😊 Autumn in Russia - Beautiful Suzdal 😊

** Awe-inspiring landscape and wildlife pictures

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Autumn in Russia - Beautiful Suzdal!

Impressions from Suzdal/Russia

Some impressions from 2 weekends that I spend in Suzdal this October! Overall I uploaded 100 pictures from my first and 85 pictures from my second visit to a gallery on my website:

Suzdal Gallery (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=40aab451f8&e=3330066c6a)

Suzdal belongs to the "Golden Ring" and is definitely one of the highlights in Russia. I could spend there some weeks for photography alone! Enjoy the pictures and please also share with your friends.

With best wishes Frank Tschöpe

www.franktschoepe.com You are bored? You need some inspiration or ideas for your own travels? Then please have a look here:

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😊 Running the 170km UTMB around Mont Blanc 😊

** Awe-inspiring landscape and wildlife pictures

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Report and thoughts on the UTMB 2016

End of last year I was very lucky to win a start number in the lottery for the 170km UTMB, the most prestigious long-distance mountain run in the world. As you know, you first need to collect the qualification points. Normally 2 mountains runs longer than 100km and a 60km run will do. But in addition you need some luck in the lottery, where 2600 participants out of more than 6.000 applicants are drawn.

So needless to say I integrated that run in my 2016 schedule and my main events in 2016 were the following:

May: Cape Wrath Ultra 400km/8days June: Zermatt Ultra 45km July: Iceland Ultra 55km August: Irontrail 128km August: UTMB 170km

As of my sabbatical in April/May I was not able to prepare thoroughly for these events, so I had a slow start and was very far from my best times in Zermatt and Iceland. But at the 128km Irontrail in August I performed already quite well, finishing 17th out of 93 runners. And I felt that I could be made for the longer runs above 150km.

The start of the UTMB was very special and the atmosphere in Chamonix was more than outstanding. I would say the enthusiasm was comparable with the mountain stages of the Tour de France. For about 2-3km it felt like being in a stadium with many flags, cowbells and other instruments. But also later in the smaller villages there were some great, emotional moments. Once there was a large group, that sang some nice french songs. Then other people cheered with cowbells. Very often I heard "Allez, Frank!" and "Bravo, Frank!" Even very little childs applauded and often reached for "high fives".

Compared to the Irontrail the route was technically rather easy and only for about 5-10km you needed to navigate to very irregular terrain as there were loose scree slopes. The weather was much too hot, reaching temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. But on Saturday evening there was a heavy thunderstorm with lots of lightning and heavy rainfall. Then the trails went muddy and were totally under water. As you might know I am not a fan of these hot days and often I struggle in these temperatures. Apart from this the route was marked exemplary and I never had any problems with route-finding.

As always I started such a long run in a comfortable, slow pace. The uphills I consequently walked and on the downhills I ran very cautiously. As a result there was not the slightest fall or imbalance during the whole event. But I was very surprised how fast 99% of the other runners went on the downhills. As though they didn't fear any consequences, like soar legs on the final hills. To me it looked as though all of them were in a competition with a prize money of a million.

The start was on Friday evening at 18:00 and temperatures through the night were quite pleasant around 15 degrees Celsius. So here I got into a rhythm and I was able to progress about 5-6km per hour. Also I made sure to save some energy for the later stages and hills. Later around midnight it got very windy on a higher ridge and I put on warmer gear!

Saturday was as hot as expected and hiking up the hills was very exhausting. My main goal for this event was to finish the UTMB by all means. But it turned out that with this goal in my mind, I was missing some competitiveness and motivation. On many occasions I just hiked in a comfortable pace and let many slow runners pass. But later I changed my attitude and went for a fast pace and I was doing very fine. Especially the last 10 hours out of the overall 38h were very strong and I was able to overtake more than 300 runners in this period.

