EU Peaks Archives - Page 3 of 3 - The Best Viewpoints

May 28, 2023 • 0 Comment

All you need to know about the highest point of Malta – Ta’ Dmejrek

The highest point of Malta Ta’ Dmejrek is the furthest away from any other high points of other countries as it lies far in the Mediterranean Sea. The peak itself isn’t very high but it’s very interesting as you can find it on a top of a cliff. Don’t expect any exciting climbs on the way to the highest peak of Malta since it’s only 253 m high but I liked it anyway! It was a very interesting cultural visit. The cities of Valletta and Mdina on the way to Ta’ Dmejrek at the Dingli cliffs have an interesting history and offer wonderful architecture. Follow this article to find out all you need before your visit of the highest peak of Malta including my personal experience.

Important information for visiting the highest point of Malta – Ta’ Dmejrek

Short description of the ascent: Short easy walk
Essential equipment: Nothing special, it's a short walk
Best time to visit: All year round
Fees or restrictions: No
Camping allowed: No
Nearest accommodation/food supply: Food and drinks at chapel Santa Marija Maddalena, accommodation at Dingli
Height of the peak: 253 m 
Walk between both of the highest points: 1.6 km 
Time of the walk between both of the highest points: 30 min
Water availability on the mountain: Shop at chapel Santa Marija Maddalena 
Difficulty level: * (6 stars maximum) 
Personal rating of the mountain: ** (6 stars maximum) 
Beer on the peak: Cisk Lager  ** (6 stars maximum)

Where is the highest peak of Malta – Ta’ Dmejrek?

Unfortunately, the highest point of Malta isn’t marked and various sources on the internet mention two different options for the exact location. According to them, Ta’ Dmejrek is located either nearby the chapel da Santa Marija Maddalena close to radars or 1.6 km away nearby a mine. You can find both of these places at the Dingli cliffs and I also provide a map to reach both of these places below.

Map of the walk between two highest points of Malta

My story of reaching Ta’ Dmejrek with personal tips

I visited Ta’ Dmejrek as a part of my project European Peaks during which I climbed the highest peak of every European country. After sleeping on the highest mountain in Cyprus in a car I wanted to find some more comfortable accommodation and I got lucky. I managed to book amazing accommodation at the Lucente Guest House which I got in return for drone pictures and videos. The barter trade still works these days.

King's Room of Lucente Guest House in Valletta — *Like a king in Valletta*

Valletta surprised by its amazing architecture and history

The host Charlie was probably the most funny and friendly guy I met on my trip. It was fun making drone movies with him. He showed me the nicest spots around Valletta so I could take some amazing pictures. Charlie showed that he is passionate about his business. Every room of his Guest House was devoted to one part of the Maltese history. I got a room which was associated to the time of the knights. Really cool decorations.

Telephone booth in Valletta at night — *Valletta at night*

I spent the first day flying my drone around Valletta and it was great! I didn’t have to care much about rules because Malta is the most drone friendly country with only a few restrictions.

Valletta from bird's-eye view — *Valletta from bird’s-eye view*

Reaching Ta’ Dmejrek by scooter

The next day I woke up pretty early so I would have enough time to conquer the highest point of Malta. Since the highest point of Malta is closest to the sea from all European highest points, I decided to visit it by scooter. It was not easy to find a scooter rental, but I found one shop online and I got the scooter delivered to my Guest House.

Mdina visited by a scooter — *Time to reach the highest point of Malta*

Malta isn’t a large island. Despite the mountain’s position on the other side of the island, Google Maps said I would reach it on my scooter in 30 minutes. The highest point of Malta Ta’ Dmejrek is situated at the Dingli Cliffs which has one certain advantage. You have a beautiful view over the Mediterranean Sea. The trip seemed to be pretty straightforward but I encountered an unexpected problem. It was very windy so I drove my scooter slowly not to end up below the cliffs.

Aerial view of the highest point of Malta Ta’ Dmejrek at Dingli cliffs — *View over the Dingli cliffs hiding the highest point of Malta Ta’ Dmejrek*

Travelling in Malta during midday is stupid

Another problem showed up when I reached Ta’ Dmejrek. Since it was very hot I drove only in a T-Shirt and since it was windy I didn’t feel anything wrong. However, after stopping my scooter I realized: I am completely sunburned. Again? I am curious when my plan not to get sunburned over the following summer will work. Since it was 12 o’clock there was no natural shadow spot at all in a 10 km radius, so I found a shelter under the only umbrella in a local fast food shop close to the highest point.

I drank 1.5 liters of water in a while and I felt much better. Then I visited the local chapel and took the 200 m walk to the highest point. Later, I also visited another location of Ta’ Dmejrek which I found on the internet. It lies nearby a mine, 1.6 km away from the first highest point. See the map of my walk here. Yeah, I made it!

