After the ATTA convention in Lucerne, ArcticTropic flew from Zurich to Belgrade via Vienna .

Over Alpine Austria.

On the Dash 8 from Vienna to Belgrade. An extremely hard landing !

On a dark rainy night, it was great to have an excellent Serbian meal for a little more than the cost of a cup of coffee in Switzerland.

Today’s Day of Adventure took us 3020 Meters ( 10000 feet) to the top the Engelberg Glacier. After donning crampons and harnesses we rappelled 15 meters inside a vertical cave in the ice.

It was difficult to shoot and hang on to the line at the same time. Reminder to get the GoPro !

The scenery is incredible.

We then climbed up a 15 meter ice wall in a crevas. My first time !

Rappelling down is easy;

The Engelberg Glacier never melts. Today’s temperature was in the 20s F ( -5 C) while in the valleys below it was in the 60s.

This evening ArcticTropic departs from Miami for Zurich to participate in the Adventure Travel World Summit in Lucerne. At the end of next week, we move on to Belgrade, Serbia ,exploring Serbia, then Bulgaria and finally arriving in Istanbul ,Turkey. There will be daily updates.

This week ArcticTropic will be attending the Adventure Travel World Summit in Whistler, British Columbia. The Summit is the most important event of the year for the adventure travel marketplace. It’s almost sold out – there may be a couple of spots left – check the site.

The schedule is very busy – seminars running from 8 in the morning until 7 at night – not surprising, since adventure travel is the fastest growing segment of the market.

The seminar is not all work and no play – each evening there are major dinner events- and on Saturday the 6th many outdoor adventure activities are planned. I will be climbing the Blackcomb Glacier. At this time of the year the glacier is not as snowy as the pictures on the link – however the snow is already starting.

My journey from Miami is a long one – including the longest flight in the Continental United States on American Airlines from MIA to SeaTac- 6 and a half hours, followed by a 45 minute puddle jumper ride up to Vancouver. After a day of exploration in Vancouver, I’ll head up the road to Whistler. My years in the tropics have led to the disappearance of winter clothes, so I’ll have to resupply in Vancouver ( though Miami has its’ share of ski shops).

Daily reports will begin on Tuesday.