Mountains For Everybody

Site about mountaineering, climbing and equipment, for those who love mountains

About This Site

meMy name is Jovo. I have created this site in 2014, and this is about mountains and essential equipment needed when you go there. It is aimed at being very specific in providing essential first-hand details about routes, environment, and gear.

I shall write exclusively about places which I visited myself, about routes which I passed,  and about peaks I climbed, specific and to-the-point. All photos from mountains within this site are my own, there is nothing borrowed from the Internet. Only for videos, I use those that are available as free on YouTube; this with the aim of providing as detailed as possible information about a mountain, at a single spot.

When I go to mountains myself, it is usually to areas that I have not visited before. In many occasions, I would start climbing at 2-3 am, sometimes even without sleeping at all. So you can imagine, it is a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and fear from unknown, at the same time.

It is not so simple to park the car somewhere at some mountain pass with no traces of people around, and set off into the darkness. Some 10-15 hours later when you are back from the climb, tired but happy with what you have done, the surrounding area from where you started in early hours will look far more friendly than it was when you started.

Sometimes this feeling of anxiety can be increased by unexpected external factors, and here is one anecdote which describes it. I was on Tenerife in November, and started at midnight from Puerto de la Cruz with the idea to climb Teide (3718 m). Did not know the road, and it was raining, so I was driving slow.

This appeared to be suspicious to the police, so nearly at the end of the inhabited zone, they stopped me. They asked where I was going and I explained. What I saw on their faces was a pure disbelief. One of them said: “Do you realize that if something happens to you there will be nobody to help, and you may die.”

I replied that I did it earlier on some other mountains, including Mt Fuji in Japan which was a bit higher [this episode is described within this site here]. This had the effect on them, they wished me good luck and I continued.

Their warning was resonating in my mind for some time. But soon I was above the clouds, and the dark conical silhouette of the mountain was in front of me. Nothing could stop me anymore, there was no anxiety in me, the excitement only. It kept me climbing through the night and I was on the summit before 8 am enjoying the sunrise.

But in any case, it is essential to be prepared and know what is ahead. Remember the proverb: “If you want to know what is ahead, ask those who are coming back.”

In fact, this is all that this site is about, first-hand detailed information of what is ahead, about the topics which both I and you love. Yes, I know you love it, otherwise you would not be wasting your time here reading these lines. You will need the material presented here when you choose a route and start your journey.

My journey on this site has just begun with this page. I invite you to stay with me, or at least to drop by from time to time when you feel you need it, and I hope you will find the texts useful. But in my texts, I may miss some vital information and details. If this happens and you notice this, please join me and add such details for readers, there will be a place provided for this.

If you have the desire to share your knowledge about some peaks and mountains, you can join in as a guest editor and add your texts to this site. The only prerequisite is that this should be a first-hand experience and knowledge, which others can use.  You can always contact me and I shall do my best to respond within 48 hours.

Jovo, the founder of mountainsforeverybody.com

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Comments

  1. I found your list of tents very insightful. Unfortunately I didn’t see the tent I was actually considering. Seems like a solid tent, was wondering if you could put your two cents in and add to your equipment reviews. Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Vlad. This looks like a very good 4-season tent.

      As for a review, the tent is sold locally only, not available at any major online sellers, so the text would not have much meaning to my readers. Pity, because it looks like a really good product, and the brand behind it has one century of experience in building tents. The price is fair for such a tent.

    • Hello Jovo,
      Wow such a fast response. It’s sold in Canada & US. I’m not sure where your readers are (I couldn’t find where you’re located). It’s actually priced much better in the US at only 239USD.

    • My readers are all over the world. This is a good price for a 4-season tent.

  3. Hi,

    I am looking to buy a blog post. Only good website and what is your price this site. Let me know asap.

    Reply

    • Hi, we have an open invitation for guest contributors. This means for people who have something to say about anything related to outdoor activities. So you can publish texts for free. But this cannot be used for backlink purposes.

  4. I think you have a lot of excellent reviews, but based on small number of user comments on your review pages, I feel like not many people know about your site. Do you have a youtube channel? You might want to considering doing video reviews of equipment.

    Reply

    • Many thanks for the comment and the kind words. Appreciated. I have no time.

    • I read your article on Solomon vs Lowa. I still cannot decide. I’m hiking Rim-to-Rim at the Grand Canyon. I got the Solomon’s half off, and the Lowa’s 10% off. Your thoughts? Both brands feel good.

