On Thin Ice

50 Degrees Below Zero, Wind Speed 108 mph: Rycote In Antarctica

Sound Recordist: Roland Winkler

Project: BBC documentary, On Thin Ice, starring Olympic gold medalist James Cracknell and TV presenter Ben Fogle. 

Weather conditions do not come much more extreme than those at the South Pole, also known as Antarctica; the region’s most balmy temperatures reach only -20 degrees Celsius, and an average day sees the mercury stuck between minus 40 and minus 50. As if sheer cold weren’t enough, Antarctica also holds the record for the fastest daily average wind speed on Earth: a somewhat bracing 108mph. Merely surviving in this environment is a challenge; recording audio in it borders the impossible. But with a Rycote windshield, it can be done, as location film sound recordist Roland Winkler discovered.

As an all-British team set out on a 420-mile race to the South Pole, another British manufacturing team played a role in capturing this epic journey. Rycote helped to support the production team accompanying Cracknell and Fogle for On Thin Ice, who went to great pains to capture video and audio diary footage of the team during the race.

Recording audio without the intrusion of unwanted wind noise can pose a problem for many location sound recordists, even in mildly gusty conditions. Fortunately Roland Winkler has previously worked on films in similar conditions in Norway and Alaska, where he made full use of borrowed Rycote windshields to prevent his recordings being lost under the ever-present wind noise. Before leaving for Antarctica, he approached Rycote for help again.

Using Modular Windshield 4 and ‘S’ Series Kits Roland and his team were able to successfully record the documentary without the wind rendering his work unusable. The performance of Rycote’s products in these conditions is, as ever, a testament to their robust design and technological excellence. We are pleased that our products were able to come through this most demanding of tests, even if the other Great British Team only managed to come in second.

“Many Thanks for your outstanding support!”

Roland Winkler, South Pole 2008.