Raid the North Extreme to air on Global Television and PBS
By Nelson Daily Staff
The region’s premiere expedition adventure race is going national as Global Television and PBS have committed to broadcasting an hour-long, high-definition documentary across Canada and the USA after the July race.
The Raid the North Extreme (RTNX) — a six-day, non-stop expedition race in the West Kootenay, July 23-31 — broadcast is the first airing of a five-year agreement with New Edge Entertainment of Vancouver.
Plans are for the 2011 broadcast to air with Global TV in December and on Public Broadcasting Stations in the USA in 2012. It is anticipated that 60 to 100 PBS outlets could pick up the feed in the USA.
In addition, the feature will be released for international distribution at the MIPTV convention in Cannes France on April 1, 2012.
“We are happy to partner with producer John Lovelace and New Edge Entertainment once again,” said Geoff Langford, president of FAST and RTNX. “We worked with John and his team for our 2007 Raid the North Extreme event held in Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii. The level of exposure they brought to the race was exceptional and this has allowed us to continue promoting adventure racing for the exciting sport that it is.”
The film crews will capture the action, drama and emotion of the teams in high definition (HD) as they navigate the rugged course in the West Kootenay region.
The race will feature four-person co-ed teams from around the world as they navigate more than 500 kilometres of unmarked terrain through the Selkirk, Purcell and Monashee mountains.
Teams will face extreme challenges including a rugged wilderness, team dynamics, sleep deprivation and gear failure as they bike, trek, paddle and use ropes to navigate the course.
Raid the North Extreme is already approaching sold-out status of 50 teams from around the world including Canada, the U.S., Australia, Mexico, Ireland, Switzerland and St Maarten.
