The Outlook Mixtape: Fire and Ice

Available for over a year

True stories of extremely sweaty situations and icy determination from the Outlook archive. Cinematographer Chris Duddy has worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest movies like Titanic and Waterworld. Filming in extreme conditions is part of his job, and he loves it, but nothing could prepare him for the day the helicopter he was in crashed inside the crater of an active volcano. It was November 1992 and he was flying over the Big Island of Hawaii shooting footage for the end of the Hollywood thriller Sliver. The shot involved flying over the active Kīlauea volcano, but during filming the helicopter suffered total engine failure and crash-landed inside the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent of the volcano. Chris, along with his director of photography Mike Benson and the pilot Craig Hosking, were trapped there – 300 feet down and perilously close to a lava pool. Choking on toxic fumes, Chris had to spend an entire night in the volcano, and the next day decided his only option was to climb out of the crater to escape. Although he risked falling into the lava pool below, he somehow found the superhuman strength to make it out, but what had happened to his two companions? Devon Harris dreamed of taking part in the Olympics, but growing up in tropical Kingston, Jamaica meant winter sports were never on his radar. For him, school was his haven away from the violence he witnessed in his neighbourhood and he worked hard in the classroom and on the sports field so that he could one day fulfil his dream of becoming an army officer. It was during his time in the Jamaica Defence Force that his sporting talent was spotted and he ended up getting a spot on Jamaica’s first-ever bobsleigh team. The Jamaicans made history at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, but this wasn’t anything like Cool Runnings – the 1993 Hollywood Disney film inspired by the team’s story – the reality was much tougher and much more rewarding. After training on concrete in sweltering Kingston, the team went to Austria and then on to Calgary to train on ice. Devon was hooked on the sport, but these things never go according to plan. Just before they were going to race, one of the team got injured and the driver's brother stepped in last minute to complete the four-man team. Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Andrea Rangecroft Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: A transparent 60-minute cassette tape with a white label bearing the words: The Outlook Mixtape. Credit: Getty Images)