Following its successful start in 2023, ‘Upossible’ – the sustainable bike & climb project launched by Salewa athlete Eline Le Menestrel and her partner Simon Kreutz rolls onwards in 2024. We’re looking forward to more, memorable bike & climb moments with Eline and Simon.
‘Upossible’ combines climbing, cycling and environmental activism. It all started when Salewa athlete and climber Eline Le Menestrel discovered biking. Until that point, travelling accounted for the largest part of her carbon footprint and she was looking for ways to reduce it. One day, Eline and Simon found themselves stuck in a car in a traffic jam on the way to go climbing and started thinking ... What if there were more bikes in the mountains than cars? And the idea was born for ‘Upossible’. It’s an initiative which involves far more than just Eline and Simon riding their bikes to go climbing, and is inspiring other outdoor enthusiasts to do the same. As such, the pair have been travelling to major cities around Europe and then riding from the city centre out to some of the most attractive climbing areas in the surrounding regions. Along the way, Eline and Simon have been meeting locals, friends and other guests and encouraging them to join in. The idea is to inspire everyone to head out of town on their bike to go climbing over a long weekend. In 2023, Eline and Simon spent 35 days on their ‘Upossible’ tour, visited five climbing regions, cycled 880 kilometres through six European countries and travelled 4,515 kilometres by train. In 2024, they’re planning to visit ten, new ‘Upossible’ destinations, including France, Italy, Germany and Austria and more.
Eline says she likes wearing the Vento collection: “Functional bike clothing is normally only made of synthetic fibres. The fine, sustainable blend of natural merino wool, hemp and Tencel in Salewa’s bike-to collection fits with what we want to say – and it just feels great to climb in. And by the way, this year, we’re focussing on multipitch routes.”
‘Upossible’ has confirmed the following dates for 2024:
- 25 May in Bondues (France)
- 29 & 31 May in Grenoble (France)
- 22 July in Chamonix (France)
- August in Isny in Allgäu (Germany)
- 19 or 20 September in Bolzano/Bozen (South Tyrol, final date tbc)
- Early October in Innsbruck (Austria, date tbc)
- 19 December in Brussels (Belgium)
For further information, see Eline’s Instagram channel.