Michael Charavin

Mountain leader, Snowkite and mountain bike instructor During the last 15 years, I spent more than 1100 days in raids and expeditions to polar and boreal regions. Among those, more than 500 days were dedicated to expeditions and I traveled more than 7000 km skiing or kite-skiing... But let's forget big words and try to explain the deep convictions behind what I do: To research.. to guess... to reveal the aesthetic character of a place (the image that we see in a magazine, or book, or online, but also the topographical map are great "dream providers" and play an essential role when choosing destinations). To project myself... to draw my own path. And once I'm on the field, to tack... to browse... to prospect... to explore... until I have a good and detailed mental image of the territory. Pure geographic curiosity. To which is added the assurance of finding, by listening, searching in the space, hidden gems. Let's take Iceland as an example: at the same time vast and limited, incredibly rich topographically, this country is perfect for a "profound" journey. There, more than anywhere else, I zigzag, tack, climb, walk on the edges, approach the heart of the lava flows and of the canyons. Since that is where the soul of a territory is! In Iceland, and actually everywhere, I am excited by the intimate knowledge of the terrain. And this is as well what my pictures will show.