Beach at Malta — *Time to chill on a beach*

After this dramatic summit I felt like celebrating my victory on a beach so I googled and I found the nicest beach nearby. Not surprisingly. Malta is really a small island.

After the swim I visited one more city called Mdina with a great fortress recommended by Charlie and I saw basically the whole island.

Maltese style rabbit

I left the scooter and was ready to leave to the airport but when saying bye to Charlie he told me: “Did you taste the Maltese style rabbit? If you didn’t, it is like you haven’t been to Malta!” I didn’t have time to taste the rabbit but Charlie insisted. He also promised me to take me to the airport, so I ordered one rabbit at a local restaurant. It took them so much time to prepare and I got really nervous. When the rabbit got served, I ate it so quickly that I didn’t even have time to taste it and I still don’t know if I liked it or not. However, Charlie dropped me at the bag drop at the airport 3 minutes before closing time so I caught my flight. At least after eating the famous rabbit I can say I have been to Malta.

Sunset at Valletta and a sailing boat — *Back in Valletta*

My tips for the mountain Ta’ Dmejrek:

Take a scooter and visit the highest point of Malta at the Dingli Cliffs. But be careful in case of strong winds.
The scooter will enable you to visit the whole island within a day.
Don’t forget sun cream like I did.
If you have time visit also the island of Malta called Gozo known for its amazing nature. I didn’t have time to visit it but it is a definitely good reason to come back.

Climber on top of mountain Vorder Grauspitz

June 28, 2019 • 0 Comment

Expedition completed! All highest points of European countries climbed!

After almost a year of frequent travelling, hiking and climbing I am lying on my bed without any specific further traveling plans. Now, I finally have time to go through the thousands of pictures and videos which I captured during my mountain expedition European Peaks. I still can hardly believe it but my pictures confirm that I made it! Despite all the obstacles I managed to climb the highest mountain of each European country and even during the shortest time ever. Liechtenstein and its surprisingly sharp mountain Vorder Grauspitz was the last mountain on my list. Here are my first reflections.

The largest obstacles brought most interesting stories

Vorder Grauspitz, the mountain which showed up several times in my nightmares, was conquered on 13th June, 2019, exactly 361 days after the first summit of a European mountain of my expedition which was a small but beautiful hill in Estonia. I expected to have difficulties with other giants such as Elbrus in Russia, Dufourspitze in Switzerland or Mont Blanc in Italy/France but it was this only 2599m high mountain in Liechtenstein which caused me the biggest troubles. I had to give up during the first summit attempt in the beginning of June due to high avalanche risk and this potential avalanche woke me up in the middle of several nights after our unsuccessful attempt.

Crazy a lot of snow in Liechtenstein shown by a closed tunnel — *Crazy a lot of snow at the beginning of June in Liechtenstein caused high avalanche danger. This is a wayout of a tunnel*

Surprisingly tough mountain in Liechtenstein

Who would expect such climbing difficulty from the fourth smallest country in Europe? I was so scared of an accident on this mountain but also so close to the end of my expedition that I decided to climb it for the second time with an experienced mountain guide. I just couldn’t leave the expedition unfinished. And it worked!

We waited for a perfect weather window and our summit day was just perfect. The freezing night made the snow stable for our summit and the weather even prepared impressive views for us. Can you imagine a better climbing day than above an ocean of clouds? The climb was actually not as difficult as my nightmares suggested. After a few hours I was already standing on Vorder Grauspitz and enjoying the last peak beer. That feeling of victory on the top of the mountain which scared me over two weeks was undescribable.

Climbing above clouds in the Alps — *Second attempt to climb Grauspitz during much better weather than for the first time*

Global warming took a short break

During the first part of my expedition (check the summary here) I climbed the highest mountains of all EU countries and I was pretty lucky with the weather. I had troubles with weather only once in the High Tatras when I was attempting to climb the highest mountain in Slovakia. However, the second part of the expedition prepared for me completely opposite conditions. I had difficulties with weather at almost each mountain due to never ending winter and lots of snow. The most crazy conditions waited for me besides the above mentioned Liechtenstein also in Russia where I had to wait 5 days for good weather. When it finally looked like the forecasts will recover my partners and I ended up in the biggest snowstorm I have ever seen.

Snow storm in Russian mountains nearby Elbrus — *Snowstorm in the base camp of Elbrus at 4100m. We had to return.*

However, we all know well that it was only a short global warming break. I have seen many glaciers melting during my expedition. The most significant change I experienced in Sweden when climbing Kebnekaise. The southern peak of the mountain got several meters lower in comparison to my first visit in 2014. Unfortunately, it will be soon glacier free completely.

Bear is not as fun to find as a beer.

