On the 28th at 11 a.m. we were standing on Mount Kosciuszko. With 2229 m the highest mountain in Australia. It was a very emotional moment for Sabine and me and we were so happy that we made another TOP of the 7-Summits without using a motor.

We cycled from our sailboat Pachamama in Sydney in 15 days the 744 km to the very TOP and have given 6 presentations along the way. Before that, we crossed the Pacific sailing. Our last TOP was Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America.

In the National Park we were able to camp twice at Kosciuszko Mountain Retreat; thank you very much Tony and Sharyn. It is a great place for kids and Kangaroos!

Before the summit we camped at 2030 m, just below the TOP at Seaman’s hut. The night was cristal clear and cold; but with the whole family in the same big MAMMUT sleeping bag, – like marmuts , – it was no problem for our kids.

On the summit day there were Mercedes, Seline and Chantal Marbach and Lidwine and Rolf Kunz as well as Peter and Melanie Kallenbach with us and volunteered to do a clean up on the TOP. We hardly find any trash and it was the cleanest mountain so far: – congratulation to this wonderful National Park and to its Rangers.

I promised Salina on a hot day in Vanuatu to touch the snow soon. On the way up Salina already saw the snow in the distance and was happy to do a “Schneeballschlacht” on the summit with Seline and Chantal.

Many thanks to family Epstein and Maud where we was able to spent Xmas. There was a lot of singing and we slept with our tent in front of a Xmas tree.

Thanks to Lidwine and Rolf from Switzerland, we have had a second Xmas:

Back at the base of the mountain in Jindabyne Lidwine and Rolf gave us the Xmas presents from our families and from our main sponsor Victorinox. Another great moment, – thank you so much!

Then we biked back to the campsite of our friend Tim who owns the RIDESHOP in Canberra. The road went steep down and into a gravel road. I had 65 km with the heavy trailer on my speedometer. My bike lost the grip in the sandy turn and I felt. Bike, trailer and Dario were sliding over the gravel and just stopped in front an iron fence. The kids were safe in the trailer; it did not flip. This Trek trailers are really super (thanks again Bill and Sharon for your donation)! I lost only some skin on my hip and my arm and the sole come of my shoe.

After another long day we were happy to see the campsite on the lake and handy man Tim was able to repair my bike and shoe.

Now we are at the YHA in Thredbo and do a presentation in the Thredbo Conference Hall on the 1st of January 2008 at 6 p.m. (Alpine Hotel). Thank you very much Nadia that we are able to stay in your wonderful Youth Hostel! Thank you Ian for organizing the event and for your media work!

After tomorrow we start biking back to Pachamama in Sydney.
We are looking forward to meet our friends Bregitte, Peter and Tessa 0n the 14th of January.