Easiest entry
Hiking
Marked trails, no special gear beyond good shoes. The best place to build fitness and trail sense before anything harder.
See hiking routes →Off the Couch · Trails
Start hiking, trekking & climbing — the beginner-friendly way.
Plain-language route guides, gear checklists and safety basics for the mountains. No experience assumed.
Three ways in
Not sure where you fit? Here's the honest difference, beginner to beginner.
A step up
Trekking
Multi-day routes, more remote terrain, and real planning: navigation, layers, and knowing your pace over distance.
See trekking routes →Needs guidance
Climbing
Ropes, harnesses and technique. We'll point you to beginner-safe crags and courses — never attempt this untrained.
See climbing routes →Before you go
Four things worth ten minutes each, before your first day out.
Gear
What to actually pack
A short, honest list — not the 40-item version that scares people off.
SafetyThe basics that matter
Weather checks, telling someone your plan, and knowing when to turn back.
Reading trailsWhat "difficulty" means
How to translate a route's stats into "can I actually do this."
FitnessGetting trail-ready
A realistic month of prep before your first proper hike.
Hikes by country
Every one of these is a hike I've actually done. Organized by country so you can plan around where you're traveling.
Greece
Mount Olympus
Home of the gods in Greek mythology, and mainland Greece's highest peak.
2,917 m · Mytikas summit
Italy
Dolomites
Jagged limestone spires and turquoise alpine lakes in the Italian Alps.
UNESCO World Heritage site
Poland
Tatra Mountains
Glacial lakes and granite ridgelines in Poland's highest range.
2,499 m · Rysy, Poland's highest peak
Slovakia
Tatra Mountains
The High Tatras' sharper, higher side — dramatic granite peaks above Slovak valleys.
2,655 m · Gerlachovský štít, the range's highest peak
France
Chamonix
The historic gateway to Mont Blanc, with trails beneath some of the Alps' most dramatic granite spires.
4,806 m · Below Mont Blanc, Western Europe's highest peak
Switzerland
Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa)
Switzerland's highest summit, part of the Monte Rosa massif on the Swiss-Italian border.
4,634 m · Switzerland's highest peak
Austria
Grossglockner
Austria's highest peak, crowned by the Pasterze — the country's largest glacier.
3,798 m · Austria's highest peak
Morocco
Mount Toubkal
North Africa's highest peak, in the High Atlas mountains south of Marrakech.
4,167 m · Highest peak in North Africa
From the trail
A few real shots from these hikes — not tied to any one specific route.