Similarly, I faced complete winter conditions in all the Balkan countries where the summits would never be possible without crampons and an ice axe. Why do all articles I found online say that hiking in the Balkans in the end of May should be snowless? Besides snow difficulties, Bosnia and Herzegovina prepared for me another wildlife survival test – how to survive a meeting with a bear. I was very glad at that moment that I visited the Libearty Bear Sanctuary in Romania where I was explained what to do not to be eaten as a desert (see the picture below). Despite almost getting my pants full I found out that it actually works to pretend you are big and to start a karaoke.

Description of what to do if you meet a bear — *I started to use a lot Instastories during my expedition. Very easy and quick way to share instant experiences. Check my Instagram account if you don’t follow me there yet.*

In Iceland, I faced another challenge. Since none of the mountain guiding operators to the highest peak Hvannadalshnjúkur offered a tour on the date we needed, my friend and I decided to reach the peak on our own. Since my friend was on a glacier for the first time, I didn’t have any other option than leading the climb over a glacier for the first time in my life. It was a very challenging experience. It was not only an extremely long climb but taking the responsibility is a much harder burden. Any mistake could result in an accident. I am very happy we had probably the best weather in Iceland’s history so we made it to the peak safely. At the end, we were even awarded by an amazing sunset on the peak and the shining northern lights on the way back.

Selfie from the top of Iceland's highest mountain — *The highest point of Iceland climbed!*

Waiting is worse than the toughest climbs

Climbing Elbrus is nothing technically difficult. But if weather goes bananas your butt will shake off as I could experience. I had to wait for good weather for five days in an improvised simple accommodation, lack of oxygen, eating freeze dried food and hearing mice running above my head. The biggest problem was though that the toilet outside and 100m far from our cottage. I knew that you must drink a lot when staying in high altitudes but I didn’t know that the bladder has much more difficulties to work. Running 5 times a night to the toilet in freezing temperatures is not an experience which I will miss after this expedition.

I found out that having “skiing instructor certificate” doesn’t mean anything if you go ski touring. Reaching peaks in in Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Andorra was an amazing experience but followed with a number of non expected falls. The most crucial fall happened in Switzerland when I lost a pole. It taught me though that a broom can be an amazing pole too. Why spending so much money for new skiing poles when you can create your own?

Small mountains can surprise

I am glad that European highest points didn’t only bring me to high mountain ranges but also to countries which I would probably never visit without this challenge. The best example is Moldova, the poorest country in Europe and the least visited country of the European continent. I discovered completely untouched places there, met interesting people in tiny villages, celebrated orthodox Easter and visited the largest winery in the world. Yes, you read correctly. There is the largest winery in the world – Cricova with a huge underground city full of cellars and 100km of corridors. Even though the highest point itself of Moldova is very easy to climb, I had difficulties reaching it because before my summit day I spent in Moldova an intense prolonged weekend with surprisingly tasty wine, great people and one of the biggest parties in my life.

*Babushka selling Easter cakes in Moldova*

Climbing with the nearest

Since most of the climbs in the non EU countries were very demanding I never wanted to manage them on my own. Luckily, I have amazing people around me and I managed to find a climbing partner for every peak during the second part of my expedition. On the other hand, I learned that being scared for others can be much stronger feeling than being scared for myself. When my mum, my girlfriend and I walked off a snow covered walking path in the Balkans and we showed up in a very steep and insecure snow terrain, I was very worried something would happen to them. I was ready to cancel our summit attempts and return back down. Luckily, the women around me are so brave that they managed to pass these tough parts and we successfully made it to these amazing peaks.

Steep hike on top of Maglič, the highest peak of Bosnia and Herzegovina — *Joanne’s face explains exactly what she thinks about this steep part on the way to Maglič, the highest point of Bosnia and Herzegovina*

Overcoming prejudice and enjoying the simplicity of every day life

These were some of the strongest experiences I had during the second part of my expedition. As I said it was a very tough year with a lot of challenges but it was worth the pain and stress. The feeling when you successfully finish the whole expedition is simply amazing. I hope my story has motivated at least some of you reading this article. I wish everyone who has a dream expedition in mind to start. That’s the most difficult moment. Once you begin your adventure, the goal will be close.

If you don’t think of any dream adventure, consider climbing at least one highest point of a European country this summer. Europe is so beautiful and various that everyone is able to choose. The best thing is that if you decide to climb a mountain you don’t only make your body healthier by moving in the nature but you also meet interesting people and learn about different cultures. For me climbing the mountains was never only about the peaks. I always tried to find out as much as I could about the country and the region I visited. I liked especially participating in free guided tours in the cities on the way and of course talking with locals. I learned a lot of new interesting things about our continent and overcame lots of prejudice (you’ll see examples in my future blog posts).

