In December 2013 I skied Cotopaxi, undoubtedly the most famous volcano of Ecuador. This 5.897 meters high mountain is not the only volcano that can be skied around the equator though. With Cayambe, Antisana and Chimborazo this small country has a few other amazing challenges to offer. Together with Ale, the Italian mountain guide I had met in Peru, I went back 9 years later to see which of those big volcanoes I could tackle.
During my first ski trip to Peru I got a nice taste of what the Cordillera Blanca has to offer in terms of skiing. I also quickly realised how challenging the conditions can be. As is the case on many trips, the list of objectives I wanted to ski was longer when I returned than it was before the trip. So, in the end I had no choice but to go back and try again…
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…
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 base for trekking – and climbing expeditions in both the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash, was not yet on the radar back then. When I read about ski mountaineering adventures in that part of the world, things changed quickly. Having skied Cotopaxi in Ecuador, I figured some more high altitude skiing wouldn’t hurt…
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. After all the sightseeing, a trip with my skis into the high mountains of Kyrgyzstan seemed like a great adventure!
After skiing for nearly two months in Argentina it was time for a change. Early November I’ll have to be in Ushuaia, the most Southern point of Argentina in order to board the cruise to Antarctica. Until then I had about a month to spend in Southern Patagonia. Its wilderness with some impressive glaciers and beautiful trekkings sounded like the perfect “stopover” in between skiing…
For years Peru has been high, if not the highest, on my list of countries I wanted to visit. Whereas Argentina and Chile have a European feel, Peru sounded more Latin American (whatever that may be) to me. Initially Bolivia was just a transit country but during my travels I met more and more people who really liked Bolivia. I guess I had to see what that’s all about…
To explore my interests I wanted to take part in new activities and I decided a trekking could be it. What better country for trekking than Nepal can you imagine? In the end of 2009 I took off for 10 days of trekking and another 2 weeks of culture, activities and wildlife.
