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Category: Europe

Albania; a country of contrastsbeautiful Ksamil

Albania; a country of contrasts

Published by Paul on October 18, 2019

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 is a fine example that ticks all these boxes with the Albanian Alps offering beautiful hikes, beaches can be found on the southern coast and when you head to the interior, towns with traditional architecture can be found. The country has also been more or less closed to foreigners for a long time during communist times, so mass tourism hasn’t found its way there yet, hopefully. This October I checked it out…

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Bulgaria; mountains and a lot of meatskiing a nice couloir on Strajite

Bulgaria; mountains and a lot of meat

Published by Paul on April 6, 2019

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 year and explored the Balkan region but, due to bad conditions, I did not ski in Bulgaria. Instead, I went ski touring in Kosovo and Greece. The mountains of Bulgaria have been in the back of my mind ever since and this year I have spent a week in the end of March for some exploration of the Rila and Pirin mountains.

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The Balkans; skiing the unexpectedMount Olympus

The Balkans; skiing the unexpected

Published by Paul on March 29, 2017

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?

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Georgia; skiing and culture in the Caucasus

Georgia; skiing and culture in the Caucasus

Published by Paul on March 1, 2017

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!

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Croatia; historic towns and beautiful islands

Croatia; historic towns and beautiful islands

Published by Paul on October 3, 2016

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.

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The Alps; steep skiing

The Alps; steep skiing

Published by Paul on May 9, 2014

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…

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French Alps; croissants and couloirs

French Alps; croissants and couloirs

Published by Paul on April 28, 2013

Skiing for a long time and exploring your limits means you will eventually create a so-called bucketlist of skiruns. Lines you have spotted on previous trips, couloirs others tell you about or pictures on the internet can add just another run to the list. Most of the runs on my list are located in the French Alps so when I have some time left, I’d better go and try to shorten my list…

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Turkey; mosques, rock formations and some snow…
Iceland; skitouring in the fjords
the Lofoten Islands; skiing at 68 degrees North