“Exploring is a way of life.
Once you start, you can’t stop.”
How did it all start? I grew up in the Swiss Alps. There is always some peak looming above you. That’s where you want to go. No matter what. I started climbing when I was 14. I later became a mountain guide and a paragliding test pilot. It was all about vertical adventures. One of my dreams as a young mountaineer: The winter ascent of the Cerro Torre. Nobody had done it before. That was the beginning. Steep faces, magnificent summits, rock, ice: Adventures became expeditions, limits became challenges.
“The easy way will never
get you anywhere.”
How come you are an ice enthusiast? About 10% of the earth's surface is covered by ice. Over the years, this has become my habitat. In 2003, Børge Ousland and I set out to cross the Southern Patagonian Ice Sheet: 54 days, 526 kilometers. Never before had people managed to cover the distance unsupported. We did. Three years later, we followed in Fridtjof Nansen's tracks in the Arctic. 113 days out on our own. The expedition was supported by National Geographic Magazine. Our reward: "Adventurer's of the Year 2008".
-
Fitz Roy, Patagonia, 1988
First winter ascent of Cerro Torre West Face, 1999
El Capitan, 2000
In Heckmair’s historic tracks: Eiger North Face, 2001
First traverse of the Southern Patagonian Inland Icecap, 2003
Greenland: Climbing the Grundtvigskirken, 2010
First traverse of the Arctic Sea: Arctic Solo Russia to Canada , 2006 (failed attempt)
Up & down: Direttissima Switzerland , 2017
Greenland: Coast to Coast, 2018
-
Paragliding pilot: I've been in the air since 1987, also flying tandem passenger flights
Hunter and bee keeper: Hunting in the mountains since 2012
Photographer: Active as a commercial outdoor photographer for over 20 years
Second cameraman and safety instructor on film sets (James Bond and more)
Founder: Founded the first paragliding company to offer commercial passenger flights in Interlaken
“Exploring is a way of
challenging your limits.”
Are you courageous? Being an explorer is all about willpower, courage and the readiness to suffer. But there is much more to it. It’s also about joy, friendship, bliss, self-respect and humbleness. In 2006, I set out to achieve my ultimate dream: 100 days through the polar ice from Russia across the North Pole to Canada. It would be the first Arctic solo crossing. I had over 20 years of experience as an explorer, expedition leader and safety expert. I failed and barely survived. It was a huge lesson in ambition.
-
Southern Patagonian Ice Sheet: Together with the explorer Børge Ousland, I crossed the Southern Patagonian ice sheet in 2003. We ran into all sorts of challenges: Extreme storms, bad weather, topographical difficulties. Rescuing us in an emergency would have been difficult.
-
The Arctic Solo Expedition: My survival wasn’t just a matter of luck. It was also due to the most careful preparation, a good team and years of experience. Overcoming failure was another challenge that significantly shaped me.
-
Polar bears. All the encounters with polar bears are very special. Such experiences go beyond simply mastering an expedition. You feel incredibly vulnerable to life, yet at the same time, it’s a great privilege to experience such situations.
Why are you so curious? Curiosity has always been my companion. When I first started taking pictures, I never anticipated that photography would become part of my professional skill set. Soon, I became an award-winning outdoor photographer. Later, I picked up a film camera and worked as a second cameraman on extreme shoots. I’m also a paragliding pilot. A passionate hunter. A carpenter. A speaker. A father and a grandfather. I never had a specific life plan. I’ve always trusted my instincts and followed my intuition. Who knows where it will all lead?
