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Ana Zirner, the woman behind the project ana’s ways, comes from the beautiful Bavarian town of Chiemgau. Of course, she grew up in the mountains, near the Kampenwand. But the idyllic childhood in the countryside did not stop her from sniffing some big city air. Some big cities she could call her home: from Chicago, to New York, with a detour to Madrid and Berlin. But now she lives in the mountains again: in Oberaudorf in the Inn Valley, very close to the Wilder Kaiser. When our Ana is not out in the mountains to recharge her batteries, she writes books about her experiences. Alpensolo was published by the renowned Malik publishing house (Piper) in 2018 and the new book Rivertime in 2020.
In 2017, Ana single-handedly crossed the Alps from east to west in 60 days. She started the almost 2000 km long route in Ljubljana (SLO) and went on 9 stages through five countries to Grenoble (FRA). In 2018, it continued on its way west, crossing the Pyrenees from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Finally, in 2019, she accompanied the 2,330-kilometer Colorado River with a packraft and on foot, from its origin in the Rocky Mountains to the sea in Mexico. Through her blog, her Instagram channel @anasways, and the anas ways Facbook page, she keeps us up to date with updates on the progress of her tours.
Q & A’s with ana zirner
Who are the sponsors for your transalpine tour?
First of all, of course, you guys, Sport Conrad. I am very happy about this cooperation, it still feels very good and right. In addition, I am also supported by Vaude and am an athlete in the POW Riders Alliance. I regularly write about my projects for the Bergwelten magazine.
Why draws you to the mountains?
I have to be active in order to think. That’s why I always like to go to the mountains. I can not think of a better place than the mountains to gain an overview, insight and out. The mountains change the perspective and teach me humility, they strengthen my consciousness, make me more attentive and I succeed more and more to really enjoy the moment without being caught by it.
If you go out, you are really doing extensive projects. How long are you planning them before?
I like to take on big things in life in general [laughs]. The ideas for my tours usually mature quite a long time, between 6-18 months. Funnily, I first talk about making a specific project and then start planning in detail. I believe that I make the projects a reality for myself by saying that I will do them. Everything that comes after that is planning, training and adapting the framework conditions. And then I just go.
What do you usually pack for your projects?
As little clothes as possibly [laughs], but the little apparel I have with me is mostly merino stuff, which is great if you don’t have to possibility to wash it, because it doesn’t smell that bad. It also keeps you warm and it looks good, so it makes me feel good too, which is important for me [laughs]. Then I`ll take a Primaloft jacket, rain gear, depending on where I’m on the road and other alpine equipment such as crampons and ice ax … my yoga mat I’ll leave at home, because that’s too heavy, but I always find a few mountain meadows for my daily yoga …. [laughs].
I also have a small blackroll with it, as well as kinesio and leukotape for the treatment of feet, muscles and fascia. Then of course my sleeping bag, mattress and bivouac sack. On the way, I have packages sent to me so I do not have to carry everything. But of course I try to keep everything to a minimum, otherwise my backpack would be too heavy.
Do you take anything special, which is important to you personally?
I always take a small card to read the stars. When I lie in my sleeping bag under the stars, I can learn to read the stars and get to know the sky. In the past, people were very much oriented to the stars. Today, we hardly take the time to look up. Yes, it is incredibly fascinating how bright the stars in the mountains seem to shine far from the artificial light.
What about food? Are you putting together a nutrition plan for the tours?
On the one hand, I am sent a packet of food, which I also like to make myself at home in my dehydrator, to the start of the stage. Apart from that, I also drive a hut for a hot meal, because I find it exciting to experience the culinary differences. And every now and then one comes to the valley and can buy something. Then I eat gummi bears first of all. As far as my nutritional plan [laughs].
How do you actually train in the run-up to a project?
Well, also in between larger projects i am a lot in the mountains on the road and so I keep (hopefully) a basic fitness. In the last month before a project I train more intensively, also with a heavier backpack, at a higher speed and with longer stages.In addition, I specifically prepare my feet for the load, so with calcium foot baths, Hirschtalgsalbe, massages and barefoot hiking, which trains all the small muscles in the foot targeted. Daily yoga sessions help me to maintain the necessary physical and mental balance while on the move.
Tell us something more about yourself, where does this incredible love for the mountains come from?
Back when I was in the 9th grade, this awesome middle school teacher organized a trip, where we crossed the mountains from the north to the south – finishing in the Italian Alps. On this trip we experienced some crazy things, such as stone avalanche – which we all survived. In these days I learned a lot about the mountains and about myself. I learned the most important lesson as a mountaineer: that you have to respect the mountains. I believe it is a fallacy to say that you can conquer the mountains. Rather, it is about the fact that these mighty mountains are so kind to let me little person linger there. And in this experience, as a human being, I can grow in a way unlike anywhere else in life.
What do you most like to do in the mountains?
In winter, I’m definitely on my snowboard on the road – and preferably off the slopes at splitboarding. In the summer, when I’m not in a project, I like to go full blast, because I love Gletscher above all else. But I also like to go hiking. For a few years now, I also go climbing and on the rock then like to alpin. I used to enjoy downhill skiing long before as well, but now I have too much of a problem with that
And where is your “all-time-favorite-happy-place” in the mountains?
Quite clear: the Vinschgau in South Tyrol. I love the versatility of the dramatic mountains there, the colors, the glaciers, the challenges. But also the people, whom I somehow feel close to. I always come back to Trafoi am Ortler.
You mentioned earlier that you would like to take your yoga mat with you. Is yoga so important to you?
Yes, definitely! Every morning I start with a yoga class right after getting up. I tend to do things pretty quickly and hectically, yoga helps me concentrate and drive down before I start the day. On my journey I will mainly practice Yin Yoga – a yoga style where you can relax very well. In yin yoga one can optimally stretch and reach the fasciae by long passive holding of individual poses.
And just something very important: what do you want to do in the future?
There are so many plans and I do not know where to start. On the one hand, I definitely want to continue on my way west, I really like going in the same direction as the sun. First of all, so for 2019 I plan two projects. One in the US Federal States Utah and Arizona, and one in north Indian Ladakh. Both projects are also related to political issues, but that would take us too far now. Who is interested, will find more on my blog: www.anasways.com.
