Freeriding in Lebanon: Is there snow?

The two Munich-based student Lukas Bröll, 25, and Nico Brixle, 22, are believed to be the first to have crossed the Lebanese high plateau from North to South - on skis.

Valérie Nowak

in the Midst of a white mountain landscape, a single skier hisses down the slopes. A cloud of snow dust behind him, while he, with about 80 kilometers per hour down the steep slope down to the grid. Just now, he stood at the very top of the cliff, to repel, to lay alternately in a left - and then in a curve to the right. He will always jump faster, over a rocky outcrop. A drone flies high peaks over the mountain and filmed the skiers from the slopes or ski lifts, no trail. Behind the scene, two students in Munich, to a passionate off-piste and an adventure, no distance is to far stuck Because of the mountains, to remember the film footage of the Alps, located in the Lebanon.

"The Exciting thing is that each slope is different and different driving can be - it makes freeriding so special," says Lukas Bröll, 25. The medical technology student has crossed with his friend Nico Brixle, 22, in February, the Lebanese high plateau from North to South. Nico comes from Munich, and studied in Augsburg, Germany, in business engineering, a semester abroad he made in Lebanon, where he wandered in the mountains. At the time, the idea of, come here for the skiing to come back. The two students are believed to be the first to have traveled the whole Route on skis. To find yourself a way down the mountain, jump out, in order to have a short feel, to fly - that drives the young athletes.

Two Munich freeriders in Lebanon: Lukas Bröll and Nico Brixle.

image: NoComfort.Film

Nico Brixle stands on a rocky outcrop.

image: NoComfort.Film

In the ascent to the summit.

image: NoComfort.Film

the summit of happiness.

image: NoComfort.Film

The two freeriders stayed in the tent.

image: NoComfort.Movie Is loading ...

most of The friends of Luke and Nico were surprised about the plans to freeriding in Lebanon, for the time being. The most common question: "Is there snow?" In fact, there are in Lebanon, the largest ski resort in the Middle East, from there, Nico, and Luke started their Tour into the countryside. The area is well suited for freeriding, since it is less snow than in the Alps, the avalanche danger is lower.

It is not an All-inclusive vacation, the two students have booked. For half a year, they planned their ten-day tour: First of all, they had to find sponsors for your Plan. You applied at major sport manufacturers - with success. To be able to a Route in the site plan, went the two on the search for the map material. They found the German Alpine club, with maps in their App if they were navigating digital by Lebanon. 25 pounds of gear on your back you carried every day.

rule number one when Planning: saving weight. Culinary this means that Baby food as a powder, meal-raspberry-banana-rusks, oats, apples to fruits. The Whole is stirred with snow, you need to first melt.

The world on skis and to accompany the Whole thing with the camera, you have inspired other freeriders: Max Kroneck and Jochen Mesle has long been one of the best free-riders in Germany and are one of Lukas' models, the two have crossed in your movie "ice palm" in 42 hours, the Alps from Germany to nice, drove, alternately, bike and Ski. Shortly before the flight, in Lebanon it looked however, as if Luke would have to cancel the Tour: He ripped off seven weeks earlier, the band had a compression fracture. Flown you are anyway.

Luke and Nico have discovered their passion for skiing in the Allgäu region, both of which were already three years, for the first Time on the boards. Freeriding means for Nico, a connection to nature: "It is the freedom to go where you want. The feeling to have a unbefahrenen slope in front of you, is just something Special," says Nico. He has last year, his first 4000m peaks in the Alps with skiing, driving, in Japan, he was already on the volcano Yotei on the way. Also Luke was already in Japan, skiing in Canada, he worked roughly five months as a ski guide. Therefore, for the two clear from the beginning: It's not just about enjoying the Ride, you want to share these moments: The film is your Hobby, your Instagram Account could be not only family and friends close to the action at your adventure, but other Freerider track their journey. On your channel, "No. Comfort film" do you want to publish your Lebanon film in the autumn, with it, you want to apply for a job at several film festivals, such as the Bavarian Outdoor Film Festival (BOFF), or the Freeride Film Festival.

In Lebanon, waiting for the students some of the challenges: Constantly the weather changed, suddenly they were stuck in the so-called "Whiteout". The horizon seemed to disappear, the snow reflected the bright light and reduced contrast. You lost the orientation. Your Navigation on the phone then showed them their Route. "Fog is just scary," says Luke. Also the temperatures did to create them. Similar to how in the desert at night even in a tent minus eight degrees cold, during the day it will be hot when the sun beats down.

a Tour brace, it is not necessary to be physically fit. Experience is very important, and "a good eye for the Line," says Luke: "if You look at the slope only from below, from where you long to go. You will notice, on the basis of distinctive rocks, trees, or terrain where you may need to turn, or wants to jump. Then there is the art to see the from above, and be sure that it is not right to jump on a rock," says Luke.

"not wanted to know my mom, where I'm going so down, but now she finds it interesting and has a self-slow fun to drive in the deep snow," says Luke. Also, Nico's parents are moving to the mountains, just as they were for a Tour in Iceland. Worries are not entirely unjustified: her Lebanese companion Halim about complained for days about cold feet. As he took off his boots, he discovered that the first third of the toenails of his big toes was black - and- frostbite third-degree. The pain came first, as you are warming the toes, slowly, at each step in the ski boots he bumped the front.

Young people

Munich is alive. Many young people in the city and in the surrounding areas to pursue exciting projects, interesting ideas and tell exciting stories. On this page, you will be presented Monday for Monday - by young authors for young readers. Desire to cooperate? An E-Mail to the address jungeleute@sueddeutsche.de to send. Further texts can be found in the Internet under http://jungeleute.sueddeutsche.de or www.facebook.com/SZJungeLeute.

your Tour not brought you the anyway, your next destination is the highest peak in Lebanon. On the way, they discovered the remains of cannons from the civil war, which showed the direction of Syria. "It is a breathtaking was the view in the Morning, the war scenes on the Syrian border, one can imagine," says Luke of his impressions. It was a strange feeling to stand there.

they reached back-pass roads, and a real ski resort, after more than a week, they met again at a normal skier and felt "like Aliens". Finally, they reached at last the Black Peak, 3083 meters high. Up there you enjoyed at sunrise, the views: "We felt like the kings of the world," says Luke.