    • Hi, ultimately it is how they feel. It is hard to say really. I forgot/lost my Lowa somewhere in the mountains so it is a pity I cannot try them both at the same time. But I do like the style of Salomon more.

  5. Hi Jovo

    This is Joan writing from Sydney, Australia. I just came across your site while researching on some gear and just wanted to say thank you for sharing your knowledge and tips on your website. It’s really helpful and very much appreciated!

    Please keep up the great work!

    Cheers
    Joan

    Reply

    • Hi Joan, your words have made my day. Many thanks for this, from the other side of the globe, it encourages me to do my best. I am right now in the mountains, have been climbing in the Slovenian Alps these days, so there will be some first-hand info very soon. I know this is far from your area, but one never knows. Thanks again and all the best.

  6. Hey Jovo,
    I’ve sent email to you, but maybe you haven’t got it so I’m writing here 😉

    I’m writing to you with some need of advise. I’m trying to plan a trip for myself and my friends, to Tenerife, in this November, and this is why I found your page and your interesting stories about this island.

    Could you advise me two or three walks that we could plan in Anaga Mountains. My friends do not walk a lot in mountains but they had lately kind of warmup for about a week in Polish Karkonosze 🙂
    I would like to show them as much of green, rich, maybe foggy and mossy forests as possible (I’m also thinking about visiting La Gomera) and then go up from these forests into open and heigh space with view for the island and/or ocean waters.

    Could you ? 🙂 Will appreciate much.

    Best regards, from rainy, windy and cold Poznań.
    Przemek

    Reply

    • Hi Przemek. I haven’t seen your email, not sure where it ended, I always reply. So if this is about Anaga, the area is not high, up to 1000 meters above the sea level. The easiest walk would be to go Ensillada parking which is in the middle of the forest, you cannot miss it if you go by car from La Laguna to Chamorga. This is also a bust station for the bus Santa Cruz – Chamorga. Note the road is excellent but rather narrow and full of bends, so just drive carefully. So from the parking there is a route that goes along the Anaga mountain ridge in the east direction towards Chamorga. You can descend to Chamorga or continue all the way to the faro (lighthouse) which is the easternmost point on the island.

      See my text From Chamorga to Faro as one easy option as well. Yet another option is to walk all the way from Chamorga to La Laguna, see more in my text here. But this is a long tour.

      One option is also to go from Benijo to Chamorga. There is a route that goes diagonally up to Anaga in the east direction and then you descend to Chamorga to take the bus to Santa Cruz. There are a few more routes but those require a better knowledge of the forest and also permission, like from Almaciga to Igueste through Pijaral.

      Just let me know if you need more information about any of these or other routes, I have walked them all.

    • Thanks very much, Jovo, for your reply.

      I’m reading your page about Anaga for a next time 😉
      But I still look for paths/trails which will be as loops so we could go back to places where we will leave a car. Can you recommend some?

      Also do you know if these permission forms for Anaga restricted areas are available in English ?
      Thanks,
      Przemek.

    • Yes, you can go from Benijo through Pijaral and then along the ridge pass Ensillada to Cruz de Chamorga and then descend back to Benijo. I have passed it in 5 hours but did not put the story on the site yet. This implies passing through the protected zone and you need a permit. Finding the route through Pijaral can be tricky.

      There are some other options but I did not put them on the site and it is complicated to describe them here. Please check in my texts here (see the Anaga text) for links and see if you can find in English. You can also go to their office at Cruz de Carmen and get the permit there.

    • Thanks Jovo,
      I was looking for English forms, but seems there is no such – we will go to the Office, and hope that after filling forms in, guys will let us in too 😉
      Wanted to ask you if you had any experience with any night sky observations in Tenerife. I would like to take part in such an event but there is a few to choose from and again I’m looking for recommendations 😉
      Best regards,
      Przemek.

    • Not sure what you mean by night sky observations. If you mean observations by instruments, there is a huge observatory on the Teide so can check in their site and see if they have such events organized for ordinary visitors. By the way, I am an astrophysicist and I was on the island working at the Institute of Astrophysics.

      If you only want to enjoy the sky by watching with naked eyes, I suggest climbing Teide overnight. You will have the best possible view of the stars and then in the morning you can enjoy the sunrise from the summit. I did this 3 times.

    • Thanks Jovo,
      I found some event, indeed, at Teide Observatory.
      You were lucky being able to use huge telescope for sky observation and research.

