Tips
Top 10 photo tips
1. If you like your camera, the camera will like you.
2. Less gear gives you more freedom.
3. Cameras are umbrellas : you always miss them when you need them.
4. Look more at the scene, stare less at your screen.
5. Good light is the best ingredient.
6. Cameras and humans never see the world the same way.
7. The smartest custom function is your own imagination.
8. Quantity doesn’t bring quality.
9. Never get satisfied of your work.
10. Save energy : don’t upload all your pictures on Facebook.
Top 10 adventure and travel tips
1. Before travelling, send yourself an email containing scans of ID, passport and your girlfriend’s birthday date.
2. Never put your car keys in the outer pocket of your backpack. If the backpack falls from a cliff, you'll have to break your car door.
3. Don’t try to draw things on paper to explain a situation to a Chinese.
4. Don’t eat camel meat in Mauritania unless it’s the only food available. Actually, no. Just wait.
5. If you argue with your friends in a snow storm with zero visibility, don’t ski away in anger unless you’re the one with the GPS.
6. If a Bulgarian hands you a large plastic bottle of mineral water, don't drink, it's homemade vodka.
7. When driving in Dakar, don’t watch out for traffic lights, watch out for missing manhole plates.
8. Don't ask a Paulista where the city centre of Sao Paulo is.
9. It's possible to drive nonstop from Denmark to France with a broken gearbox, but it’s better to go to the loo beforehand.
10. When in India, never ask for "spicy".
Top 10 items almost always in my travel bag (apart from cameras)
1. Softshell and light pants (Arc'teryx, Mountain Hard Wear)
2. A wallet made of Tyvek, very light and unobtrusive (Dynamighty)
3. My good old Observer wrist altimeter (Suunto)
4. A 5-liter waterproof bag (Sea to Summit)
5. Several zipped pockets (Eagle Creek)
6. A ruled notebook (Moleskine)
7. Mini carabiners, useful for a zillion things (Edelrid)
8. Flip flops, even during ski trips (Havaianas)
9. Canyoning shoes, light and water resistant (Salomon)
10. The bag itself : a 45 to 85 liter barrel (Tatonka, The North Face)
Top 10 nights spent in the wild (so far…)
1. Iran, 2009 - during a heavy snow storm, in a shepherd shelter, Zagros Mountains
2. Azores, 2005 - full moon camping inside the summit caldeira of Pico Volcano (2351 m), Ilha do Pico
3. Nepal, 2008 - fondue at the basecamp of Damodar Glacier (5300 m), Damodar Himal
4. Norway, 2006 - in a tent carried halfway up Lodalskapa glacier, Breheimen
5. Mauritania, 2003 - in the vast desert south of Chinguetti
6. Bolivia, 1999 - on top of Isla del Pescador, Salar de Uyuni, Lipez Sur
7. Italia, 2007 - at Bivacco Leonessa surrounded by fresh snow, Gran Paradiso
8. Canary Islands, 2003 - on a desert beach near Almaciga, Tenerife
9. Indonesia, 2002 - at the high camp of Rinjani, Lombok
10. Tanzania, 2006 - camping in the middle of strange noises, Serengeti
Top 10 ski summits in the world (out of 300 and counting...)
1. Saribung 6328m, Damodar Himal, Nepal
2. Etna 3310m, Italy
3. Mount Rainier 4395m, Cascade Range, USA
4. Barre des Ecrins 4101m, Ecrins, France
5. Djebel Sannine 2600m, Lebanon
6. Stor Galten 1250m, Lyngsalpane, Norway
7. Mulhacen 3479m, Sierra Nevada, Spain
8. Aiguille d'Argentière 3901m, Mont-Blanc, France
9. Jungfrau 4158m, Oberland, Switzerland
10. Monte Vettore 2470m, Abruzzi, Italy