Quin man’s adventures on ice captured in ‘Siberian Scramble’

A QUIN native is among the stars of a new documentary that had its world premiere at The Galway Film Fleadh last Saturday. 

‘One Mile Down: Siberian Scramble’ is the dramatic story of Declan McEvoy’s record-breaking motorcycle adventures across Siberia’s notorious Lake Baikal.

The film follows Declan and fellow thrill seeker Gary O’Keefe as they put together an international team for an epic adventure in the winter of 2020.

The documentary, which was executive produced by world-renowned cinematographer and director Claudio Von Planta, follows the team as they battle the odds to set two Guinness World Records – one for the Longest Motorcycle Journey on Ice and the other for the Longest 4×4 Journey on Ice. 

A seasoned adventurer, Declan embarked on an epic Siberian journey, over seven days in February 2020, to drive 800km on treacherous ice over Lake Baikal. The lake is the world’s deepest, with a depth of over one mile and a length of 800km, it contains one-fifth of the world’s fresh water.

During the winter months, when temperatures drop to minus-40 degrees, the surface of the lake freezes over. The result is 800km of treacherously thin ice, a tempting prospect for the international crew of six motorcyclists and one Uaz 4×4 driver. 

“It’s a little hard to judge how good it is when you’re actually in the film!” joked Declan.

“The scenery struck me more than anything when I saw it. It’s simply incredible. As well as that, the film captures the story of a really eclectic bunch who had already travelled all over the world individually.

“Some of it was shot at my home in Quin when myself and Gary were getting ready to travel. It was just great to have Claudio involved. He filmed ‘Long Way Up’ and ‘Long Way Round’ with Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor. Having him on board was a bit of a kick.”

For Declan, who has also motorcycled in South America and Africa, one of the most interesting aspects of the documentary is the bond between the Siberian adventurers.

“This is ultimately the story of two crazy Irish guys, myself and Gary and it is incredible really when you think of how the full team got together,” he said.

“Back in around 2018, I was preparing to ride solo across Lake Baikal. I had met a cold weather expert from Lithuania and then brought Mariano from Argentina on board. He had helped me out when I ran into technical issues in South America. I was stuck for a clutch cable and other parts and, with nobody to help, I put a call out on Facebook. Mariano actually air-freighted the parts to me. I met up with him to say ‘thanks’ in Buneos Aires.

“Then, a year later, when our international backers for the Baikal ride wanted a South American rider in the team, I knew Mariano was the right man to join. He showed the ability to put out good Karma when he came to my aid, and it repaid him handsomely.”

Directed by Alexander Hick, ‘One Mile Down’ is written and produced by Darragh Kettle and Gary O’Keeffe. The film also stars Gary, Declan McEvoy, Kevin Emans, Mark Kemp, Karolis Mieliauskas, Fritz Kreis, and Mariano Carloni.

The documentary is executive produced by Claudio von Planta (Long Way Round, Long Way Up; with Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor, Race To Dakar, Chasing the Jet Stream). Film Network Ireland are handling worldwide distribution for the documentary