Those people gave us a good insight into life there. And of course we met a lot of people on the road. We connected with four people and met them along the way. Jochen: Before we left, we tried to get in contact with local mountain guides and local artists. It was about getting to know the culture and people. The sport side wasn’t the main focus of the project. We’d never been there and wanted to learn about the people living in the mountains there. We looked at a map of Europe and saw that the Balkans are pretty interesting. Max: We really wanted to experience some mountains, cultures, people we didn't know.
How and why did you come up with the idea for the project? Read on below and click here to find out where you can watch the adventure documentary that’s been picked up by the BANFF Mountain Film and Book Festival. We caught up with Max and Jochen and asked about their experience. And that was the point it was an adventure as much about connecting with the local cultures as it was about cycling and freeriding. They met some inspiring locals who enriched their journey. It turns out, freeriding hasn’t really caught on throughout the Balkan nations. Their minds were even more blown by the fact they had them all to themselves. Their minds were blown by the mountains and slopes they discovered along the way. All up, they cycled 2500 km and skied seven spots in seven countries When long-time adventure buddies Max Kroneck and Jochen Mesle gazed out across Valbona valley in Albania, blanketed in virgin POW, and with it all to themselves, it made the trials of their Balkan Express adventure project worthwhile.Ĭycling in temperatures that dropped to -15c, flats, a minor crash, intimidating street dogs, exhaustion, and the kindness of strangers - they experienced all this and more while cycling from the coastal city Thessaloniki in northern Greece through the Balkan region to Munich, Germany during late winter 2022.
Watch the full film here!Īll we need sometimes is one special moment to make hardship worthwhile. Ski mountaineers Max Kroneck and Jochen Mesle cycled from Greece to Germany and skied seven spots along the way.
0 kommentar(er)