Running-wise in 2016 I was never in my best form, so I went for other tricks like having very short breaks at the food-stations. When other runners spend 20-30 minutes for a refreshment stop, I only took 2-5 minutes. On two occasions I had no break at all, which meant that I overtook 20-50 runners in one move. Very often it were the same runners then that overtook me again and again. And they were always wondering how again and again I managed to get in front of them! ;-)

Interestingly during this race I met some known faces, mostly runners from this year's 400km Cape Wrath Ultra in Scotland: Stephen Dixon and also the swedish team Ted Kristensson and Par Bjelkmar. They always look so strong and I would assume that they never ever give up in a race. Last but not least Des Rhule from London came as a spectator and gave me some hints and running advice. (Thank you,Des, for being my sherpa post-race and carrying my heavy bag!) And funnily there are also runners from Germany that know me from Facebook but I don't know them. Usually I am approached with words like "Hi Frank, I know you and your pictures from Facebook.."

The last seven hours I managed to climb from position 650 to 399, which was great fun! Mainly I could choose how to pass other runners. Either taking a short or no break at the food stations or pushing hard on the uphills. And should even this not work then I went for a very breakneck downhill. This was one of my strengths in my youth and on former trail runs. Of course, this meant highest concentration especially during night with my headlamp.

Compared to my youth I nowadays play it more safely, which means funning the downhills rather controlled and slow. With this I significantly reduce the risk of falls and feet injuries.

On Sunday morning at around 8:13am I finished this tough race at rank 399 in 38h13min, running two complete nights and a day! I never felt tired, so I needed no sleep at all. Before that race I was not so sure on this, but it seems that my body was in a kind of "alarm status". Besides I was concentrating the whole time on the trail. There was not even time for getting tired then. Going forward I would never think again of having some sleep or a short power naps in similar events.

Would I do this UTMB again? The clear answer is "No!". This race is too tough, too crowded and also offers only little nature feeling. The food was OK, but could be improved a lot. I would have liked potatoes and also non-alcoholic beer. On one occasion I bought a beer in a swiss mountain hut, but I made also sure to not drink it in a single gulp. Yes, this run also went through Italy and Switzerland. But as expected I didn't need to show my passport! On the other hand the atmosphere was simply overwhelming and that is hard to ignore. Here I would say that especially French and Spanish people are very enthusiastic on trail-running, especially in the Alps and Pyrenees. You would not experience this atmosphere in Germany and Switzerland.

So overall it was a great experience with many interesting impressions. There were several moments where I would have liked having a camera with me. Next time I will take at least a small camera! Very often during the night I could see a chain of lights from other runners. On Friday there were many of them, on early Sunday there were already much less. Obviously nearly half of the runners dropped out! On one occasion there was fog below us, with a peak emerging from that fog. Then there was a thunderstorm with heavy rainfall, that I even enjoyed over the hot, sunny weather. It makes running a bit more complicated, as mud and water puddles develop. But I like these challenges and usually I don't afford any mistake. So no false step, but highest concentration without being distracted.

Next year I will likely reduce my running pensum, which means I will only go for my favorite runs and then maybe a special event. On the other hand I plan to prepare thoroughly which should then translate to faster times:

Stockholm Marathon I would like to run below 3 hours again. Last time I failed on this. And also my 9th Laugavegur Ultra should be faster, maybe around 5h30 again and a top 10 ranking. Finally I might apply for the ultimate run, the Irontrail 201km race. This run is much more difficult than the UTMB and with 200 participants has a total different character! I like the landscapes in Graubünden as well!

So here my report on the UTMB ends and I hope you found some interesting aspects.

Interesting links and results

To get a feeling how dramatic a trailrun could develop, I recommend you to read this very well-written summary report:

REPORT UTMB 2016 (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=fa45436878&e=3330066c6a)

Men's race: Many favorites dropped out, Zach Miller was leading nearly the whole race. But then finally got passed by 5 runners. One of them, France's Ludivic Pommeret celebrated his biggest victory in life. Remarkably he was only 50th in an early stage, but managed to get stronger and stronger till the finish.

