The Battle of Red Bull Ragnarok

In the world of winter sports, Ragnarok is something very special. This epic endurance event sees hundreds of snowkite boarders from all over the world come together on the slopes of Hardangervidda, Norway, to race a gruelling 100km course. Every competitor has their own story at Ragnarok, and comes with their own personal expectations of what they want to achieve. It’s not just expert kiting skills that they’ll need to get over the line either, mental toughness is an essential requirement.

This year’s Ragnarok – the sixth to take place – was covered by four photographers: Mats Grimsæth, Daniel Tengs and Håkon Mæland covering the event traditionally and with Esben Zøllner Olesen undertaking a more creative view, shooting infrared, time lapse and 360 VR photography.

"2016 was my third Ragnarok, so I was asked to take on the role of lead photographer" says Mats. "This involved looking at the course and planning where we’d shoot from, plus briefing Daniel and Håkon, who had never shot the event before, on what was needed."

All of our photographers agree that the most spectacular sight came at the start of the race, when 350 boarders all jockey for position. "Seeing Hardangervidda so colourful, covered in 350 kiters is sick!" Mats enthuses, adding that it was hard at times to recognize athletes amongst the chaos. “There were specific individuals that we wanted pictures of, but it’s really hard to pick out faces when that many people are all moving so quickly.”

To cover the whole course required a huge level of organisational and logistical skill. Conditions were challenging with freezing temperatures and wind chill draining camera batteries and stopping equipment from working altogether. Plus the weather took on a chaotic character all of its own, a sudden lack of wind sometimes bringing competitors to a halt. "In very light winds the boarders pick their lines carefully and won’t stop if you get in the way," Håkon reveals. "Avoiding them was one of the main challenges for me; being a boarder myself really helps as I could see where they were heading."

With such big distances to cover between them, it was important that Mats, Daniel and Håkon worked together. "We agreed that we had to work as a team to get the best result," says Daniel. "My job was to cover the start from the front and shoot as the competitors came up the mountain. I also moved alongside the athletes in a snowmobile all the way to the second gate, where I could get off and send back the sled to pick up the next photographer."

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Daniel used a Fujifilm X-Pro2 mirrorless camera system, which he says helps his mobility: "I love it because it makes my pack so much lighter and smaller without compromising on quality. Actually I think I get better quality, sharper images than with my previous camera." In contrast, Mats and Håkon shot with Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLRs, with Håkon adding an EOS 7D Mark II to his bag for "more reach when I need it."

But it’s in Esben Zøllner Olesen’s bag that you’d have seen the most unconventional approach to winter sports photography. Alongside his normal DSLR cameras you’d have found two Canon EOS bodies converted for infrared photography, a pair of Ricoh Theta S 360 cameras and a whole load of time-lapse and remote control equipment. "Red Bull Photography approached me earlier this year with the idea of taking a different view of Red Bull Ragnarok," he says. "I had a specific assignment to shoot pictures that were unusual both in a technical and creative sense."

For his time-lapse sequences Esben looked for overviews: wide-angle shots that showed the action moving and changing quickly. “I was looking to bring movement into the frame as much as possible, combined with the beautiful landscape of the area. I used a motorised slider to get some movement into the time lapse, to make it more exciting for the viewer.

But when it came to 360˚ photography, the opposite approach was needed. "Here it’s very important that you are close to your subject, otherwise it will seem very far away," he advises. "The viewer needs something to see on all sides. They see everything, so you have to be right in the middle of the action with the athletes," he says.

As for the infrared images, this required yet another completely different mindset: "Infrared operates outside of the colours that we can see normally with our eyes, but I needed to always think about how it would appear in the pictures. I tried to include a blue sky whenever I could, and I used wide-angle lenses to get close to my subjects where possible."

The word Ragnarok comes from the Norse legend describing the final battle between the gods and the forces of evil, where only the heroes of the battlefield survive. "I thought to myself while shooting that the event is very well named," recalls Esben. "It felt like being in the middle of a battle, with confusion and people all around you."

Even though our four photographers all approached Ragnarok in their own, unique ways this is a sentiment that they all echo. They also agree on the answer to the last question we asked them about their experiences: would you do it again? "Definitely!" "Oh yes!" "Of course!" "Hell yes!" come the answers.

RESULTS: Red Bull Ragnarok

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