Photo Journal & Trip Reports (Alps & europe)

Please enjoy these photo journals and trip reports from some of my outdoor photography adventures, starting with the most recent. You can subscribe to follow my latest blog posts (and any other blogs as well) by using a feed reader such as Inoreader or Feedly.

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Chasing Powder in the Alps (Part 4): Larch Laps — Chasing Powder in the Alps (Part 4): Larch Laps

January 2026 | Piemonte, Italy & Hautes-Alpes, France

Our next stage of chasing powder in the Alps in January was in the western Piemonte of Italy and the Haute-Alps of France just over the border, a region full of extensive larch forests. We scored some surprise post-snowstorm powder at Bardonecchia and Sestriere in Italy, toured the expansive terrain of Montgenèvre in France on a beautiful blue sky day, then caught another massive snowstorm at Serra Chevalier in France when there was literally too much snow to ride!

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Chasing Powder in the Alps (Part 3): Trees of Limone Piemonte — Chasing Powder in the Alps (Part 3): Trees of Limone Piemonte

January 2026 | Limone Piemonte, Italy

After chasing powder from Austria to Switzerland, there was a now a big Retour d'Est storm forecasted to hit the far southern Alps in the Piemonte region of western Italy. This was great news, particularly because the mountains there already had a solid snowpack from an earlier Retour d'Est in December...

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Chasing Powder in the Alps (Part 2): Swiss Snow Dreams — Chasing Powder in the Alps (Part 2): Swiss Snow Dreams

January 2026 | Valais, Switzerland

With a weather forecast promising a big snowstorm in the western Alps, we drove to Valais in western Switzerland to best position ourselves for the incoming powder. We arrived along with the storm and spent the next week skiing & snowboarding at various ski areas up and down the valley. Here's a gallery of photos from the week, along with our experiences there.

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Chasing Powder in the Alps (Part 1): Low Tide in Austria — Chasing Powder in the Alps (Part 1): Low Tide in Austria

January 2026 | Fieberbrunn, Austria

After visiting Claudia's family over Christmas in Germany, we took the train down to Munich and picked up a rental car for the next phase of our winter Euro trip: a month of skiing and snowboarding in the Alps! As January rolled around, though, my excitement was tamped down a bit by the fact that the Alps were experiencing a miserably low snow year so far. Powder prospects looked grim, with much of the Alps barely having any snowpack at all...

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Frohe Weihnachten aus Dresden! — Frohe Weihnachten aus Dresden!

December 24, 2025 | Dresden, Germany

Merry Christmas from Dresden, Germany! 🎄 We are here for the holidays visiting Claudia's family and enjoying the fantastic Christmas markets in the old town, including lots of glühwein (mulled wine), bratwurst, and all sorts of delicious fried sweets...

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Trekkin the Écrins — Trekkin the Écrins

July 2025 | Écrins National Park, France

In early July we embarked on a two-week trek around the Parc National des Écrins (Écrins National Park) in the French Alps. Our route roughly followed the GR54 trek, but we did a lot of extra sidetrips and detours. Along the way we stayed in alpine huts as well as some quaint villages.

This was the longest and most ambitious hut-trekking route that we've yet done in the Alps, and I have a lot of photos to share from our travels in these magnificent mountains!

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Postcards from Dresden — Postcards from Dresden

June 2025 | Dresden, Germany

In mid-June Claudia and I flew to Germany to spend two and half weeks visiting her family and friends. We spent most of the time in her hometown of Dresden, the capitol of Saxony in eastern Germany...

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January in the French Alps — January in the French Alps

January 2025 | France

On New Years Eve, my wife Claudia and I flew to France to spend the month of January skiing/snowboarding in the French Alps! We rented a car in Geneva, drove to Chamonix, then slowly worked our way south over the next three weeks, skiing at lots of different ski areas both big and small mainly in the Haute-Savoie and Savoie regions...

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Winter in Tyrol: In Black & White — Winter in Tyrol: In Black & White

January - March 2024 | Tyrol, Austria

A collection of black and white photos from the rugged mountains of Tyrol, Austria in the winter months of 2024. Most of these photos are from the Zillertal, though there are several from East Tyrol as well as Serfaus...

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Winter in Tyrol: Daily Posts — Winter in Tyrol: Daily Posts

January - March 2024 | Tyrol, Austria

In the winter of 2024 my wife Claudia and I are spending three months in the mountains of the Tyrol region of Austria! This is an ongoing stream of posts from our time here; I am challenging myself to try to post a photo each day (or at least every few days)...

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Wildkogel — Wildkogel

September 2022 | Austria

After our 8-day trek through the Hohe Tauern in Austria, we still had two days to kill before heading to Munich for our flight back home. What to do? We thought about squeezing in another short hut trek, but the logistics would have been hectic and besides we knew we'd be too tired anyways after our big trek...

