Nina Ruhland

Nina Ruhland, founder and owner of Bergbegegnungen, the first agency for sustainable mountain experiences, was born on 2 May 1980 in Kamen in the Ruhr region. Her parents instilled in Nina a love of hiking and nature. In the family's small holiday flat in a forester's lodge in the Sauerland, Nina spent carefree childhood days full of light-hearted outdoor activities: playing in the woods, learning the basics of forestry with the forester, swimming in the stream almost every day (or falling in unintentionally), failing to ride cows and always, always going on lots of hikes. During the holidays, we either went to the North Sea or to the Alps. And I fell in love with the mountains.

After many years of guiding for other mountain schools, Nina realised more and more that she actually wanted to do things differently. Specifically, Nina wanted to make the experiences in the mountains more sustainable. For the guests, but also for nature and the people who live in the Alps. And so, in 2021, she founded "Bergbegegnungen" - her own small mountain school, which Nina Ruhland has been running with heart and soul and passion ever since.

Nina Ruhland,

WHAT IS THE SPECIAL THING ABOUT HIKING FOR YOU?
"I think there's hardly anything that clears your mind and soul in such a short space of time as hiking. Our body is happy that it can do what it was built for, namely walking. When hiking, we (finally) feel that we are part of nature again. Mountain hikes in particular ground us, because we can feel so unabashedly small next to these giants. On the tour or at the summit, new perspectives on life or problems often emerge. If I have a knot in my head or just a bad day, I have to get out and hike. I know that I always feel better afterwards."

ARE THERE THINGS YOU ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU IN YOUR EVERYDAY OUTDOOR WORK?
"Cable ties. I love these little things! I've used them to mend guests' shoes and rucksacks. Then, of course, a first aid kit with a bivouac bag or rescue blanket and definitely something sweet."

WHAT ROLE DOES SUSTAINABILITY PLAY IN YOUR LIFE?
"A very big and ever bigger one. Once you realise that it's not just us and nature, but that everything is connected to everything else and that our resources are finite, you inevitably start to move through the world differently. I love being in nature so much, it gives me so much, so it's logical that I want to preserve this gift. I'm not perfect in my sustainability either, I love dairy products, for example, and I like travelling by camper van. But I try to eat good quality organic food wherever possible (for example, Demeter milk from the farmer in the village), only buy fair fashion or second-hand items, don't fly and travel as little as possible by car. And in my company Bergbegegnungen, I develop products, such as the first "green" Alpine crossing, which are designed to be sustainable for everyone involved. And I look for partners, such as LOWA, who are also committed to sustainability. Because instead of always saying: "What can I achieve as an individual" and sitting back and doing nothing, we should all join forces and turn many individuals into a mass that can make a difference."

WHAT WOULD A PERFECT DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
"As the saying goes: "At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair dishevelled and your eyes bright." I have this combination quite often when I've been travelling in the mountains and in the evening, with an empty head, a full heart and red cheeks, I sit down with loved ones over a good meal and a glass of wine."