Video: Speedflying Through Eastern European Mountains

Speedflying is an interesting mix of paragliding and skiing. It usually involves someone starting at the top of a mountain and skiing down the slopes, only to have their glider catch the wind and allow them to float over cliffs, trees, or just about any other obstacle that gets in the way. In the video below, the skier starts at the summit of Kasprowy Wierch, a mountain located along the border of Poland and Slovakia. The ride back down is certainly not along the route that most take however. This looks like scary fun.

Sunset speed-fly from Kasprowy Wierch 27.11.13 from bartoszplewa on Vimeo.

Video: Louis-Phillipe Loncke's Poland Trek

Back in May of this year, Belgian explorer Louis-Phillipe Loncke set out on a traverse of Poland that began on Mt. Rysy, that country's highest peak, and ended at the Baltic Sea. In between he climbed, trekked and paddled for more than 1200km (745 miles) enjoying a number of unique experiences, and meeting plenty of people, along the way. The video below is a trailer for an upcoming documentary on the trek. It looks like great fun!

Poland Trek- The Trailer from Natalie Hill Photography on Vimeo.

Belgian Adventurer Completes Poland Trek

Back in May I posted a couple of updates on the Poland Trek, a 1200 km (745 mile) journey undertaken by Belgian adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke. The expedition, which began with a climb up Mount Rysy, the tallest peak in Poland and finished on the Baltic Sea, which Loncke reached at the beginning of June after traveling on foot and kayak across the length of the country.

When last we checked in with Lou-Phi he was reporting that the weather was good but water levels on the rivers were low. That changed dramatically near the end of the expedition however, as the sunny, relatively warm and dry weather came to an end with torrential rainfalls making the final three days a rather cold and wet paddle to the Baltic.

The weather wasn't the only obstacle to overcome on his way to the finish line. Loncke says that as he neared the coast there were a number of close calls with man-made obstacles that made it a challenge as well. While in the more remote regions of Poland he enjoyed relative solitude, but as he reached populated areas, boat and barge traffic increased, causing more than a few close calls. At one point he was nearly run down by a barge that had no idea he was there and a close encounter with an unexpected cable in the water nearly left him cut in two.

Fortunately he did survive the journey and is now at home planning his next escape. Much of the Poland Trek was documented on video however, so expect to see plenty of footage from the expedition down the line.

Congrats to Lou-Phi for wrapping up another successful expedition.

Belgian Adventurer Announces Poland Trek Expedition

Belgian adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke has announced his next project and it is an exciting one. The explorer who has already trekked solo across the Simpson Desert and gone north to south across Iceland, not to mentioned kayaked his own home country, has now set his sights on a summit to sea journey through Poland.

The new expedition, which Lou-Phi calls the Poland Trek, will get underway on May 7 and is expected to run for about 4-5 weeks. The journey will start with a climb up Mount Rysy, the tallest peak in Poland at 2499 meters (8198 ft) and will proceed to the Baltic Sea, located at 1.8 meters (6 feet). In between, Loncke will traverse the Tatras Mountains to the source of the Vistula River (the longest in Poland), which he'll then paddle to the sea. All told, the route should cover some 1200km (745 miles) of wilderness.

A small documentary film crew, featuring photographer Natalie Hill and adventurer Tomasz Grzywaczewski, will attempt to chronicle the journey, joining Lou-Phi on the trail when ever possible to take photos and video of his adventure. He will go without resupply while in the early mountain stages but will likely stop major cities, such as Krakow and Warsaw, for food and other items once he starts paddling.

You'll be able to follow his progress at by visiting PolandTrek.com, which has more information about the specifics of the project and the route that Loncke will take on his journey. Once underway there will likely be regular dispatches to keep us informed of progress as well.

Good luck Lou-Phi!