Time to rest

Before my adventure I was very restless. I traveled to a new place and especially mountains every free moment I could. However, after this expedition, I never thought I would say this but I am happy that I have no travel plans at the moment. I am happy with my plan to stay in the lowland around Stockholm and Prague over the whole summer, just work with photography and go through all my pictures, videos and notes from my expedition. I am looking forward to complete my blog so you have tips for the highest mountain of each European country in one place. If you like reading my experiences and looking at mountain pictures, you have something to look forward to during this summer.

Two tourists chilling during sunrise in their sleeping bags on a Swedish island — *Time to enjoy Swedish summer and endless sunsets*

What will be the next expedition?

This is probably the most common question I am getting these days. My big challenge is to stay calm and not to travel much this summer. Haha. My current expedition will be to start writing a book which was always my dream. But for those who know me I will not be able to stay a long time without adrenaline. I have one big mountain dream in mind but I will keep it for myself at the moment. Stay tuned.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the people who helped me to make my dream come true. Especially, I am thankful for support and patience of my family and my girlfriend. Thanks also to all who decided to join me for a part of my expedition and to those who helped me in any other way.

Participants of project European Peaks — *The best people who joined me on my adventure this year*

PS: Thanks also the EU for its existence. I realized how easy it is to travel in the Shengen area during the second part of the expedition. I almost forgot how much pain in the ass it is to travel through borders with the security controls and bureaucracy. Similarly, I am happy to be back in the EU now where I can access internet on my phone anywhere without a problem. I spent hundreds of EUR only because I just needed to let my family know that I am alive.

Here is the list of mountains which I managed the climb

Country	Mountain	Elevation
Estonia	Suur Munamägi	318
Latvia	Gaiziņkalns	311
Lithuania	Aukštojas Hill	294
Denmark	Møllehøj	171
Netherlands	Vaalserberg	321
Belgium	Signal de Botrange	694
Luxembourg	Kneiff	560
Czech Republic	Sněžka	1,603
Slovakia	Gerlachovský štít	2,655
Poland	Rysy	2,499
Hungary	Kékes	1,014
Romania	Moldoveanu Peak	2,544
Bulgaria	Musala	2,925
Greece	Mount Olympus	2,917
Cyprus	Mount Olympus	1,952
Malta	Ta’ Dmejrek	253
Portugal	Torre	1,993
Spain	Mulhacén	3,479
Ireland	Carrauntoohil	1,041
United Kingdom	Ben Nevis	1,345
Austria	Grossglockner	3,798
Germany	Zugspitze	2,962
Slovenia	Triglav	2,864
Italy/France	Mont Blanc	4,809
Finland	Halti	1,324
Sweden	Kebnekaise	2,104
Croatia	Dinara	1,831
Vatican	Vatican Hill	75
San Marino	Monte Titano	749
Monaco	Chemin des Révoires	163
Norway	Galdhøpiggen	2,469
Andorra	Coma Pedrosa	2,942
Iceland	Hvannadalshnúkur	2,11
Belarus	Dzyarzhynskaya Hara	345
Ukraine	Hoverla	2,061
Moldova	Bălănești	430
Serbia	Midžor	2,169
Macedonia/Albania	Mount Korab	2,764
Kosovo	Rudoka e Madhe	2,658
Montenegro	Zla Kolata	2,534
Bosnia + Herzegovina	Maglić	2,386
Switzerland	Monte Rosa	4,634
Turkey	Mahya Dağı	1,031
Russia	Mount Elbrus	5,642
Liechtenstein	Vorder Grauspitz	2,599

September 16, 2018 • 0 Comment

Expedition EU Peaks completed!

I have just climbed the highest mountain of Croatia which was the last mountain of my expedition! That means only one thing: I managed the climb all the EU Peaks! I needed 88 days to conquer the highest mountain of each EU country. These 27 mountains created 27 amazing stories which I will bear in mind for the rest of my life. It really has been an extraordinary trip with many obstacles on the way but now I am very happy I made it. What a feeling to fulfill your dream. Look at a short movie from my adventure and my quick summary and reflections from my trip below and see what is coming next 🙂

*Sunrise over the highest mountain of my expedition – Mont Blanc; camera Nikon D750; lens Tamron 15-30mm, f/2.8; Panorama made by 24 pictures – 4 pictures in 2 rows; 3x Exposure bracketing*

Dream coming true

I always wanted to accomplish a longer expedition. When I saw documentaries about reaching the North Pole, climbing Mount Everest or biking through the Sahara I was thinking what my expedition could be. After visiting over 55 countries around the world and completing the Adventure Academy course I felt prepared for my first big trip.

I decided to climb EU Peaks for simple reasons: I love mountains and viewpoints & I would like show how easy it is to travel nowadays in EU compared to problems which for example my parents had. In recent years one can read many negative things about EU in the news so I wanted to show also some positive ones. Don’t forget that the best thing we have nowadays is freedom and amazing opportunities to travel. Look how much beauty we have around us!

