Cycling and skiing Europe’s wildest mountains.
The mountaineers, Max Kroneck and Jochen Mesle, book a one-way train ticket from Munich to Thessaloniki. They start their way back home on bikes and skis and along the route, they explore the mountains of the Balkans, look for the most beautiful ski runs and get to know the local mountain communities.
This documentary captures their personal experiences from over 2500 km on the road. It’s a challenging adventure across ten degrees of latitude and a respectful approach to some of the wildest mountains in Europe.
This film was part of Fall Series 2022 and is no longer available for viewing.
Philipp grew up surrounded by small hills in central Germany and found his passion for outdoor films through his interest in cycling and skiing at a young age. He started to work on small and independent film projects with his school friend and now business partner, Johannes.
The two of them run a film studio in Dusseldorf with a small and creative team specialized in outdoor and cycling content. After numerous years of working together with mountain athletes Jochen Mesle and Max Kroneck they developed a strong connection – both personal and in business.
Philipp was involved in the creation of the night skiing story “Full Moon”, the ski touring film “A Few Steps From Home” and the adventure documentary “Ice & Palms”. His team and the featured athletes share the goal to produce relatable adventure stories and try to approach mountains in a respectful and sustainable way. Their latest work with “Balkan Express” is no exception.
Johannes grew up surrounded by small hills in central Germany. He started out skateboarding and snowboarding and then extended his passion for outdoor sports to surfing and mountain biking. All of these sports have a strong connection to videography. The essence is not only to do the sport, but also to capture tricks, styles and vibes on video to express your personality. Also, a video is the only proof that you actually landed a trick or surfed a wave. His individual sport background is an important key factor in the way Philipp, Johannes and their team make their film projects. It’s a combination of the motion of the camera and the subject which is in front of the camera along with a lively edit style.
Over the years the story telling came more into focus with projects like “Ice & Palms” or “A Few Steps From Home”. With the latest media project “Balkan Express”, a new field of activity has been opened. Alongside the film there will also be a book, which complements the film and completes it in a way.
