Across all borders.
America – 35 countries. 35 mountains. Human-powered.
Across all borders.
America – 35 countries. 35 mountains. Human-powered.
When borders exist only on the map
Tobias Renggli is not looking for the easiest route. He connects countries and mountains, cities and wilderness, endurance and curiosity. His adventure follows a simple idea: to cross the American continent under his own power and climb the highest mountain in each of its 35 countries.
Every gram matters. Every layer. Every decision.
As his equipment partner, ORTOVOX is accompanying Tobi on this journey. His project represents what connects us: being on the move, taking responsibility and being able to rely on your equipment—when a route turns into a long ascent, rain becomes a storm and a single summit becomes a two-year expedition.
We are accompanying him across every border and supporting him with products made for real adventures: functional, durable and ready for whatever lies ahead.
When borders exist only on the map
Tobias Renggli is not looking for the easiest route. He connects countries and mountains, cities and wilderness, endurance and curiosity. His adventure follows a simple idea: to cross the American continent under his own power and climb the highest mountain in each of its 35 countries.
Every gram matters. Every layer. Every decision.
As his equipment partner, ORTOVOX is accompanying Tobi on this journey. His project represents what connects us: being on the move, taking responsibility and being able to rely on your equipment—when a route turns into a long ascent, rain becomes a storm and a single summit becomes a two-year expedition.
We are accompanying him across every border and supporting him with products made for real adventures: functional, durable and ready for whatever lies ahead.
How the adventure begins
Tobi is 22, comes from Switzerland and is happiest when he’s on the move. On foot, by bike, in the mountains and in his mind. He likes things long, far, real and outdoors. At 16, he became Swiss mountain-running champion.
At 18, he travelled alone across Europe by bike and on foot: all 44 countries, every capital city and the highest peak in each one. Unmotorized, as always. Driven by curiosity, endurance and the firm belief that, somehow, everything will work out in the end. The journey led to talks, films, encounters and stories that changed his life.
How the adventure begins
Tobi is 22, comes from Switzerland and is happiest when he’s on the move. On foot, by bike, in the mountains and in his mind. He likes things long, far, real and outdoors. At 16, he became Swiss mountain-running champion.
At 18, he travelled alone across Europe by bike and on foot: all 44 countries, every capital city and the highest peak in each one. Unmotorized, as always. Driven by curiosity, endurance and the firm belief that, somehow, everything will work out in the end. The journey led to talks, films, encounters and stories that changed his life.
Bigger, wilder and far less familiar
Now he has set his sights on his biggest adventure yet. In April 2026, he will embark on an expedition through all 35 countries of North, Central and South America — travelling exclusively by bicycle, on foot and by boat.
The goal: To climb the highest mountain in every country. From the snow-covered peaks of Alaska to remote Caribbean islands reached by sailboat, through the depths of the Amazon rainforest and up to the nearly 7,000-metre-high peaks of the Andes — before finally reaching Patagonia, the end of the world.
Bigger, wilder and far less familiar
Now he has set his sights on his biggest adventure yet. In April 2026, he will embark on an expedition through all 35 countries of North, Central and South America — travelling exclusively by bicycle, on foot and by boat.
The goal: To climb the highest mountain in every country. From the snow-covered peaks of Alaska to remote Caribbean islands reached by sailboat, through the depths of the Amazon rainforest and up to the nearly 7,000-metre-high peaks of the Andes — before finally reaching Patagonia, the end of the world.
What’s left when everything else stays at home?
Everything Tobi needs for two years fits into just a few square metres. An expedition like this does not come together overnight. The real work begins months before Tobi starts pedalling in Alaska. Every country presents different challenges, and every summit has its own logic. Tobi has weighed his equipment and removed anything he could do without, studied routes and discarded them, and asked himself what is truly essential.
ORTOVOX supports him with gear he can rely on throughout his journey—from the first pedal stroke to the final ascent of the day.
What’s left when everything else stays at home?
Everything Tobi needs for two years fits into just a few square metres. An expedition like this does not come together overnight. The real work begins months before Tobi starts pedalling in Alaska. Every country presents different challenges, and every summit has its own logic. Tobi has weighed his equipment and removed anything he could do without, studied routes and discarded them, and asked himself what is truly essential.
ORTOVOX supports him with gear he can rely on throughout his journey—from the first pedal stroke to the final ascent of the day.
Watch his first episode on his journey through Alaska now!
Summit 1: Denali (6,190 m), USA Deadhorse to Denali.
1,000 kilometers of gravel on ice.
Deadhorse, sitting on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, marks the northernmost road point in the Americas at the end of the Dalton Highway. This is where Tobi sets off on his 1,000-kilometer approach to Denali: on iced-over roads in temperatures down to -30°C. On the coldest days he gets off his bike every ten minutes to warm up by jumping and sprinting. He rides wearing the heavy expedition boots intended for Denali and slathers his face in a thick layer of Vaseline. The massive oil trucks, however, aren’t a problem: word of the Swiss cyclist’s road trip has already reached the truckers over the radio.
Summit 1: Denali (6,190 m), USA Deadhorse to Denali.
1,000 kilometers of gravel on ice.
Deadhorse, sitting on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, marks the northernmost road point in the Americas at the end of the Dalton Highway. This is where Tobi sets off on his 1,000-kilometer approach to Denali: on iced-over roads in temperatures down to -30°C. On the coldest days he gets off his bike every ten minutes to warm up by jumping and sprinting. He rides wearing the heavy expedition boots intended for Denali and slathers his face in a thick layer of Vaseline. The massive oil trucks, however, aren’t a problem: word of the Swiss cyclist’s road trip has already reached the truckers over the radio.
