April 1, 2019
For the winter activity, I have to go with ski touring. I grew up in the Alps and learnt skiing at the age of 3, so it has been quite a thing for most of my life. I started ski touring last year, as it combines my two favourite things to do in the mountains, namely skiing and hiking, and it has become my number 1 activity for the winter season. It is just amazing from so many perspectives, mostly the remote nature, the landscape, the peaks that you can climb, the joy you can share with the group that took the challenge with you and finally, of course, the incredible off-piste runs with powder and potential first lines all around. Even though I have not been a great freeriding enthusiast before I started ski touring, I really enjoy it now increasingly with every ski tour. The beauty about it is also that it can be done everywhere, as long as the avalanche level gives you the safety to do. I think it is also a great activity for groups, especially for advanced skiers who want to try something different. It will be challenging for sure, and working together, motivating each other, and finally, the feeling of reaching your goal together is priceless and a great way to really get to know people!
On the other hand, my favourite summer activity will be hiking. I’d say that it is also particularly suitable for groups, as working together and motivating each other during challenging situations is the key to success. I remember as a child I always had to go hiking with my parents and at one point I really didn’t appreciate it anymore, but as I got older and met people that are very enthusiastic about hiking, I really started to enjoy it again. There is no better feeling than reaching the mountain peak that you’ve been looking at a few hours before thinking: “how on earth will I ever get up there?”. The landscape, the peacefulness and the amazing views never fail to impress. It even gets better when sharing this experience with friends or colleagues, of course not disregarding the well-deserved Schnapps or so-called “Gipfelhalbe” on top :) Enjoy your alpine activities!