Europe

As part of preparing for my trip to Italy where I competed at the Club Crew World Championships with Melbourne Flames Dragon Boat Club, I was made well aware of pickpockets (prior to my departure from family and friends plus recall regular announcements on trains and stations in Florence and Rome) and knew I needed not only a pack to transport my dragon boat gear for training/racing with ease but essential items for my travels across the country as well.

Congratulations to the winners of The Way, My Way - Ticket Giveaway! We received around 40x entries and everyone that entered sure made it hard for us to choose our top 10. Beautiful short stories of triumph, spirituality, humour, romance and family. Without further ado, here they are.

We couldn't help but share all the other gems that missed the cut by "that much" (Agent 86, Get Smart). Here are the honourable mentions!

The beauty of the Dolomites experienced through a 120km trail run race. What could possibly go wrong? Matt Crehan (Bogong Sponsored Athlete and Ultra Runner) gives a recap of his experience running the La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail race.

Find out why we think you should pack a pair of microspikes on your next trip where you may encounter light snow or ice.

I first met the Grossglockner in 1993 on a six day hike through Austria's Hohe Tauern National Park. The thought of climbing it was immediately alluring. Not only because it is the highest mountain in Austria but also because of its beautiful shape.

Bogong staffer Anna Bolmat recently ventured to France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland on a mountaineering trip with her partner Philipp.They encountered unfavourable weather for large part of the trip which put the kibosh on their Mont Blanc attempts. Heavy snow fall and high winds turned them around at the Dome de Gouter. The consolation prize was a trip to Mt Blanc du Tacul, where European summer finally showed its face, resulting in some stunning views from the summit.

What is Via ferrata all about? Via Ferrata is an Italian term (translation is iron way). It is used where a route is fixed up a cliff or mountain using fixed steel cables for the climbers to clip into for protection. Access may be facilitated by ladders or metal rungs on particularly steep sections. In this way routes up peaks become accessible to persons who would not otherwise be in a position to attempt them.

I came to go hiking in the mountains of Norway almost by accident, little did I know the wonderful walking experiences that I was to find. Rugged mountains, beautiful lakes, long long days and a very big sky are my enduring memory of Norway. See descriptions of three mountain areas, the Rondane, Jotunheimen and Trollheimen. All have a different character and offer a uniquely Norwegian experience.

Hiking in the European Alps is a unique experience and the reason for this is directly due to the mountain hut system that straddles the alpine countries and is so much part of the European walking culture. What are these huts like? Find out here.