*View from the highest mountain of Sweden, Kebnekaise; camera Nikon D750; lens Tamron 15-30mm, f/2.8; single exposure*

EU Peaks became inspiration for other adventures

During my journey I hoped that at least somebody was following my trip. Now I am sure. After the last summit I have received so many positive messages that I am glad I decided for such a trip. I am most happy for the messages telling me that I motivated people for their own adventures. If you also feel like making a similar trip or just climb some mountain, let me know. I will be glad to help you and answer your questions.

I found also other unique places on the way, not only mountains. Look at a hidden gem of Portugal – the amazing village Piodao; camera Nikon D750; lens Tamron 15-30mm, f/2.8; Panorama made by 4 pictures – 2 vertical pictures; 2x Exposure bracketing

This trip was a huge lesson for me. I managed many things well but I also made many mistakes. I am really happy for the experience to work with my amazing sponsors (Interrail, Outnorth, Panosociety, Lifefood, Granitbiten, Pod 7 kilo). I am thankful as well for the experience to become a reporter for the largest Czech Radio Impuls or for cooperation with other media such as Aktuálně.cz, Hospodářské Noviny or Soffa.

Big life lesson

On the other hand I learnt a lot from mistakes that hurrying in the mountains doesn’t make sense and can cause accidents. I don’t want to come back in detail to our car accident which happened in Scotland but it was definitely the worst experience in my life. I am still so thankful that nobody got hurt. To be honest I’ve never felt worse in my life after that happened. Only thanks to my amazing family and friends I got over my depression quickly and I could continue on my journey.

Looking at the decision now I am sure it was the best I could do. The rest of the trip was just epic. Standing on the highest peaks in the Alps can’t be described by words. If you like mountains, please visit at least one of the peaks.

*On the way down from Grossglockner clouds suddenly disappeared and we had this amazing view; camera Nikon D750; lens Tamron 15-30mm, f/2.8; single exposure*

You will see the rest of articles about each mountain soon on my blog but I would like to share with you some numbers and fun facts already now. Look at what all you can experience during just three months of travelling. Check also what country won in which of my charts 🙂

Statistics of EU Peaks

Countries visited: 28 (the whole EU)
Mountains climbed: 27 (the highest point of each EU country, France and Italy share Mont Blanc)
The overall elevation I climbed: 25 380 m (counting only the summit days, not extra hikes): 38m (Estonia), 45 m (Latvia), 12 m (Lithuania), 3 m (Denmark), 1451 m (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg- biking), 826m (Czech Republic), 1283 m (Poland), 1001 m (Slovakia), 22 m (Hungary), 1880m (Romania), 1463m (Bulgaria), 1862 m (Greece), 127 m (Cyprus), 1m (Portugal), 1237m (Spain), 1004m (Ireland), 1249m (United Kingdom); 1920m (Austria), 2151m (Germany), 1878m (Slovenia), 2474m (Italy/France); 626m (Finland); 1599m (Sweden); 1228m (Croatia)
Number of trains taken: 38 and the whole travel journey took ca 8400 km. All thanks to my Interrail card. Besides that I took 9 planes to reach islands and 1 ferry
Number of pictures and videos taken: 26 823 (731 GB)
Number of friends & family joined: 19
Summits during sunrises/sunsets: 14
Summits during middays with sunny weather: 9
Summits during cloudy/foggy/rainy weather: 4
Lifts taken: 0
Interviews for Radio Impuls: 28
Three best viewpoints from EU peaks: France/Italy – Mont Blanc, Sweden -Kebnekaise, Poland – Rysy
Three most impressive mountains: Greece – Mount Olympus, France/Italy – Mont Blanc, Triglav – Slovenia
The most busy EU peaks: Germany – Zugspitze, Austria – Grossglockner, Czech Republic – Sněžka
The most calm EU peaks: Romania – Moldoveanou Peak, Croatia – Dinara, Luxembourg – Kneiff
The toughest climb: Grossglockner, Austria (the most challenging climbing during freezing conditions)
The worst weather during my whole trip: Sněžka, Czech Republic – raining like hell
The longest climb: Kebnekaise, Sweden – 7 days
The shortest climb: Torre, Portugal – there is a roundabout on the top. I just drove there and I was there.
The most mosquitoes on the mountain: Suur Munamägi – Estonia
The most expensive summit: Slovakia – Gerlachovský Štít: It is the only mountain which you can’t climb on your own and you have to rent a guide. It costs 262 EUR
The most unpredictable weather: Carrauntoohil – Ireland: The only mountain where the forecast was completely wrong. It was supposed to be sunny and it was completely foggy
The most confusing story about the highest point of the country: Denmark – Danish people actually regard 4 mountains as their highest. Read the whole story here
The shortest distance to the sea from the highest point: Malta – the highest point is actually a cliff called Dingli
The best three peak beers: Prešovský Medový ležiak 14° (Slovakian honey lager) on the Slovakian peak Gerlachovský Štít; Belgium Peak Beer La Brune (A double highland beer, the brown Peak) on the highest Belgian Peak; Suur Munamäe vaatetorn (Wheat Ale) on the highest point of Estonia
The most visitors unfriendly mountain: Cyprus – Mont Olympos. There is a radar on the highest point. It is forbidden even take pictures there
Mountain where I felt most cold: Mulhacén – Spain: I simply underestimated how cold it can be in Spanish mountains. Temperatures around zero degrees Celsius together with strong wind caught me unprepared.
The most interesting story on the journey: From Ylko from Finland who came to mountain Halti to quit his drinking lifestyle. He drank 6000 beers during the last year and decided to stop. He symbolically poured the last one on the highest Finnish point.
The most cozy mountain huts: Slovakia – Chata Pod Rysmy (on the way to the Polish highest peak); Bulgaria – Ledeno Ezero; Greece – Kakkalos Refuge
The most tasty food on the way: Burger in Luxembourg
The most bizarre food on the way: Cold pink soup in Latvia
Three best accommodations: Germany – Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Malta – Valletta, Sweden – Kiruna
The best bartender met on the way: Croatia, Pakoštane – bartender Nikola and his drink Piňa Colada
The easiest mountains to reach: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg (all three managed in one day by bike)

