Hollywood film star Micheal Sheen is known as David Frost in his latest film “Frost/Nixon”, which has been nominated for five Oscars. Known around the world right now as Frost, there was no one better qualified than Sheen to lead the jury at the Tyrolean winter sport heaven of Westendorf. The Welsh actor and the 8,000 spectators at this traditional Carnival season event were treated to a delightful display of fun and action while watching the spectacular leaps into the ice-cold water on a freezing cold evening.

There were more than 150 participants from around the world clad in a rich variety of eccentric outfits barrelling down the slopes on skies or snowboards – or homemade contraptions – and then plunging into a giant 300,000-litre tank of ice-cold water filled with melting snow.

Local hero Philipp Berger won the sporting competition with the longest jump measuring 17.5 metres. The competition for “Best Dressed” was intense with a long list of international participants from Germany, Holland, England and Denmark, but Austrian Johann Fuchs from Westendorf won the event with his “Decaying tree roots” costume that beat out a number of rivals disguised as Barack Obama. The highlight of the ice cold competition was the “Crazy Vehicle” category, which was won by the “Fohrenburger Pirates” with their nine-metre high replica of the Eiffel tower and two replica hummer SUVS.

“Maddest thing I ever saw in my whole life,” said jury head Sheen after the event before leaving Westendorf for a flight direct to Los Angeles for the Oscar awards ceremony.

Pictures free of charge only for editorial use: Joerg Mitter, Andreas Schaad, Silvio Ferrari for Global-Newsroom.com