Winter is a period when it seems like nature is at rest. However, that can be just an illusion. In our case, it's exactly like that. We want to be active throughout the year, regardless of the season and weather conditions. And we succeed in that. Join us in this adventure and find out why winter hibernation is not the best way to prepare for new challenges. There is something better than sleep, and that is a winter adventure in the mountains.
Although mountains are covered with snow and ice during winter and give the impression of danger and inaccessibility, with us you will discover that it is indeed so, but...
There is a way to experience the most beautiful moments that take your breath away and permanently imprint themselves in your memory in the midst of that icy snowy kingdom, making you happy every time you recall them.
This is a story about ski touring and splitboarding, an unusual way of moving in snow-covered mountains that allows you to feel the energy of freedom. Only a free person is truly alive; everything else is just excuses.
So, let's get started...
The ideas and values we offer
For years, we have been wandering in the mountains because we want to, because we love the mountains, and even more because we respect them. We visit the mountains in winter and summer, in all weather conditions, and even when we don't have time. We strive to be respectful guests, and the Great Spirit of the mountains can recognize that and reward us, even if just for a moment, with a feeling that we are similar to it: endless, towering, powerful, strong, free... It is because of that feeling that we always come back, and that feeling is what we want to share with you.
Through years of actively engaging in various mountaineering activities, we have accumulated significant experience, knowledge, and skills, tested our limits and possibilities and realized one big truth - all that is not enough! We continue to learn and challenge our own capabilities, acquire new knowledge, broaden our horizons, and rid ourselves of illusions and prejudices. The point is to enjoy the process - and that is another thing we want to share with you. Nature is a teacher to us all, and the mountain is a great school. We just need to attend the lessons.
Mountain trails are often narrow, cliffs steep, winds cold, snow deep, rain wet, fog murky, and sometimes that harsh environment can "unlock" people in a special way and compel them to meet their true selves. For some, it might feel like a collision with a train in a tunnel. People, too, have their quirks - difficult, exhausting, boring, unserious, too serious, and who knows what else. All of that needs to be endured, and that is the third thing we want to share with you. We promise it won't be easy, but you will certainly succeed - and with a smile. And whenever you remember that adventure, you will be satisfied with yourself and others, and you will have stories to tell the children. The fact that they won't believe you is their problem.
Our engagement with the mountain often appears to the average example of modern Homo sapiens as a senseless and irrational activity. Those "city" children, accustomed to air enriched with toxins, do not understand that a part of us still remains in the mountain, to which we return momentarily to feel complete. It is a game that is valuable precisely because it is irrational. By playing, we remain connected to our nature, to that "branch" from which we descended as a species long ago, but today we relentlessly cut it off. These are also things we want to share with you - play and return to the branch (read: nature). Evolution has long been moving in a senseless direction, and we want the city children to become mountain children.
There is much more to it, and we are sure that we will learn a lot from you. Join us in.
OUR TEAM
Marko Nikolić
Marko is a long-time mountaineer and snowboarder, participant in numerous high-altitude expeditions around the world (Himalayas, Andes, Caucasus, etc.), and he was the first to introduce splitboarding to southeast Europe in 2012.
He developed a love for the mountains from a young age. Part of his upbringing is connected to the untouched mountainous area of Zlatibor, given that the family weekend house is located above 1,000 meters above sea level.
From childhood to school, holidays, all free time was spent in the mountains. Skis arrived with the start of elementary school, and snowboarding in high school (mid-90s), while he entered high-altitude mountaineering in 2001. Joining Dragan Jaćimović's team (EST) led him to the tallest peaks on Earth, including Himalayan peaks over 8,000 meters above sea level. By going through the best outdoor school through various sports and organizations, he gained valuable experience that allows him versatility in the mountains throughout the year.
He has been organizing numerous snowboarding and mountaineering camps/schools for children since 2005, as well as adventurous races like the "4 elements."
He became a mountain guide in 2012, specializing narrowly in the Balkans and winter tours. He is the creator and organizer of the largest snowboarding competitions in the region since 2003, as well as urban formats in Dorćol, then the first touring competition in Serbia (Lužnički megdan 2013). He is responsible for bringing skyranning sport (skyrunning) to the Balkans in 2014, as well as organizing BASE jumping in Belgrade and Montenegro, including the first ski BASE in the Balkans, on Durmitor in 2009.
He cycled from Lhasa to Kathmandu with the EST team in 2011, where he assisted the expedition leader with organization. As part of the preparations for that tour the same year, he organized "Serbia 7 summits by bike."
As an international freestyle judge, he is part of the world team where he judges at the "World Rookie Fest" from 2008 to 2011 across Europe, evaluating the best young snowboarders on the planet.
Since 2020, he has been organizing international freeride backcountry camps for splitboarding and ski touring at various locations (Brezovica, Durmitor, Prokletije, etc.) in collaboration with IFMGA guides. He led the "Albanian Golgotha, 100 years later" expedition, which retraced the retreat of the Serbian army through the Prokletije mountains in winter, on foot, without any logistics (Peć-Drač-Zejtinlik-Kajmakčalan).
Over 300 km in winter conditions. In mid-2019, he organized the first official Sky Extreme competition in the former Yugoslav territory (Šar mountain), while Prokletije Sky Ultra received the first official route certification for the Skyrunning World Cup.
In 2023, he brought the European Skyrunning Championship to Prokletije – https://prokletijeskyrunning.com/ and the World Junior Championship in 2024 to Rumija in Bar (Montenegro) https://www.skyrunning.com/spain-japan-and-uk-lead-the-2024-youth-world-champs-ranking-the-younger-they-are-the-faster-they-go/
He is a long-time Garmin ambassador as well as Woolona (Merino world). In addition to narrowly tailored guided tours in the Balkans, he leads expeditions to Ararat, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, and from next year, he plans a touring ascent to Denali and Pamir with his colleagues (guides).
He spends over 6 months in the mountains annually.
Summited peaks:
- Mont Blanc 4,810 m (2001) - snowboard freeride descent from the top
- Kala Patthar 5,644 m (2003)
- Aconcagua 6,962 m (2005) - snowboard freeride descent from the top, national record, skiing from the highest altitude
- Cho Oyu 8,206 m (2006)
- Mount Everest C2 7,600 m (2007)
- Elbrus 5,642 m (2007) - snowboard freeride descent from the top
Ararat 5,165 m - 2023
Kilimanjaro 5,895 m - 2024
Links where you can find more information about Marko's activities:
http://www.skyrunning-serbia.com/
https://extremesummitteam.com/arhiva/aconcagua-05/
Nenad Mitrović
Nenad has tried his hand at various sports and activities related to the mountains. He has competed in orienteering, adventure races, ultramarathons, and skyrunning. He has been a member of the Mountain Rescue Service of Serbia since 2005 and has been or is still active in various disciplines: mountaineering, speleology, skiing, ski touring, paragliding, and hiking.
Additionally, Nenad is the only athlete who has managed to win first places in both summer and winter survival races in Serbia. He was the winner of the first edition of the Stara Planina (24-hour mountain marathon) and holds multiple black belts in different martial arts.
One outstanding achievement is his exceptional result in the 100-mile winter race in Italy (Corsa della Bora, January 2017) where he and his team secured 4th place in a highly competitive field.
He is a licensed ski instructor with a wide range of outdoor skills, which is crucial for this type of activity.