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Hut to Hut in the Hohe Tauern — Hut to Hut in the Hohe Tauern

September 2022 | Austria

In early September we headed south to Alps for an 8-day hut-to-hut trek through the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria. A north to south crossing of the Hohe Tauern range, our route started from near the town of Kaprun, took us right past Grossglockner (the tallest mountain in Austria), and ended in the town of Mörtschach – while staying at alpine huts for seven nights along the way.

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Figments of Albrechtsburg — Figments of Albrechtsburg

August 2022 | Meissen, Germany

While visiting family in Dresden, Germany recently, one day we made a trip with Claudia's mom and sister to Albrechtsburg Castle in nearby Meissen. This beautiful Gothic castle perched atop a hill above the Elbe River was built starting in 1471 on the site of a fortress castle that was originally built in 929...

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Autumn in the Dolomites — Autumn in the Dolomites

October-November 2019 | Dolomites, Italy

In late October and early November, Claudia and I traveled to the Dolomites in northern Italy for two weeks of hiking amongst jagged peaks and golden larch trees. I've spent time the Dolomites in the summer and winter before but was excited to visit during the autumn when the larch trees turn yellow and orange...

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Valldemossa — Valldemossa

October 2019 | Mallorca, Spain

In mid-October we traveled to the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, Spain, for a week of holiday with some of Claudia's family. Though Mallorca is most known for its beaches, we opted to stay in Valldemossa, a quaint old village full of narrow cobblestoned streets nestled in a valley at the foot of the mountains...

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Hut Tour around Grindelwald — Hut Tour around Grindelwald

September 2018 | Switzerland

In mid-September after our treks in the Bernina Range and Val Masino in southeast Switzerland and north Italy, Claudia and I traveled north to the famous Jungfrau region near Interlaken in Switzerland...

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Val Masino — Val Masino

September 2018 | Bernina Range, Italy

Eight days into our trek around the Bernina Range, we took a little train and bus detour and visited Val Masino in Italy on the southern end of the same greater range. The mountains around here are sometimes referred to as the Val Masino Alps, or the backside of the Bergell or Bregaglia Range...

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Around the Bernina Range — Around the Bernina Range

September 2018 | Switzerland/Italy

In early September we flew to Zurich, Switzerland, took a train to St. Moritz, then embarked on a 9-day trek around the Bernina Range in the Rhaetian Alps. Named after the tallest peak in the range, Piz Bernina, the Bernina Range is a rugged and heavily glaciated mountain range along the border of southeast Switzerland and Italy...

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Over the Dachstein — Over the Dachstein

July 2017 | Austria

The final destination of our three-week northern limestone Alps tour was the Dachstein mountain range of Austria. Starting from near the Südwandhütte, above the lovely village of Ramsau on the south side of the range, we hiked for three days around and over the Dachstein to the famous village of Hallstatt on the north side, via the Hofpürglhütte, Adamek-Hütte, and Simony Hütte...

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Trek Around Watzmann — Trek Around Watzmann

July 2017 | Berchtesgaden, Germany

Berchtesgaden is a famous Bavarian mountain resort town in southeast Germany. If you look at a map of Germany, the Berchtesgaden area is the little protrusion at the bottom that’s almost totally surrounded by Austria...

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Wilder Kaiser — Wilder Kaiser

July 2017 | Austria

After our trek in the Karwendel we took a bus and train to the town of Kufstein, stocked up on some snacks, and started hiking into the Kaisergebirge, a small but incredibly rugged mountain range that rivals just about anything in the Dolomites as far as sheer jaggedness goes...

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Hut Trekking through the Karwendel — Hut Trekking through the Karwendel

July 2017 | Austria

Over the course of 5 days in early July, we hiked from west to east below the jagged spine of the Karwendel range just north of Innsbruck, Austria - from the villages of Scharnitz to Pertisau, via the Karwendelhaus, Falkenhütte, Eng Alm, and Lamsenjochhaus...

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Along the Adriatic Coast — Along the Adriatic Coast

August 2015 | Montenegro & Croatia

After our treks in the mountains of Montenegro, we were feeling pretty trekked-out and looking forward to a more relaxing stretch of travels along the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Yes, we knew it would be hot, crowded, touristy, and expensive compared to the mountains, but we wanted to visit there anyways; no trip to Montenegro would be complete without a visit to the coast...

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The Cursed Mountains - a trek through the Prokletije — The Cursed Mountains - a trek through the Prokletije

July 2015 | Montenegro and Albania

Forming a natural border between Montenegro and Albania is a jagged spine of mountains called the Prokletije in Montenegran and the Bjeshkët e Namuna in Albanian. Both names translate to “cursed mountains”, likely due to their foreboding vertical spires, deep winter snows, and inhospitable ruggedness...

