Climbing

The Cova des Genet: Hidden in plain sight

The steep eastern coast of Mallorca is peppered with caves of all sizes. And the specially rugged area around the popular bay Cala Varques is no different. However, needing a rope to get in and out makes the Cova des Genet secluded even if it's so close to this sometimes crowded destination.

Climbing

Exploring the beautiful and slightly technical Cova de na Mitjana

After some cool climbing adventures Wolf and I made the most of the turning winter weather on Mallorca by seeking out a lesser known cave in the north east of the island that can only be accessed by a bit of scrambling and a rappel into the main cavern.

vanlife

Agüero - Not just Riglos light!

The 300 meter towers of Riglos are both visible from kilometers away and very well known by fans of multi pitch climbing in Spain and beyond. However just a village over there is Agüero with its own Mallos that are just that bit smaller and less intimidating - but as beautiful and unique.

vanlife

Maraña - An outdoor enthusiasts dream playground

Our van based exploration of the regions of northern Spain brought us into the mountains of León and to the small village of Maraña. Sitting in a beautiful pastoral valley right at the foot of the Mampodre mountains, this place is a gem for hikers, climbers and anyone looking to get away from it.

Hiking

Peaks beyond Peaks: Traversing the Mampodre range

Besides the famous Picos de Europa there are many more ranges in Northern Spain. By traversing the main line of peaks of the Macizo del Mampodre I got to know one of the less famous but equally beautiful more closely.

Hiking

Scaling the Pico Gilbo from Riaño

The mountain panorama around the Riaño reservoir is stunning. But even among the many peaks here Pico Gilbo stands out. An almost perfect Toblerone pyramid that looks both inviting and foreboding. Its hard to see where an easy way might lead up - however there is one.

vanlife

Exploring the Vallée de Vésubie

Like its cousin the Roya valley over the mountains to the east the Valley of the Vesubie river has much to offer to the outdoor orientated visitor. Tons of peaks, curious wildlife and twisty mountain roads provide more than enough to do!

2022

Outdoor sports and other adventures in La Brigue

The valley has been hit hard by the storm Alex in 2020 and it still shows. However this means that the area is quiet and the many outdoorsy activities you can do here are not crowded at all. And all of the alpine beauty is still there!

Hiking

Exploring the Torrent de s'Arboceret

The north-east of Mallorca has its own small mountain range that is much less well known than its bigger brother the Tramuntana. However there is a lot to discover here too - like this remote canyon.

Hiking

Climbing the elusive Puig Major on Mallorca

With its large radar facility run by the military the summit of Puig Major seems out of reach. Getting close to it is the Penyal de Migdia. However there is a way to reach the proper summit via the North Eastern Spur - it's tricky though!

Tips and tricks

Review Salewa Raven 2 GTX boots

In summary a pair of light mountaineering boots that are comfortable for hiking and keep your feet warm enough on most occasions. These boots work well for everything but technical climbing or extreme conditions.

Hiking

Exploring the Son Cifre canyon

After spotting this canyon close to the city of Manacor on a map and a bit of googling we set out to explore what looked to be an interesting feature in the more or less flat part of Mallorca. Turns out we stumbled upon a little hidden gem!

Hiking

Exploring the stunning Cova Tancada

I do have a habit of looking for peaks, cliffs and other features on maps and then making other people go to these places for little adventures with me. This is what happened to Brigitte when we were hiked/scrambled to and spelunked in the Tancada cave on this memorable excursion.

Hiking

Up the Puig de Galatzo via the East face

The most prominent peak (1026 MASL) of the southern Tramuntana can be scaled via a normal hiking trail or, as I did this time, a fairly adventurous scramble through the east face. And in early January even Mallorca offers some cold and windy weather to make things interesting.

Hiking

The Serra de Son Torrella traverse

Its length, exposure and technical nature make this ridge one of the crown jewels of the Tramuntana mountains. And after having looked at it from many angles I set off for a great day of scrambling, rappelling and admiring the views.

Hiking

Traversing the Puig de ses Vinyes ridge

From our overnight spot we could clearly see the summit of Puig de ses Vinyes and the connected ridge with the highest mountain on Mallorca Puig Major in the background. During my morning coffee I took the decision to give it a try, which turned out to be a great idea.

Hiking

The Torrent de Pareis - A bucket list tour!

Since moving to Mallorca a few years ago I always wanted to do the hike / scramble down the Torrent de Pareis but somehow never made it happen. With no tourists on the island right now I took the chance to see this famous canyon in solitude.

Climbing

Traversing the Serra de Cavall Bernat

With the Covid-19 restrictions being lifted more and more I got out to do a scrambling route that I have been scoping out many times. This striking 3km ridge turned out to be hard, fun and scary at times.

Hiking

New trails in the friendly mountains

Any chance I get to get out into the mountains is much appreciated and sharing the beauty of the Tramuntana with friends even more so. On this short overnight hike we took some new paths (and non-paths) in den central part of the range and discovered new ways to combine known ones.

Climbing

Walking Iron Ways in cliffs, rubble and sky

Adventuring is always best with a good partner and I (Bengt) was luckily joined by Jost from Hamburg on a four day Via Ferrate trip to Austria. Better yet he agreed to write a report on this trip in which he shares his insights and (from what I can gather) diplomatic comments on my performance.

Hiking

Sleeping under the stars on the peaks of the Sierra Neveda

The Sierra Nevada range in Spain is close to major urban areas and very remote and rugged at the same time. It offers great multi day trekking tours above 3.000m n.n. on almost non-existing trails. This is the story of our five day trek in June 2019 traversing some of the highest peaks in Spain.

Climbing

The Watzmann traverse

In the summer of 2019 I was in the Berchtesgarden area and amended another trip to see what the fuss is about. Spoiler: Yes the traverse is definitely worth it and no you do not have to be Reinhold Messner to do it.

Hiking

We should have brought an Ice Ax...

A winter ascent of the Krottenkopf in the Bavarian alps After getting into hiking and scrambling up mountains this year I met up with Torben in Munich to do a

Hiking

As high as you are allowed to go

Scrambling up Puig de Massanella on Mallorca If you have been following our antics you might have noticed that there are quite a few trips that happened on the mediterranean

Hiking

Unexpected mountaineering 101

Hiking the Triglav range in Slovenia Mount Triglav (2.864m) in the Julian alps is one of the peaks that can be almost hiked up to with no need for