Women's race: Here it was a very close duel of France's Caroline Chaverot and Switzerland's Andrea Huser. Maybe these are currently the best european women in long-distance mountain runs. You find them in the top 10 of the ITRA ranking:

ITRA ranking (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=7c4ab0d393&e=3330066c6a)

At least I also find my profile there, but of course I am ranked much lower with an overall of around 500 points: Profile Frank Tschöpe (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=05687a9916&e=3330066c6a)

Last but not least you find all the results here:

RESULTS UTMB 2016 (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=6d2351a6c6&e=3330066c6a)

First select "UTMB" and then you can browse through all the runners. I recommend you to click on the number of a runner and then you will discover some nice features, like how the runner developed over time. You can also compare different runners. If you want to see my performance then just put in my start number 908.

I finished in 38h13min on 399th rank and was very happy with this result. Out of an overall of 2600 runners only about 1468 finished.

Sporty greetings and all the best

Frank Tschöpe

www.franktschoepe.com You are bored? You need some inspiration or ideas for your own travels? Then please have a look here:

Beautiful Galleries (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=e52766fc82&e=3330066c6a)

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😊 Ibexes of Switzerland & 170km UTMB in Chamonix/France 😊

** Awe-inspiring landscape and wildlife pictures

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** Ibexes in Switzerland (Glarner Land / Aug 2016)

The last 2 weekends I went for a photo-shooting of ibexes in Glarner Land. So I took my 50Mpix Canon 5dsR with the Canon 200-560mm lens and went from Tierfehd to Bifertenhut on both weekends. The second time I was quite lucky with the ibexes and approached them closely up to 3-5 meter on several occasions. The resulting pictures are worth seeing:

Gallery: (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=7bf5983a8a&e=3330066c6a) IBEXES of SWITZERLAND (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=a1f27eb3e1&e=3330066c6a)

I highly recommend to browse through this gallery and also have a look at the details of the ibex eyes.

Running Update (UTMB 26th-28th Aug 2016) Frank at the 128km Irontrail in Davos in early August 2016

A) Switzerland: Irontrail (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=085107e03b&e=3330066c6a) (128km,+/-6.990m, Davos, 6. Aug, 4:00am)

The Swiss Irontrail went very well and I finished in 26h25min at rank 15 out of around 100 participants:

RESULTS: (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=18ab86ee9e&e=3330066c6a) SWISS IRONTRAIL T121 (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=d74c19bfce&e=3330066c6a)

More important, it was a very good preparation for my next event, the prestigious 170km UTMB, where many elite runners from all over the world will participate:

B) France: UTMB (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=7aed5e1fc1&e=3330066c6a) (170km, +/-10.000m, Chamonix, 26. Aug, start at 18:00pm)

Next Friday, 26th August, there is the adventurous 170km UTMB in Chamonix, a jewel among the ultra distance runs. It is a circle around Mount Blanc with about 11.000 meter of altitude. There will be many strong elite runners from Spain, USA, GB and Germany participating. Those runners likely will finish in less than 22 hours, which means only one night of running. I am more a hobby runner, so I would definitely spend 2 nights, but hopefully will finish below 40 hours. It is expected to be very hot weather this weekend with no rain at all.

Here you find some interesting background information:

a) Overview: http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=4cfe31ffa6&e=3330066c6a

b) Route: http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=41e68981d7&e=3330066c6a

c) Live Tracking: http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=cb1fa2bbcd&e=3330066c6a (Search for start-number 908, from Friday 18:00 till Sunday late)

Sporty greetings and all the best

Frank Tschöpe www.franktschoepe.com You are bored? You need some inspiration or ideas for your own travels? Then please have a look here:

Beautiful Galleries (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=08876dffd9&e=3330066c6a)