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Rafting the Tara River — Rafting the Tara River

July 2015 | Montenegro

One of the highlights of a trip in Montenegro which is already full of highlights has been rafting down the Tara River. With its crystal clear turquoise spring-fed waters, the Tara is easily the most beautiful river I’ve ever seen...

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Durmitor Loop Trek — Durmitor Loop Trek

July 2015 | Montenegro

Durmitor National Park is certainly the most famous and beloved mountain range in Montenegro. The mountains here aren’t the biggest or baddest ever, but they have an undeniably wonderful and unique character, like a combination of the rugged might of the Alps with the wild solitude of the Rockies...

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Maglič & Trnovacko Jezero — Maglič & Trnovacko Jezero

July 2015 | Bosnia and Montenegro

For the first mountain adventure of our Bosnia/Montenegro trip, Claudia and I went backpacking for two nights at Trnovacko Lake along the border of Bosnia and Montenegro. The lake itself is located on the Montenegro side of the border, but is only accessible via Sutjeska National Park on the Bosnian side...

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Tough Luck in the Pyrenees — Tough Luck in the Pyrenees

September 2013 | France/Spain

On the first day of September Claudia and I started walking into the Pyrenees, the great mountain range that forms a natural border between France and Spain. Our plan was to trek along the Pyrenean Haute Route as far eastward through the range as we could in the next three weeks, staying in mountain huts and occasional small towns along the way...

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Climbing the Zugspitze — Climbing the Zugspitze

August 2013 | Germany

At 2962m (9717 ft), Zugspitze is the tallest mountain in Germany. The white limestone massif of Wetterstein (of which Zugspitze is the summit) rockets out of the green hills below, towering above all surrounding peaks and dominating the landscape in this part of southern Bavaria near the towns of Garmish and Erwald...

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Ferrata Trek through the Rosengarten — Ferrata Trek through the Rosengarten

August 2013 | Dolomites, Italy

The Rosengarten is a group of mountains in the Dolomites with a dense cluster of exceptionally jagged peaks. 10 years ago I did two hikes through this range, and since then I’ve longed to return for some better photography and more challenging via ferrata climbing...

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Via Ferrate in the Dolomites — Via Ferrate in the Dolomites

August 2013 | Dolomites, Italy

Last week Claudia’s father and brother drove down from Dresden to join us in the Dolomites in northern Italy for a fun week of hiking and climbing via ferrata routes together. The via ferrate are climbing routes with fixed cables and ladders, and by using a climbing harness with two short ropes with locking carabiners, it’s possible to safely climb exposed routes without technical climbing skills...

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Lechtal Alps — Lechtal Alps

July 2013 | Austria

Our latest adventure in the Alps was an 8-day trek through the Lechtal Alps in Austria, the neighboring range just south of the Allgäuer Alps of our previous trek. In fact on many days of our trek we could look across the valley and see the peaks and ridges which we had just hiked and climbed over the previous week...

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Allgäuer Alps — Allgäuer Alps

July 2013 | Germany

We are relaxing in the lovely Bavarian town of Oberstdorf in southern Germany after having trekked for the last 7 days through the Allgäuer Alps, a fantastic mountain range which runs along the border of Germany and Austria...

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Bernese Oberland Ski Hut Tour — Bernese Oberland Ski Hut Tour

April 2011 | Switzerland

In early April I went on a ski hut tour in the Bernese Oberland mountains of Switzerland. This is the heart of the Swiss Alps, and during the course of 6 days we skied a variety of routes across the largest glacier system in the Alps...

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A Winter in the Alps — A Winter in the Alps

Winter 2010-11 | Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany

This gallery is a compilation of my favorite photos taken from the 2010-2011 winter season in the Alps, from November through April, in roughly chronological order. I spent most of the season in Engelberg, Switzerland but also did trips to Zermatt, Grindelwald, Mürren, and the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland; the Dolomites in Italy; Obergurgl and Mayrhofen in Austria; and the Black Forest in Germany...

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Autumn in Freiburg — Autumn in Freiburg

November 2010 | Germany

Photos of colorful autumn colors at the foot of the Black Forest near Freiburg, Germany.

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Norway Wrap Up — Norway Wrap Up

August 25, 2009 | Norway

I am back in Oslo, just hanging out for a few days waiting for my flight back to Colorado. It’s been amazing to fulfill my dream of seeing the mountains and fjords of Norway, but now I am really excited to get back home, see my friends and family again, and go through all my photos from the trip...

