AUSTRIA – Ötztal & Kaunertal // Spectre (2015)

In “SPECTRE” Bond chases his enemies via plane over snowy roads. The hunt combines stunning valleys and mountain tops from two of Tirol’s finest ski areas.

Why Bond was here
James Bond (Daniel Craig) is up to unravel who’s behind the sinister organization SPECTRE. Following a first confrontation in Rome, 007 comes to a mountain clinic in Austria to meet the daughter of the pale king: Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux). But SPECTRE henchman Hinx (Dave Bautista) is spiriting her away in a fleet of Land Rovers – so Bond gives pursuit in an aircraft, playing chicken with Hinx’s cars along snowy mountain roads.

How you gonna get there
All parts of the airplane pursuit had been filmed in Tirol, Austrias ski hub in the west. But at three completely different locations:

• The first act is at the Ötztaler Gletscherstraße, the road leading up to Rettenbach glacier, quite close to Sölden. It’s the scene where Hinx’s convoi rushes along the icy road and enters a tunnel and then Bond comes up in the plane.
• The second act is at neighboring Kaunertal – along the Kaunertal glacier road downhill from the Gepatschhaus. It is the short moment when the cars enter the forest. Earlier, when Bond visits Mr. White in his winter hideout, the Kaunertal and its huge water reservoir are also briefly visible.
• The third and final act takes place around 130 kilometers to the east at the village Obertilliach. Here the chicken scene at the forest and the barn crash had been staged.

Before the chase, Swann gets abducted at the “Ice Q” restaurant atop Gaislachkogl mountain – next to the Rettenbach glacier. Today the stunning cinematic installation “007 Elements” next to the restaurant pays respect to the filming.

Read our report about the visit to “007 Elements” and the “Ice Q” here!

Good to know
The filming must have been harsh. The “Spectre” crew filmed during the ski season, roads and gondolas were closed for the stunt team. Being winter, you don’t have much sunlight though – and it is really, really cold.
“In the morning the roads would be ice”, recalled stunt co-ordinator Gary Powell at 007.com. “It would warm up to -6 degrees and in the afternoon it would go cold again. We could do a run down, drive back up again and the road could have turned to ice.” Tyres had to be adjusted all the time.
Even more difficult: The cars had to match the speed of the plane, which was flying at around 110 miles per hour. So the cars had to drive at an insane tempo downhill the curving, icy roads.

Be aware that the Ötztaler Gletscherstraße is a private road and usually closed during the winter season due to avalanche risks. Your best chance for visiting the place is either on ski along the Rettenbach route or wait for summer – but then you won’t have the same snowy environment.
We were “lucky” to be engulfed in a snow storm as we visited the “007 Elements” at neighboring Gaislachkogl. The mountain rescue team drove us down in snowmobiles – towards the same road, Hinx’ convoi drove along.

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Since most action took place at the Ötztal, the neighboring Kaunertal itself makes almost nothing out of the filming process. While the luxury ski town Sölden really profits from the filming, having an cinematic installation, “Spectre” memorabilia and with the “Ice Q” a fancy location – Kaunertal only briefly mentions the stunt on its homepage.
But Kaunertal doesn’t have to shy away. The small village Feichten down the valley is a tranquil hub of apartments and hotels, has a nice spa and some homy restaurants. Up the hill, Kaunertal glacier is home to a powder ski area, that is snow-proof till late May. The drive from one place to the other is about 45 minutes along the scenic Gepatsch reservoir – the frozen lake from the action scene.

© 2020 Huntingbond (1,3), © 2015 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Danjaq, LLC, Eon Productions, and Columbia Pictures, Inc. (2)