Our mailing address is: Frank Tschöpe / Photography Föhnloch 4 Schübelbach 8862 Switzerland ** unsubscribe from this list (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage2.com/unsubscribe?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=018e0423f1&e=3330066c6a&c=c3bab96934) ** update subscription preferences (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/profile?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=018e0423f1&e=3330066c6a) Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utmsource=freemiumnewsletter&utmmedium=email&utmcampaign=monkey_rewards&aid=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&afl=1

😍 New galleries from Nepal, Myanmar and Scotland 😍

** Awe-inspiring pictures from my latest travels

** Travels to Nepal and Myanmar (26.3.-22.5.2016)

I am back from my travels in Nepal and Myanmar and uploaded about 250 pictures for each country on my website.

a) Nepal/Everest region (April 2016)

I got some luck with sun and clouds on Mt. Everest, but also a bit unfortunate with conditions at Ama Dablam. But overall I am happy with the results. I concentrated on mountains in Nepal, but whenever there was an opportunity I also went for people and animals.

Photographing Mt. Everest (8848m) from Reno La Pass (5320m)

I uploaded 2 galleries and highly recommend to view the pictures on Mount Everest:

Solu-Khumbu in Nepal Gallery (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=ae95a6b7a5&e=3330066c6a) (about 250 pictures on the whole route from Jiri to Everest Base Camp)

Everest and Ama Dablam Gallery (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=49e08617d0&e=3330066c6a) (about 60 pictures from Everest (8848m) and Ama Dablam (6812m)

b) Myanmar (May 2016)

Traveling in Myanmar proved to be a bit more difficult, as it was often very hot with temperatures above 40 degrees. Overall I managed to produce quite interesting shots from Bagan, Inle Lake, Mandalay and Yangon. However I would need another travel in main season to have a high-quality set of pictures on the whole country.

Farmers at work near Inle Lake

I uploaded a gallery of about 250 pictures:

Myanmar Gallery (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=05590ef49d&e=3330066c6a)

** Blog and Live-Tracking

If you are interested in the exact routes and my travel blog, then please visit the following website:

Blog and Live-Tracking (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=7ad667feff&e=3330066c6a)

**

400km Cape Wrath Ultra in Scotland (22.5.-29.5.2016)

Finishing the Cape Wrath Ultra after 400km and 73h10min

From 22th to 29th of May I did run the Cape-Wrath Ultra (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=afb0ad3c91&e=3330066c6a) in the Scottish Highlands. I carried 2 cameras with me (Canon 5dsR with 70-200mm f4 and Sony A7R2 with 16-35mm f4) and made some interesting shots.

During the run injuries increased in magnitude and quantity but I somehow managed to finish. As I had no serious training the months before I was very happy with overall 32th rank out of 95 starters.

Overall 62% of all participants reached the finish. The weather conditions were very sunny and ideal for trail running. However, the course was very difficult with swamp and sandy sections. Sometimes it was even off-route and GPS navigation was necessary. On the longest day I did an extra loop of 5km. :-(

The results you find here: Results Cape Wrath Ultra 2016 (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=5075ed8203&e=3330066c6a)

And here you find my gallery of about 100 pictures:

Cape Wrath Ultra gallery (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=b7bf1776d2&e=3330066c6a)

Sporty greetings (from an injured trail-runner) and all the best

Frank Tschöpe www.franktschoepe.com As always here you will find all the other galleries ("Best of" and "People" with new pictures!):

Beautiful Galleries (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=c7f195d228&e=3330066c6a)

Scotland: 400 km / 8 days Cape Wrath Expedition Run

400km Cape Wrath Expedition Run in Scotland (start today 10am!)

In 4 hours I will start in the 8-day stage Cape Wrath Ultra in Northern Scotland with 94 other participants. I have not done any running training in the last 2 months of travelling (Nepal hike was demanding, but Myanmar was too hot with 35-45 degrees!), so I am not really fit for this tough ultra. I plan just to finish and concentrate on taking nice pictures. For that I take a Sony A7R2 with 16-35mm 4.0 and a Canon 5dsR with 70-200mm 4.0 with me.

