Albania; a country of contrasts
In recent years I have visited the Balkan region a few times. Since I enjoyed its variety with mountains, beaches and plenty of culture, I wanted to explore a bit more. Albania More »
Peru; skiing the Cordillera Blanca
In 2013 I had visited the South of Peru. The Inca trail with a beautiful finish in Machu Picchu and the city of Arequipa were the highlights during that trip. Huaraz, the More »
Bulgaria; mountains and a lot of meat
In 2017 I traveled for about 6,5 months with my skis and part of the plan was to ski in Bulgaria. I arrived in Sofia in the beginning of March of that More »
Russia; cities, trains and cold smoke
Last year I rode a chairlift in Goderdzi (Georgia) together with Jesper from Denmark and we discussed our skiing plans for the near future. We found out we were both inspired by More »
Tajikistan; traveling the Pamir highway
A Central Asian country that is still relatively under the radar, is located south of both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, countries which are currently well-known by travelers. It is the smallest country in More »
Kyrgyzstan; a ski expedition to Ak Sai
The last weeks I have been traveling around Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have all showed me some amazing culture and landscapes. The landscapes showed me the potential for ski mountaineering. More »
Uzbekistan; the pearl of the Silk Road
When I think about the Silk Road and Central Asia, Uzbekistan is the country I associate the most with it. The history of the country reaches millennia back, culture is abundant and architecture is More »
Kazakhstan; cities and a lot of steppe
The largest country of Central Asia is Kazakhstan. Being more than 60 times as large as the Netherlands, it’s the 9th country of the world in terms of size. However, due to More »
Kyrgyzstan; exploring the vast wilderness
Somewhere in Asia is a region I wanted to visit for several years now. It is historically defined by its nomadic people, a region with an extreme continental climate and where few More »
Alaska; skiing the Chugach
For the last decade I have been skiing all over the globe and the objectives and goals within the sport of skiing are getting more and more specific. In the end, steep More »
The Balkans; skiing the unexpected
When it comes to skiing in a different culture not too far away from home, the Balkan region offers plenty of opportunities. A wealth of culture and history can be found in the many countries that form the region, making a trip to this part of the world very interesting. However, snow coverage, the weather, finding reliable ski partners, language barriers and tough logistics can make a ski mountaineering trip difficult. So, while facing many challenges, was I able to make something happen?
Georgia; skiing and culture in the Caucasus
One of the up-and-coming ski destinations is definitely Georgia and especially a region called Svaneti. Clearly I’m not talking about one of the states in the USA but about an exotic country located in the Caucasus. People are supposedly very friendly and welcoming and some remote skiing is on offer in several parts of the country. In February 2017 I boarded a plane to check it out!
Sri Lanka; a little bit of everything…
Being a huge fan of travelling the subcontinent of India, Sri Lanka was an obvious destination for my next trip. Expectations were quite high with the prospects of beautiful scenery, great beaches, interesting people, wildlife, nice train rides and some delicious spicy curries, but could these expectations be met?
Croatia; historic towns and beautiful islands
September is usually a perfect time for some spring skiing in the Southern Hemisphere. Since I visited the Andes last year (you can read about that trip here) and my last trips had been ski trips anyway, I figured it was time for a change. After all…variety is the spice of life, so I planned a nice summer holiday. I waited for the high season to finish, so temperatures would drop a little bit to a more convenient 25 degrees Celcius and the huge crowds would hopefully be back home. Dubrovnik was a city high on my list of places to visit, so I planned a trip around it and visited Croatia. I started in its capital Zagreb and slowly made my way South through the Plitvice lakes, Split and the islands of Hvar and Korčula and finished in Dubrovnik.
Skiing the Andes…again
May 2014 I returned back home from my long trip. Having been away for quite a while, I was looking forward to some continuity. I soon started life as a freelancer and my first contract was a fact. Working on an important project for a year meant I had faced quite a few deadlines and that I had been looking at a computer screen for a while. Therefore, time had come to participate in some outdoor activity. Another trip to the Southern Hemisphere where winter was in full swing, was on the agenda…
The Alps; steep skiing
For years now I have been dreaming of several lines in the Alps. I call it my bucketlist of skiruns. At some point in my life I want to have skied all of them. After traveling for a while now, I couldn’t think of a better way to finish my trip than to ski at least a couple of the runs on my list…
Iran; ancient cities and Persian powder
After all my travels there is one obvious region I haven’t visited; the Middle East. One country in this region stands out in terms of variety it has to offer. The Silk Road and Islamic buildings offer some impressive architecture. Multiple deserts and mountains identify its landscape and make for interesting excursions. And, finally, the Trans Asia Express train ride offers a great alternative for the much more touristy Trans Siberia Express. This country of course is Iran.
Morocco; skiing couloirs from the Tazaghart hut
In March 2013 I skied in the Atlas mountains for the first time. I summited some peaks around the Toubkal hut and skied perfect corn snow. Apparently there is another, more remote, hut from where one can access a number of beautiful couloirs. In February 2014 I visited Refuge Tazaghart in order to ski the best lines Africa has to offer…
Colombia; cities, coffee and the Caribbean
After nearly eight months of traveling in South America, I arrived at my final destination of the continent: Colombia. I was about to visit a country that is known to the outside world for Pablo Escobar, cocaine, the FARC and kidnappings. However, according to many travellers the country has changed enormously over the last decade and safety has improved. Did I survive the dangers of Colombia?
Ecuador; a ski expedition near the Amazon
In the Warren Miller movie “Off the grid” skiers talk about how great it is to see the world through skiing and I have to say, for me it really is. When some Austrians, who I had met in Bolivia during a high altitude trekking, recommended me to climb Cotopaxi, I started doing some research. Soon it became clear that skiing one of the highest active vulcanoes in the world is possible and my excuse to visit Ecuador was born.
