The Ukrainian Freeriders
The Ukrainian Freeriders, a collective of 18 inspired skiers and snowboarders, wanted to speak out against the rapid deforestation and development of the Carpathians and prove that a quality Ukrainian ski holiday is possible without "the use of lifts, helicopters or snowcats, five-star hotels and dozens of hotel personnel." The Freeriders gathered together and headed out into one of the last pristine corners of the Carpathians to climb and ride the Montenegrin Mountains.
location: +48° 7' 16.26", +24° 33' 30.78" Mount Shpytsi, Ukrainian Carpathians
With a successful trip in the bag, the Ukrainian Freeriders were able to show their community that a successful ski vacation can be taken without disrupting nature's balance. Here are the numbers they calculated to prove it:
Vehicle travel (800 km) – 0.08 tons of CO2
Train travel (1000 km) – 0.18 tons of CO2
No plane or heli – 0 tons of CO2
No snow mobile or snowcat – 0 tons of CO2
Food preparation – 0.0084 tons
In total, they produced approximately 0.27 tons of CO2
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Photos: courtesy of Helena Filippova & Oleksandr Ivashchenko
Trip Report: courtesy of Anton Kharkhalis & Yulia Lipko