- Thomas Ulrich
- From: Interlaken
- Ambassador since: 2022
Achievements:
- My three reportages in the National Geographic Magazine belong to the highlights!
- The first winter ascent of the Cerro Torre west face is certainly one of them,
- The two expeditions I did with Børge Ousland, the Patagonia Icecap Crossing and the Franz Josef Land Expedition, in the footsteps of Fridtjof Nansen!
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Interlaken, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland with the best view of the north face of the Eiger. With that view, school work was certainly not one of my favorite things! I preferred to be out in the mountains! At the age of 17, I had climbed the famous Eiger north face for the first time.
Activity
Explorer, mountain guide, polar guide, paraglider pilot, photographer, speaker.
What year did you join the Norrøna family?
I became an official Ambassador in 2022.
What items on norrona.com are some of your go-to favorites?
The arktis collection by Børge Ousland is of course perfect for my expeditions and specially designed for this kind of travel! Although, as a passionate hunter, the kvinnherad collection is the absolute best for me!
What do you actively do to cut back on your carbon footprint?
This is of course a difficult question for an explorer who travels a lot! As a hunter, I certainly don't buy my meat from the supermarket! If I couldn't do that I would be a vegetarian today! I also try to travel a lot by public transport when at home. As I said, I have to be honest, it's a difficult question! I don't think I'm the one who has to tell others how to live in order to reduce their ecological footprint! I do, however, try my best!
Where is your favorite place in the world?
Hard to say. I am very close to home and always like to come back to my roots! But if I had to pick one place it would definitely be Patagonia. Very wild!
What advice would you give your 10-year-old self?
Follow your path, everything you do should be with passion! I wouldn't tell anyone else anything other than how I did it:-)
What hobbies do you enjoy participating in?
I think everything I do can be called my hobbies! But they are also my profession and my passion. I would like to try a hobby that I unfortunately have not found the time for: Art painter!
What is/are your hidden talent(s)?
Certainly not yet an artist:-) But I am not the worst to plan a complex expedition. If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and why? Flying like an eagle! I have been flying through the mountains as a paraglider pilot for 37 years, I have met many eagles in the air, that would be my superpower!
Thomas Ulrich in action