    • Most welcome Przemek, I hope you will enjoy it. There are observatories on several other islands around, just to know.

  7. Hi Jovo,
    I would like to go this summer to the region of Meiringen, Grindelwald and I would like to find some shelters in this region. Do You have some experience there? Do You know maybe some web with the list of shelters in swiss alps? It would be very useful. I have a limited budget for my travel and I am really looking for shelters to stay. I will be grateful for any help with this.
    Best regards,
    Jakub

    Reply

    • Hi Jakub
      I am not so familiar with this particular region; ask me about Vallis and you will have all info you need.

      The best site with such info is this

      http://www.hutten.be/UK/index-UK.html

      I have used it a lot in the past. There is map option for Switzerland and red clickable dots.

      Check also this site, there is menu on the bottom with particular regions to choose:

      http://www.vs-wallis.ch/graubuend/huetverz/main-gr.html

      Let me know if you need more help. There are some other sites with such information. Definitely check also SummitPost.

  8. Hello Jovo,

    Thank you for this site!

    I send you an email through your site asking some advice for my upcoming trip to Tenerife.

    Thanks in advance!
    – Mike K

    Reply

    • Hi Mike, I did not receive any email. Can you send again, or just ask here in this page or through any of the pages about Tenerife?

  9. Hey Jovo!

    I came across your blog last year when I was looking into summiting Platthorn with a couple friends. It was very helpful but I didn’t get a chance to dive deeper into your other articles. I came across your post about the Barrhorn today (I miss being in the mountains; it’s a beautiful day today but I slept in :)) and then started to read some of your other articles. They’re terrific information! Thanks for sharing your experiences.

    I was curious — how did you get your start in mountaineering and climbing? And how do you balance work and the time required to get into the mountains?

    Reply

    • Hi X Wang, many thanks for visiting my site and for the kind words.

      I started 30 years ago, my climbing of Triglav in 1986 I consider as my true beginning because this was the first big mountain. I mentioned it in a short post about Korean president, it is a funny text, have a look if you wish.

      As for the last question, this is a sad story: I live in the lowest and the flattest part of EU, some 1000 kilometers from the Alps. So it is only in summer vacation time, or when I pass through the area due to some other reasons. All the best to you, and enjoy Barrhorn if you go there, a beautiful area indeed.

  10. Hi Jovo,
    I wish you well on your next mountaineering adventure. You explain things so well it makes me want to experience my own mountaineering adventure.I liked the fact that you shared your passion with your children. Out of all the places you have climbed which one would you climb again and why.

    Thanks so much.

    Reply

    • Thank you Tomkatt.

      There are some mountains that I climbed multiple times, like Teide wich I climbed 6 times. This is because of its beauty and besides this is by far the most dominant mountain on Tenerife island.

  11. Hi Jovo,

    I just saw your site for the first time today and I think it’s really a great site. Your reviews of products are very knowledgeable and your writings about the various places you have been and mountains you have climbed are really wonderful! I have always loved the mountains though I have never done any climbing just hiking. The air up in the higher altitudes seems so fresh and light.

    Keep up the good work I will be going to this site to check for your posts!

    Reply

    • Hi Barbara, many thanks for such a nice comment. I am delighted to see that you use correct a terminology as you clearly know the difference between hiking and climbing. I wish you to try some of the nice mountains described here in the site. There are so many non-technical routes to very high altitudes where the air is indeed so light. In fact this is what I need when I go there, to feel the altitude and space around me. This is the magic of it. Best luck.

  12. Hey Jovo
    Just want to stop by and says thanks for stopping by at my website.
    Been having email problems so I wanted you to know I appreciate you keep an eye out for me.
    Larry

    Reply

  13. Hello, Jovo. I really enjoy your website, you have so much valuable information to share with those that like to read about awesome places that you have been. Love the photos that you have added. Cheers!

    Reply

  14. Hi Jovo!
    Great web design!
    I believe: With your extreme courage and proven track records, coupled with very ardent experience sharing. You are destined to be succeeded!
    Be faithful, because I have FAITH in you!
    Warmest regards
    Mike

    Reply

    • Hi Mike, thanks a lot, I am touched reading your kind words. Best luck. Jovo

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I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. So when you buy something from this website, I may receive an affiliate commission. These are my opinions and are not representative of the companies that create these products. My reviews are based on my personal experience and research. I never recommend poor quality products, or create false reviews to make sales. It is my intention to explain products so you can make an informed decisions on which ones suit your needs best.

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