23.03.2020 | Alix von Melle from the LOWA PRO team sat down for us to talk about her motivation, her passion and the joy of mountaineering and hiking.
What drives us?
To be rewarded with experiences that money can't buy.
"Walking means slowing down."
I've been travelling and exploring the world for 30 years. My favourite things are mountaineering and islands. The sun should shine nice and warm on my face, even at -30 degrees Celsius on an eight-thousander. A good travelling pace is slow motion - on foot, by bike, in climbing boots or on touring skis. Always with a rucksack. Travelling is easier with little luggage. Travelling means adventure, and the adventure lies in not knowing in advance whether you will reach your destination or what exactly it is.
Purple sunsets, breathtaking views of wild mountain peaks or glistening mountain lakes - I take these images home with me in my heart. They give me strength and energy for everyday life, inner satisfaction and a very special feeling of happiness. The feeling of happiness that I experience on summits is completely independent of the height of the mountain.
"Starry skies instead of a star hotel. Experience instead of consuming."
"Sunsets, wild mountain peaks, breathtaking views of glistening mountain lakes. These are the things that give me strength and energy in everyday life."
I am enchanted by cultures and religions and am fascinated by foreign countries and their people. For example, the monks in Lhasa shovelling snow in the deep snow or the Nepalese women carrying their babies in colourful scarves on their backs while working in the fields. It is fascinating to see how these people manage with so few material things and seem more content than we do in our Western world. In our bubble of luxury, where we have everything and yet are not happy.
No matter how much you have seen or experienced while travelling - world cultural heritage, summit happiness, personal peak performance or not - for me, travelling is first and foremost a broadening of horizons and a source of inspiration, with special moments away from the famous backdrops. For example, the sight of a butcher's shop in the heat of Pakistan or a roasted guinea pig in Peru, in addition to the exotic insights into food culture, hygiene and animal welfare, leads to a calming and ultimately relaxing grounding of my life. As an effective antithesis to our packaged, sterile and hectic world. A bubble of luxury that often obscures our view of the essentials and makes us take off again far too quickly.
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