl, you even see the village sign in the film. You see the village, the ski area – and in all the scenes in the mountains and in the village.”
Filming took place last winter, with 160 actors, crew and production staff descending on the resort. “That made for a total of 6,000 extra overnight stays here in Ischgl due to this production,” said Steibl. Locals were used as extras.
The action takes place around an American family’s ski holiday, with the actors performing many of the ski scenes themselves rather than stand-ins. It is a remake of the 2014 film Force Majeure. The wife (Billie, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) starts to have doubts about husband Pete (Will Ferrell) after he runs away from an approaching avalanche, leaving her and their two sons behind.
Ischgl’s ski and snowboard fans will enjoy the location scenes and have fun spotting their favourite places both on and off the slopes.
More info on Ischgl on: ischgl.com
Categories: Austria