This week, Ryce Travel transported wintersport- en skiing- equipment to Kosovo. Our director Peter Hofman drove all the way to Peja, to deliver the skiing equipment to the local guides by himself. He transported primairly touring ski’s, splitboards and avalanche gear. The transport of the equipment was made able by our follwing parnters; MK Skiservice, Arva, Technolyt and Frosty Snowboarding.
Along with previous shipments, there is now a great variety of wintersport equipment in Peja. With the goods, the local guides can offer more tours. Ryce Travel is working togehter with the Kosovar “Wander Adventures”, to open the Peaks of Balkans in winter. Besides that, there will also be a professional outdoor gear shop run by local guides. Of course with the support of volunteers from Ryce Travel.
Peaks of Balkans
In September, Peter, Ferda and Lauren traveled to Kosovo to walk the Peaks of Balkans trail. This hike is now one of the most popular trails in the Balkans. Thousands of hikers find their way on the border area of Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania. These routes are profesionally set out by local guides from these 3 countries. Tourism has grown enormously in the last 10 years. Guesthouses have been built and mountain huts have been converted into sleeping places.
Below is a glimpse of the highlights on the trail:
In winter the routes are covered with a thick layer of snow. Most guesthouses are closed and tourism is largely on hold. That is why Ryce Travel and Wander Adventures have joined forces together, to set up a thr Peaks of Balkans winter edition. You can then follow the route with touring skis or splitboard. We seek for unique slopes for backcountry skiing and sleep in the mentioned mountain huts. However, there is still a lot to consider. Fortunately, the first step has been taken with the purchase of touring skis and avalanche equipment. Next winter we will open the different routes.
In addition, Ryce Travel supports the opening of the Bora Outdoor-gear store in Peja. This place will become a hub for outdoor enthusiasts. You can also go there for repairs and maintenance. In recent years we have supplied ski maintenance equipment and offered training courses to maintain skis and snowboards. This will be operational from this winter and the real outdoor-gear shop will be built and opened next summer.
On this way we would like to thank MK Skiservice for their many years of support with this project. Menno Koelewijn has never been too busy to support us with his material and knowledge. Also a special thanks to Arva, Technolyt and Frosty Snowboarding for making this possible! Check out our Instagram for more photos of this project.
