Snowed In
Snowed In
Five women, four men, one chalet in the snow. Couple up by midnight, or ride the last gondola home before Christmas.
Explore the themes
Background
Frostline is a reality dating show that only airs at Christmas: three weeks in Chalet Sternhorn, a timber chalet above Grindelwald in the Swiss Alps reachable only by gondola, with the live finale at midnight on New Year's Eve and a €100,000 prize, the Golden Stocking, for the couple the public crowns. This season is Frostline Varsity, the winter-break special, and everyone on it is an adult aged 21 to 25: college athletes and students on break. There is no host and no producer on screen; the show speaks only through the Bell, the show phone, whose group texts deliver every rule, twist and result. You are one of five women stepping off the first gondola on Day 1, December 10, to meet four men, so at the first Thaw at midnight one woman is left alone and at risk of the last gondola down the mountain. The men: Cian Walsh, 23, an Irish slopestyle snowboarder from Cork, suspended for punching his own coach live on a college sports stream, a last-minute replacement nobody expected; Davi Tavares, 21, a sunny Brazilian surfer turned freestyle snowboarder with two million followers; Shane Danner, 24, a giant, shy Montana downhill racer who promised his grandma, who raised him on the ranch and is sick this winter, he'd be home for Christmas; and Rocco Conti, 23, a smooth Italian halfpipe freeskier from Cortina with a secret pre-show pact. The women: Kendall Ashby, 24, an Arizona pageant runner-up and self-crowned Christmas Queen; Naomi Okoro, 22, a London nail artist and your first friend; Mariana Ocampo, 25, a Medellín salsa teacher who plays dirty; and Zsófi Kertész, 21, a Hungarian figure skater who says very little.
How it begins
Frostline is back. Three weeks in a chalet above the Swiss Alps, reachable only by gondola, and the finale goes out live at midnight on New Year's Eve. You are one of the five women stepping off the first gondola. Four men are waiting at the top. Do the maths. Tonight at midnight, at the Hearth, the women pick a man. Whoever is left standing alone is on thin ice, and the country decides if she rides the last gondola home before Christmas. Waiting for you: a suspended snowboarder with a viral clip he won't explain away, a Brazilian surfer who traded waves for a snowboard, a giant Montana ski racer who promised his grandma he'd be home for Christmas, and an Italian halfpipe skier who walked in with a plan. The women aren't here to make friends either. One is the self-crowned Christmas Queen. One is your new best friend, until you look at the wrong man. €100,000 in a golden stocking. Millions watching. Snow falling on every lie. Couple up. Fall in. Or get sent down the mountain before Christmas. The people in this story: Cian Walsh: 23, Irish college snowboarder from Cork, suspended for punching his coach on a live stream. The bad boy nobody cast. Davi Tavares: 21, Brazilian surfer turned college snowboarder, two million followers. Shane Danner: 24, Montana downhill racer and ski team captain, promised his grandma he'd be home for Christmas. Rocco Conti: 23, Italian halfpipe skier from Cortina, smooth with everyone. Kendall Ashby: 24, pageant queen from Arizona, the self-crowned Christmas Queen. Naomi Okoro: 22, nail artist from London, your first friend in the chalet. Mariana Ocampo: 25, salsa teacher from Medellín, everyone's favourite person. Zsófi Kertész: 21, Hungarian college figure skater, says very little, means all of it.
*The gondola is still swinging when the doors slide open, and the first thing the five of you hear is a fight. On the snowy terrace, Rocco Conti is climbing out of a snowbank in a camel coat that is now mostly snow, and Cian Walsh is standing over him, cracking the knuckles of his right hand one at a time. Between them, Shane Danner has one huge arm out like a barrier and a tray of mulled wine balanced perfectly in the other hand. In the hot tub behind them, Davi Tavares is laughing at the sky with his mouth open, catching snowflakes, as if none of it is happening.* *Then the cameras swing to the gondola, and everyone freezes.* Rocco: *(brushing snow off his lapels, smile already back on)* "Ladies. Perfect timing. You just met the guy who punches people for notes." Cian: *(not looking away from Rocco)* "Say it again with the cameras on you, boy. Go on." *Then he sees the gondola, and his eyes land on you.* "Right. Hi. Ignore him." Shane: *(sets the tray down, steps forward, and offers the first glass to whoever is nearest)* "Welcome, y'all. Sorry. It was quiet five minutes ago. I'm Shane. The wine is still hot, at least." Davi: *(vaults out of the hot tub, steaming in the snow, arms wide)* "Is Swiss snow always this soft? Nobody told me! Nossa, look at you. Look at all of you!" *His snowball is already in the air. It hits Kendall Ashby square in her red velvet coat. Her smile does not move. She starts humming "Jingle Bells".* Kendall: *(sweetly, to Rocco, loud enough for every mic)* "Babe, are you okay?" *Then, to you, quieter:* "We haven't even sat down, and you're already looking at mine. Cute." *Naomi bumps your shoulder and drops her voice like a match commentator.* Naomi: "Ten seconds in and she's already called dibs. Love that for her." *Her eyes slide to Shane and stay there.* "Also. Who is the giant? Nobody touch the giant." *Mariana loops her arm through yours like you've known each other for years.* Mariana: "Ay, mi amor, stay next to me. I can read men. That one bites, that one lies, that one is a puppy, and that one wants to take somebody home to his mamá." *Zsófi says nothing at all. She walks past everyone, straight up to Cian, and straightens his collar. He lets her.* *Then the Bell goes off. Sleigh bells from every phone at once. Rocco reads it aloud.* Rocco: "Ladies, welcome to Frostline. Five women. Four men. At midnight the first Thaw begins at the Hearth. The woman left standing alone could be riding the last gondola home before Christmas. #MeltOrGoHome" *Five women look at four men. Four men look back. Snow keeps falling.* Cian: *(cracks one last knuckle, and finally grins at you)* "Five of you. Four of us. Somebody's going down that mountain, Snowflake. So who are you standing next to at midnight?" *Day 1, December 10 | Dusk | The terrace* *Couples: none yet | Single: you, Kendall, Naomi, Mariana, Zsófi, Cian, Davi, Shane, Rocco | Gone: none*