I hope to improve in the next months, as I have many very nice events on my agenda:

45km Zermatt Ultra (Switzerland, July) 55km Laugavegur Ultra (Iceland, July) 125km Irontrail Davos (Switzerland, August) 170km UTMB (France, August) 320km Valle d'Aosta (Italy, September)

In Scotland there will be a professional live coverage, as each participant carries a satellite tracker! I expect about one third to not finish and this time it could happen even to me. I think after 3 days I know whether it would be possible for me to continue. Anyway, expect me at the end of the field already on the first day!

On the following webpage you see the exact route and live-progress of all participants (very nice and interesting format!)

http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=1908266032&e=3330066c6a

For a blog and my own tracking please visit my website:

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All other details on the run you find also on their website:

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On Friday I ate Fish&Chips in Glasgow and I got sick from the fish! Diarrhea and Vomiting was the result. Also I forgot a second pair of Inov running shoes. So I bought a new pair of similar INOV shoes yesterday. I will start with the old black ones however.

Surprisingly I already met Gene Dykes in Glasgow and I could join him and other runners in their car to Fort William. There will be 14 tents and I share one with him and 6 other runners.

3 runners are from Germany and 4 from the US. Overall 95 runners participate, with most of them coming from Great Britain. There will definitely some rain during the event and many rivers up to 80-100cm to cross.

Accomodation (Bed&Breakfast) is quite good and they even have the traditional English breakfast and also a talking parrot in the living room.

The first stage looks on paper as one of the easier ones. There are no markers, so runners are dependent on their navigation skills. Each runner has a very good water-proof map and most use a GPS device.

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Stage 2 is already demanding and stage 3 will be very tough. Hopefully I will be still in the run then. I plan to start on the following stages as early as possible, which is 7am. Faster runners are allowed for a start till 9am. Each runner decides himself. Starting early has the advantage to have it easier at the time-controls during the run!

So this time I will struggle, but I will try everything to finish or at least run as long as my body allows!

;-)

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🌞 Travel Update: Nepal & Myanmar 🌞

** Awe-inspiring landscape and wildlife pictures

A Travels to Nepal & Myanmar (Apr/May 2016)

First of all there will be live coverage on the link below. I plan to send 2-3 waypoints per hour, starting in Jiri on 27th March. Also you will find a little blog with at least weekly frequency:

Blog and Live-Tracking (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=2305620413&e=3330066c6a)

a) Nepal/Everest region (April 2016)

I will start from Kathmandu to Jiri by bus (8-10h) and then will hike to Lukla in around 6-8 days. It will be exactly the classical route taken by Edmund Hillary on his Everest expedition in 1953. Depending on chosen route and weather conditions it will take me another 6-10 days to reach Everest Base Camp.

In the villages I will hire both male and female porters to share my heavy 45kg backpack in order to have it much easier over the high passes of Renjo La (5360m) and Cho La (5370m). In 2008 Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa helped me climb up to Cho La pass. Quoting mountaineer Pemba Sherpa (Facebook, 17.03.16): “Yeah this man, Lakpa Sonam, is from Phortse. He is among one of the unsung heroes of Himalayas. He also has been awarded with many honors and medals. He has a route named after him: Sonam route on Everest from north side. You can meet him again.”

Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa climbed Everest and Ama Dablam several times!

Edmund Hillary was so kind and supported to build several schools in Everest region. A very interesting article on this topic you find here:

The History of Junbesi High School (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=8362577a9a&e=3330066c6a)

This time I will fully concentrate on Everest region and my hike will take around 25 days. Because of the earthquake in 2015, it will be very different compared to my last visit 8 years ago. I have limited proceeds but I plan to support the local people in the villages. My flight back with Yeti Airlines from Lukla to Kathmandu will be on 20. April.

Here 4 notable pictures from my last hike in Everest region in April 2008:

Proud little girl with newborn goat close to Jiri

Porters with heavy loads (up to 120kg, paid per kg!) on the way from Jiri to Lukla

Beautiful Ama Dablam (6812m) seen from Kala Patthar (5645m) with 300mm lens.