And what is coming next? My optimistic plan to update my blog after each climb didn’t work so I will finally have time now to make all the updates. You can look forward to read about tips for each EU Peak soon, nice pictures and my funny experiences. The articles will help you prepare for your own adventures so you will be able to enjoy your time in the mountains in a safe way. Besides the mountain posts, I am planning to disclose you also some photography tips. Stay tuned!

European Peaks are waiting

And what about my travelling and new peaks? Now I will take a short break to gain new power but the world record in managing all European highest points is very tempting. Since it is only 22 peaks left I have to give it a try 😉

*One of the nicest sunrises of the expedition – Triglav in Slovenia; camera Nikon D750; lens Tamron 15-30mm, f/2.8; 3times bracketing*

Lastly, I would like to thank to all my friends, my family and my girlfriend for incredible support. Without you I would never be able to make this trip come true. I hope that those who joined me along this trip enjoyed it as much I did and I hope to welcome you for future trips and expeditions. Thanks also to Adventure Academy and all my teachers for the amazing preparation especially during the course Hell Week and of course to my sponsors who helped me get new equipment to finish my expedition! Big thank comes also to those who helped me on the way with providing accommodation, food or just advice and finally thanks to all my readers for following. Now the exciting articles will come 😉 Stay tuned!

*My friends who joined me on my expedition; collage made by 16 pictures from my camera Nikon D750, GoPro 6 and iPhone X*

July 17, 2018 • 0 Comment

15 EU Peaks in 30 days! What happened during my first month?

Today it’s exactly one month since I climbed the first peak of my expedition EU Peaks. Exactly 30 days ago I was freezing and bitten by a swarm of mosquitoes in Estonia on the highest peak Suur Munamägi. Now I am chilling on a beach in Malta (not sure if chilling is a correct word since I got sunburnt) while it’s +32 degrees. The EU is amazing since it offers so much variety. Taking a scooter in the Baltics, biking through the Benelux, climbing sharp and snowy mountains in the high Tatras, hiking in remote mountains of the Balkans or facing the heats on Mediterranean islands are all so unique experiences that I can’t believe I experienced them during just one month!

Watching sunrise with my friends at Mount Olympus; camera Nikon D750; lens Nikon 20mm, f/1.8; Panorama made by 18 pictures – 6 pictures in a row; 3x Exposure bracketing

Some things went well, some wrong on my journey. I would like to make a short summary of my first month. Since I love statistics I am offering you a few numbers and facts:

The nicest mountain so far: Mount Olympus, Greece
The toughest mountain so far: Moldoveanu Peak, Romania
The best peak beer so far: Prešovský Medový ležiak 14° (Slovakian honey lager) on the Slovakian peak Gerlachovský Štít
I traveled from the Baltic Sea (Denmark, Aarhus) to the Mediterranean Sea (Greece, Thessaloniki) via Black Sea (Bulgaria, Varna) only by train
I took 19 trains and the whole travel journey by trains was ca 4400 km. All thanks to my Interrail card.
The only delayed trains I took were in Germany – three trains, each 20-30 minutes.
The overall elevation I climbed was 10 013 m (counting only the summit days, not extra hikes): 38m (Estonia), 45 m (Latvia) , 12 m (Lithuania), 3 m (Denmark), 1451 m (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg- biking), 826m (Czech Republic), 1283 m (Poland), 1001 m (Slovakia), 22 m (Hungary), 1880m (Romania), 1463m (Bulgaria), 1862 m (Greece), 127 m (Cyprus)
Number of pictures and videos taken: 12 099 (358 GB)
Number of drone flights: 38 (13 579m)
Number of friends & family joined: 7
New good friends made: 5
Sunrises witnessed: 18
Number of rainy/snowy days: 4
Interviews for Radio Impuls: 12
Best experiences: Sunrises on EU Peaks; Taking a nap on a Latvian field and being woken up by a local farmer; Amazing overnight stays close to peaks in Bulgaria at Edene ezero hut and Greece at Christos Kakalos refuge with a lot of rakija; Biking through Benelux; tenting on 2461 m peak Mircii in Romania and watching milky way;
Worst experiences: Gravel roads in Latvia on scooter; Lost SD card in Luxembourg; Arguing with a stupid car rental company in Greece about a small scratch; sunburn in Cyprus; Missing Soccer World Cup final in plane
The biggest challenge: Almost no time to rest, sleeping every day at different spot, every day packing and unpacking
Agreements with amazing companies made: 6 (Interrail, Outnorth, Panosociety, Lifefood, Granitbiten, Pod 7 kilo)

Tenting on 2461m peak Mircii in Romania; camera Nikon D750; lens Nikon 20mm, f/1.8; Panorama made by 4 pictures in two rows; Single Exposures

Traveling through 15 EU countries in 30 days didn’t give me enough time to update my blog but you can be sure that an article about each EU Peak comes sooner or later. The rest of my journey will be more relaxed. Now I’ll have 45 days to reach the remaining 12 mountains. I can’t wait! Soon I will climb the mountain in Malta. Stay tuned.

My tips for following my expedition EU PEAKS

You can find daily updates on my Facebook and especially on Instagram where I upload also Instastories so you can be live with me.
If you have any questions about my expedition or if you would like to join me at one of the following mountains let me know here. Have a nice summer and don’t forget to climb at least one or two EU Peaks!

Snow on the way to the highest peak of Poland Rysy. What a view from the toilet; camera Nikon D750; lens Nikon 20mm, f/1.8; Panorama made by 18 pictures in two rows; 3times Exposure Bracketing

Snack at the highest point of Lithuania; camera Nikon D750; lens Nikon 20mm, f/1.8; Three times Exposure Bracketing

Fresh and hot breakfast at the highest point of Bulgaria; camera Nikon D750; lens Nikon 20mm, f/1.8; Twice Exposure Bracketing

May 1, 2018 • 0 Comment

Preparation camp at Lofoten islands

My summer expedition EU Peaks will be a long trip with only short brakes so there will be no time for failures. That’s why I don’t want to underestimate the preparations. I go running almost every day and I am learning to use my equipment. During the last year I have bought a lot of new camera gear and I have learnt a new cool method to make panoramic pictures. I wanted to test everything before my trip so I am sure I can handle it. I wanted to do the test in a tough environment so I could see how I and my gear can manage extreme conditions. The result is: I decided to visit Lofoten islands.

What are Lofoten islands? To be honest I think it is the most beautiful place on our planet. You may wonder why I like such a cold place far behind the polar circle. But if you saw those sharp mountains scrambling out of a rough ocean I think you would quickly understand.

A panoramic view over Reinefjorden, Lofoten

April seemed to be a perfect month. It is the month with the most changeable weather and the strongest wind of the year. During this time you can expect all: rain, fog, snow, hail, rainbow and hopefully also sun and northern lights. Perfect for photographers. Hopefully, my girlfriend would enjoy it too.

The trip didn’t start the best. My ordered large backpack didn’t arrive in time so I looked like a turtle with two backpacks. As a bonus I got some Swedish food for the way. Yeah, Norway is expensive. Charming right?

That’s my choice though. I know that carrying 15 kg of camera equipment might be tough. However, there is no other option. If I want to capture perfect moments and make the best pictures from my expedition I need professional equipment and that unfortunately weighs a lot. I am now doing panoramic landscape photography where I usually use 9-45 pictures to create one final photo. This is the only way to provide excellent quality of my work and make it printable on a large scale. In a later post, I will go more in detail how I shoot for those interested.

Now just 18 hours train to Narvik which is btw. also a perfect training for summer. I will be mostly travelling by train. I think it is most fun. You meet many interesting people and it’s much better for the environment than planes. A pity that Swedish trains are reliable like the long-term forecast so we were four hours delayed. Fortunately, we reached Lofoten islands before sunset and they didn’t surprise us. They were beautiful as always. We were welcomed by this amazing sunset. Can you imagine a nicer place for an evening bbq?

A beach on the small peninsula Holdøya at the beginning of Lofoten

The following days were as expected. Very strong wind and very changeable weather. It prepared perfect conditions for photography. Look at some examples of my work.

