Born in the USA, raised in Switzerland, matured in Canada, originally Austrian, and now on my way to graduate with a BSc in Physiotherapy from Thim van der Laan in beautiful Graubünden, I try to live out my passion for wilderness, adventure, and an active and healthy lifestyle as best as I can.
The outdoors have left their mark on me while I lived in Interior British Columbia, Canada. Or, maybe the seed to be wild (it being part of my surname) and free has always been around, but I needed a place just as wild and untamed to nurture this part of me that I did not know I had. In any case, over the course of over 7 years I’ve had Kelowna, Revelstoke, and Rossland as base camps from which to explore nature’s fantastic playground – on lugged soles, smooth to knobby tires, or waxed pairs of sliding planks.
I came full circle in 2019 when I moved back to Switzerland. Since then, I’ve been rediscovering this old home of mine with a brand new set of eyes. Full of child-like awe and excitement, this place I’ve taken for granted growing up is now able to show me how truly unique it really is. The Alps have always been this way; it’s only taken years of me being far away and discovering who I really am in the process to be able to actually embrace it all.
Now I am fascinated by Mother Nature, especially her mountains, and by the incredible performance of the human body as it runs, flows and moves through her landscapes. Through my own pursuit of and dedication to movement, I get to experience what we are capable of first-hand, be it running, biking, climbing, or skiing.
I’ve got adventures on my mind, scars on my shins, and many miles spread across different types of shoes. Back in 2017, for instance, more than ever before, I have pushed beyond my comfort zone in ways I didn’t think possible. Sure enough, I ended up completing two trail ultramarathons – instead of just one as I had initially planned. The year 2018 saw me bikepacking, solo, across grizzly country. On an early October morning in 2019, I set off from my new front door in Eastern Switzerland to run across a good portion of the Rätikon mountain range. In 2020, while I failed to cycle all the way to my parents’ from my neck of the Swiss woods, I still crossed more than half the country in the process – 248km in one go. That got upped to riding 470km with 8,200m of climbing in less than 60 hours this year, while also having a solid sprinkle of mountaineering thrown in the mix.

Constantly plotting new missions, I’ve got plenty to look forward to. I like to think of myself as a jack of all trades and master of none when it comes to mountain and endurance sports. I might not engage in the craziest missions simply for lack of skill. But I do stuff that excites me and pushes me. And boy, oh boy, are there many exciting ideas buzzing around in my head. Stay tuned…