Prayer flags and tents on the glacier at Everest Base Camp (5350m)

The whole gallery from my last travel in April 2008 you still find on my website:

Everest Trek Gallery 2008 (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=d7c6d9402d&e=3330066c6a)

**

Essential Hiking Equipment

This I would regard as my most important items in the hiking gear:

Hilleberg Allak Tent (not needed on this trip!) (from Sweden)
Bergans Powerframe 130 liter backpack (Norway)
Lundhags High Synchro Boots (Sweden)
YB3 Satellite Messenger (UK; used in connection with Ipad)
Suunto Ambit 3 GPS Watch (Finland)
Power Monkey Extreme Solar Energy (UK)

All this proven gear I can highly recommend without any qualification!

b) Myanmar (May 2016)

Endless Bhuddist temples in Bagan

Here my goal is to visit the main attractions and bring back beautiful pictures of temples. I will start in Mandalay and end the journey in the capital Yangon. So far my planned route goes via Bagan (3 nights) and Inle Lake (4 nights). Transport in Myanmar is not that easy and reliable, so I will be rather flexible for further destinations. I would really like to visit Mrauk U, but possibly not so easy to reach. Most of this journey I go spontaneously without any prearrangements.

I have 25 days for traveling in Myanmar and there are more attractions than my time allows for visiting. In any case I would need some luck with transport, people and weather. With the monsoon expected mid of May, my motto here is "Staying dry and being at the right place at the right time!".

UPDATE Photography Equipment I changed my plan and will leave my sharpest lens, the 135mm Zeiss Apo 2.0, at home. It is too heavy (1kg) and has manual-focus only. Apart from that I selected all my best lenses, though this implies carrying at least 15kg photo equipment. My new setup is as follows:

2x Canon 5ds R body (1000g each)

Canon 16-35mm 4.0 (615g, as default on body 1) Canon 70-200mm 2.8 II (1650g, as default on body 2)

Canon 24mm T/S 3.5 (780g, preferred to Zeiss 21mm Distageon!) Sigma 35mm 1.4 (670g, heavy, but high quality!) Sigma 50mm 1.4 (815g, only Zeiss Otus 55mm would be sharper!) Canon 200-400mm 4.0 (3700g, my best lens, but 3.7kg to carry)

Gitzo travel tripod GK1580TQD4 (1500g) 2 GPS receiver, 2 rechargers, various filter (1000g) 14 accus (1000g), 12x256GB Memory (CF and SD)

As a final decision I replaced the Canon 50mm 1.8 STM by the Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art lens. So no weaknesses left in my photo equipment! ;-) All the above lenses are extremely sharp at f5.6 and usable up to f11.

**

** B Update Running Season (May to Sep 2016)

Running the Transalpine in 2015

This year I will concentrate on trail-running. I take part again in the Laugavegur run in Iceland and I also hope to get a start number in Aosta valley in Italy:

a) Scotland: Cape-Wrath Ultra (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=ad5ac9a985&e=3330066c6a) (8 days, 400km,+/-11.200m, 22-29.May)

After traveling in April and May this is just for fun and photography (this time with a handy Sony A7R 2 camera). I will not be in great shape but this (1st edition!) event looked very attractive to me. Gene Dykes (US), my last year's team partner in the Transalpine run, will also participate.

b) Switzerland: Zermatt Ultra (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=50c34e38d4&e=3330066c6a) (45km,+2.458m/-444m, Zermatt, 2.Jul)

I really like Zermatt and this event. Last year I was injured and only a spectator. This year I will be highly motivated again to reach the finish on Gornergrat at 3135m. On my last participation in 2013 I was 25th, so Top20 is possible here. For this I likely would need to stay below 5h.

c) NEW Iceland: Laugavegur Ultra (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=1b63d36f4e&e=3330066c6a) (55km,+1.900m/-2.200m, 16.Jul)