View from a snowy football field in the village Henningsvær

The camera and all my lenses seem to work. The second step was to test my drone. I had to be very careful. It was extremely windy and I didn’t want to let it swim so I was very careful when choosing the time for takeoff. It showed up that wind should be weaker than 10m/s. I was lucky to fly a few times with a decent wind and it resulted in the following images. I have to admit that the drone can cope with very strong winds if it manages to take off. It was a very pleasant surprise.

Kvalvika beach

Planet of the village Henningsvær

Panoramic drone view from the small peninsula Holdøya

The biggest challenge was to come though. We wanted to reach one of the mountains and tent there to witness a nice sunset, sunrise and hopefully northern lights from above. I made myself a turtle again, this time a turtle with snowshoes and went up to the sky. It was definitely worth it. This was our view from the tent.

A view from a mountain close to the village Fredvang

The northern lights were a bit weak but the nature was forgiven after giving us this beautiful sunrise.

The nicest sunrise can be seen only from the mountains

I am happy I could test all my tripod, camera, three lenses and drone and I think I am ready for the summer. I made some mistakes but I am happy for them to happen now and not during my expedition.

See you soon Lofoten islands! I can’t let you be without me for a long time!

April 15, 2018 • 0 Comment

EU PEAKS – Why am I doing this and what is Adventure Academy?

Welcome to my blog. I will be writing here about my summer challenge EU Peaks during which I will climb the highest mountain of each EU member. If you know me personally you know what you can expect in this blog. Besides the actual expedition (which will start on June 15^th), you will be able to find here a lot of information about outdoor activities, travelling, mountains and of course photography.

But today I would like to explain why I am actually going to make this expedition, why I joined Adventure Academy and what this Adventure Academy actually is.

The best outdoor course in Scandinavia

First, I like to be challenged and I always wanted to make a large expedition on my own. I was lucky to meet my Czech friend Simona Hrstkova living in Stockholm. She talked about Adventure Academy and her summer expedition Extreme Wanderlust. I immediately knew that this is exactly what I would want to do too. One year long education about outdoor life followed by a summer adventure. Perfect combination to make my dream come true!

Second, the Adventure Academy is driven by the most successful people in the outdoor industry in the whole Sweden. Is there any better opportunity to meet people with the same interests and the same passion like I have? During the past few months I managed to meet and speak with a guy who’s been to both the North and South pole, a girl who biked all around the world, CEOs of the largest Scandinavian outdoor brands, my current mentors with experience from every outdoor field you can imagine and many others…

AA crew 2018

And finally, this project can push my photography career to a new level. My dream is to leave the office life and become a full time landscape photographer and the way towards this dream is long and tough. I hope my expedition will help me to reach my goal.

What will be my summer adventure?

So now you know the main reasons why I decided to join the Adventure Academy. The next step was to come up with a summer adventure. I wanted to do something with mountains because I think mountains are the most fascinating parts of our planet. Also, I wanted something challenging but safe, unique, interesting for media and most importantly something to inspire and attract other people to spend more time in nature. I came up with EU Peaks. I think it covers all the criteria. The expedition is long and tough enough to challenge me but on the other hand rather safe because the European Union is the safest region on our planet and only three peaks require actual climbing. I hope my story can be also interesting for media because I will be the fastest one to be on all 27 EU Peaks.

Hooray. So now you know a short background story of how it all started and let’s move on to what I’ve learnt during 6 months with Adventure Academy. We have a meeting every month for 1-5 days and we always have both theoretical and practical lessons in certain topic. So far we’ve had courses touching these areas: Climbing, Hypothermia, Back-country skiing + avalanche training.

You have to be a bit creative sometimes. It is possible to practice back country skiing course even in Stockholm

Exciting plans ahead

We were part of the largest outdoor fair in Scandinavia called Explore, where we joined many inspiring presentations (expedition planning, expedition marketing and PR, risk management, high altitude alpinism and film making). Until June we will have courses in navigation, kayaking, long distance biking and a mysterious Hell week about which we still don’t have much information. Our mentors don’t want to disclose any hints. Let’s see 🙂 I summarized these lessons very briefly. If you are interested in details, let me know and I can cover them in the future post.

AA meetings are always special, like this one during outdoor fair Explore when we slept on the fair’s roof

Meeting interesting companies

Besides the above mentioned lessons, we met CEOs of many interesting outdoor companies and we received amazing outdoor equipment from the main sponsors of Adventure Academy which will be very handy during my and my classmates’ expedition: Lundhags hiking boots, Gore-Tex jacket Marmot, Hydroflask thermos and bags from Outnorth.

Morning tea in New York with Hydroflask

What do you think about Adventure Academy and about my expedition EU Peaks? Are you thinking about joining next year? Would you also like to plan a unique expedition? If you have any questions you can contact me here.

The next post will be devoted to this season’s fantastic winter and my new hobby nordic skating. Stay tuned!