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Trollveggen — Trollveggen

August 21, 2009 | Norway

After my quick trip in Jotunheimen, I had a few days of decent weather forecast to spend, so I decided to backtrack and return to the Romsdalen valley near Andalsnes, possibly my favorite place in Norway...

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On Top of Norway — On Top of Norway

August 19, 2009 | Norway

Yesterday I hiked up to the top of Galdhøpiggen, the highest peak in Norway at 2469m, in Jotunheimen National Park. My plan was to stay up there until sunset, and I was prepared for a long wait on the summit in the cold wintery conditions...

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Rainy Sunnmøre Alps — Rainy Sunnmøre Alps

August 15, 2009 | Norway

The last few days in the Sunnmøre Alps have been a whole lot of rain and not much else. The first two days and nights I spent completely tentbound in the rain, camping near a roadside lake. With a forecast of just more rain, I figured I might as well wait in style so I hiked up to the Tussenauset backcountry cabin, situated near a big alpine lake surrounded by large peaks...

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Romsdal — Romsdal

August 11, 2009 | Norway

During the two days after leaving northern Norway, I drove 22 hours back down to central Norway. I detoured into Sweden for most of the drive, to take advantage of the flatter, straighter roads. I’m not sure if it saved much time, but I had no desire to retrace the curvy route back down through Norway! Driving south so fast was like time travel into the astronomical future, and for the first time since I’ve been in Norway I saw real nighttime, the moon, and stars!

Anyhow, I arrived at the town of Andalsnes and was happy to be back in the “real” fjord country again! The mountains around Andalsnes are insane...

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Senja & Lyngen Alps — Senja & Lyngen Alps

August 11, 2009 | Norway

Last week I was pretty much off the radar, traveling around various mountain areas in northern Norway and car camping the whole time.

After leaving the Lofoten islands, I headed to the famous Stetind mountain, a mind-boggling 1400m sheer granite spire of a mountain, and camped a few nights there, scoring a lucky sunset during a break in the rain showers...

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Svolvær — Svolvær

July 31, 2009 | Norway

The last few days I’ve been in the town of Svolvær, the largest town on the Lofoten Islands. Yesterday I did a hike up Fløya, a 590m peak that juts out above the town, and watched the sunset from up top...

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Lofoten Islands — Lofoten Islands

July 29, 2009 | Norway

For the last week or so I’ve been doing my thing here on Moskenesøya, one of the Lofoten Islands, with some of the most unique and incredible landscapes on Earth! The mountains soar up right out of the ocean, with sheer granite faces leading to symmetrical pointy summits...

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Bodø — Bodø

July 22, 2009 | Norway

After leaving Ålesund, I ended up driving 13 hours straight, trying to cover some ground during the rain. The drive through this middle part of Norway was relatively boring – mostly rolling hills, forests, and farms...

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Ålesund — Ålesund

July 20, 2009 | Norway

After hiking down from Skåla the other day, I drove northwest towards the city of Ålesund. The drive was stunning, at one point passing over a mountain pass in the Sunnmøre Alps with huge pointy mountains and vertical glacier-carved walls on both sides...

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Jostedalsbreen — Jostedalsbreen

July 19, 2009 | Norway

As I drove north from Bergen, the already-grand scenery became noticeably more dramatic once I got to the area near the town of Stryn, with steep mountains soaring out of the fjords, topped with glaciers...

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Driving Through Norway — Driving Through Norway

July 19, 2009 | Norway

I’ve been in Norway for one week so far into a six-week travel here. I have no itinerary but my rough plan is to head north from Oslo in my rental car, traveling mostly up the coastline checking out the mountains, fjords, and towns along the way...

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Shaken in the Julian Alps — Shaken in the Julian Alps

July 2004 | Slovenia

Based out of the village of Kranjska Gora, in mid-July of 2004 I did a couple treks in the rugged Julian Alps in Slovenia. For the first hike I ventured up to the Triglavski dom hut below the summit of Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia...

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Via Ferrate in the Dolomites — Via Ferrate in the Dolomites

June/July 2004 | Dolomites, Italy

In June and July I met my buddy Kevin and his brother Kyle in Venice, Italy and we headed into the Dolomites for three weeks of hiking and climbing the famous via ferrate routes through these incredible mountains...

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Rainy Days in Durmitor — Rainy Days in Durmitor

June 2004 | Montenegro

In June of 2004 I traveled to Montenegro, one of the countries of the former Yugoslavia. I had seen some intriguing photos of the mountains there, so I was excited to check out this relatively unknown destination...

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Turkey — Turkey

May 2004 | Turkey

In 2004 my sister invited me to join her and some friends for three weeks of traveling through Turkey. This isn't my normal type of travel destination so I was eager for the opportunity to travel there with them and experience the rich history and culture...

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