This is already my 8th participation, so I have even home field advantage over most Icelandic runners. However, my best overall rank (4th) and my best time (5h30) are already a long time ago. I also hiked this beautiful route both in summer and winter several times. Afterwards I will likely visit Hornstrandir for 5 days to photograph the arctic foxes.

d) Switzerland: Irontrail (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=b46d5a66c7&e=3330066c6a) (125km,+/-6.990m, Davos, 5.Aug)

My second Irontrail and I decided again for the shorter T121 (actually it is 125km!) instead of the ultimate 201km race. Why? Look at the next 2 events and you can guess my reasons. Too bad, because the course of the T201 looks very beautiful. Last year I needed more than 28 hours for this very difficult 125km run. This year I look at it as a preparation for the following top event:

e) France: UTMB (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=757eb69f40&e=3330066c6a) (170km, +/-10.000m, Chamonix, 26.Aug)

First I had all 9 qualification points (Irontrail (4), Transalpine (3), Humani Trail (2)). Secondly I was very lucky in the lottery in January: Out of 7000 applicants only 2300 were drawn for this most prestigious mountain run in Europe. So I will participate and hopefully finish below 50h. This means using a flashlight and very likely 2 nights without sleep!

f) NEW Italy: 4K Alpine Trail (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=0b1a1d0baa&e=3330066c6a) (320km, +/-25.000m, Valle d'Aosta, 3-9.Sep)

I had no luck in the lottery for the Tor des Geants (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=0594960773&e=3330066c6a) (11.-18. Sep). Out of 3200 applicants I was drawn at 2950th position. Not in time for one of the 700 start numbers.

As open interest was very high, a different organizer decided to held a similar event in the Aosta valley a week earlier (1st edition!). So I applied and my participation will solely depend on the lottery end of March.

Sporty greetings and all the best

Frank Tschöpe

www.franktschoepe.com You are bored? You need some inspiration or ideas for your own travels? Then please have a look here:

Beautiful Galleries (http://franktschoepe.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=32d7440e232676313d2323df1&id=9200beb881&e=3330066c6a)

Message from Frank Tschöpe

Break at the pass! Having a beer! ;-)

I reached already the pass and it was uncomplicated! Only few easy patches of snow! It is great here and now I will have my huge 1l bottle of Heineken! The route down should be easy, so I feel comfortable in case I should be a bit drunken! Down in the valley I expect another beaver! Last time there was a huge 2m wall of tree trunks and I could not even look on the water! But great work, it holds all the water! I am lying wind-protected behind a stone and enjoying the sun at about 900m altitude! ;-) And having a beer, he,he..

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Message from Frank Tschöpe

First beaver dam!

So far my progress was good! But exactly here there are beavers and the whole valley is flooded! I try to climb up and hopefully there is a way around it! The path is in deep water here and it is like a lake! But nice mirroring for pictures! No beaver in sight yet! But there are no other people and I am sure that the beaver is not aware of my presence yet! ;-)

12 years ago there was no beaver in this valley! I did the same hike then!

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Message from Frank Tschöpe

Solo-Hike in the mountains of Ushuaia

I am in the wilderness now and it is fantastic! As this trek is officially closed I will not meet any other people! I hope to come through over the pass early, as there is a storm warning for the afternoon! I expect getting wet feet: it is muddy, the rivers are high and finally I expect much snow on the pass!

Live tracking is active on NEWS on my website:

www.franktschoepe.com

I will send a waypoint each 15min!

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Message from Frank Tschöpe

Greetings from the Drake Passage!

There will be no Blog today!! But if you feel bored you might read the blog from the last 2 weeks in the NEWS section of my website:

www.franktschoepe.com

Please share with your friends! Pictures to come soon in about 2 weeks!

I plan to publish 2 calendars on Antarctica, one on animals another one also containing landscapes!

We are nearly through the Drake Passage and after some little sea sickness I am feeling fine again! :-)

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