"It wasn’t a gentle start. I was thrown straight into a different world. You might think -20° or -30° makes no real difference – but I do know now: it certainly does. Still, the Arctic landscape was simply incredibly beautiful, by day and by night, with the northern lights glowing overhead."
"It wasn’t a gentle start. I was thrown straight into a different world. You might think -20° or -30° makes no real difference – but I do know now: it certainly does. Still, the Arctic landscape was simply incredibly beautiful, by day and by night, with the northern lights glowing overhead."
Over the ten days of gravel riding, though, there’s no time to lose. There are two very good reasons not to reach Denali too late. Anyone who doesn't fly into base camp – as is usual – starts from low ground. The starting point, Talkeetna, sits at just 106 meters, and the challenge is twofold: crossing the huge rivers while they’re still frozen, and reaching the crevasse-riddled foot of the glacier while there’s still enough snow cover.
"Choosing not to fly meant we were almost too late for the lower section – and too early for the upper one. During the regular season it’s warmer and conditions are safer."
The climb. Heavy logistics. Total solitude.
On Denali, Tobi is joined by fellow mountaineers and adventurers Heli Hofman and Laetitia Lam. The trio isn’t just alone on the 120-kilometre approach – in 2026 they are the very first people on the mountain. The season doesn't officially start for weeks. And Alaska is experiencing one of the stormiest, snowiest springs in decades. The extremely poor conditions are one challenge, the other is the demanding logistics created by the mountain’s remoteness. It would turn out to be a good call to pack a lot of gear...
"We lacked experience, and Denali was hard to judge. How much, or how little, gear do you haul 6,000 meters up a mountain? Do we need 20 days or 40? How much food do we bring? How much fuel, how much toilet paper?"
Tobi, Heli and Laetitia are all seasoned mountain athletes, but high-alpine Arctic terrain is new ground for all three. Hauling the sledges is exhausting, the sunscreen freezes solid, the cheese hardens into a brick. The extremely low temperatures and snowstorms force the three of them to sit it out in the tent for days at a stretch. The team dynamic is also hard to predict: beforehand, the three of them had only met together twice. Now they have no privacy at all, spending 24/7 together in the worst conditions imaginable – or crammed into the tent...
Over the ten days of gravel riding, though, there’s no time to lose. There are two very good reasons not to reach Denali too late. Anyone who doesn't fly into base camp – as is usual – starts from low ground. The starting point, Talkeetna, sits at just 106 meters, and the challenge is twofold: crossing the huge rivers while they’re still frozen, and reaching the crevasse-riddled foot of the glacier while there’s still enough snow cover.
"Choosing not to fly meant we were almost too late for the lower section – and too early for the upper one. During the regular season it’s warmer and conditions are safer."
The climb. Heavy logistics. Total solitude.
On Denali, Tobi is joined by fellow mountaineers and adventurers Heli Hofman and Laetitia Lam. The trio isn’t just alone on the 120-kilometre approach – in 2026 they are the very first people on the mountain. The season doesn't officially start for weeks. And Alaska is experiencing one of the stormiest, snowiest springs in decades. The extremely poor conditions are one challenge, the other is the demanding logistics created by the mountain’s remoteness. It would turn out to be a good call to pack a lot of gear...
"We lacked experience, and Denali was hard to judge. How much, or how little, gear do you haul 6,000 meters up a mountain? Do we need 20 days or 40? How much food do we bring? How much fuel, how much toilet paper?"
Tobi, Heli and Laetitia are all seasoned mountain athletes, but high-alpine Arctic terrain is new ground for all three. Hauling the sledges is exhausting, the sunscreen freezes solid, the cheese hardens into a brick. The extremely low temperatures and snowstorms force the three of them to sit it out in the tent for days at a stretch. The team dynamic is also hard to predict: beforehand, the three of them had only met together twice. Now they have no privacy at all, spending 24/7 together in the worst conditions imaginable – or crammed into the tent...
"We’re very different people, and it wasn’t obvious we'd get along so well. Just as none of us really knew how we’d react in extreme situations, or when stuck in a tent for five days. For me it was an intense experience, one in which I developed an inner calm like never before. You’re completely disconnected. I had no book, barely listened to music, because I wanted to expose myself to that too – to nature, and to my own thoughts."
"We’re very different people, and it wasn’t obvious we'd get along so well. Just as none of us really knew how we’d react in extreme situations, or when stuck in a tent for five days. For me it was an intense experience, one in which I developed an inner calm like never before. You’re completely disconnected. I had no book, barely listened to music, because I wanted to expose myself to that too – to nature, and to my own thoughts."
The summit: 32 hours. -40 degrees. Zero water.
Tobi, Heli and Laetitia reach Camp 4 after 30 days. During the regular season the route is usually tracked, but now even the fixed ropes are buried in snow. Digging them out of the steep wall costs precious time and energy. Laetitia suffers frostbite in the process. Back at the tent, she reveals a blackened finger. It's clear she has to stay in the tent and keep the finger warm. With only one tent between them, Tobi and Heli are forced to bypass Camp 5 and make a direct push for the summit from Camp 4. It is a daunting choice.
They weigh it up until midnight. When the alarm goes off at 3 a.m., Tobi hasn’t slept a wink due to nerves. 2,000 meters of elevation gain lie ahead of them. Conditions are difficult, the route extremely technical. They move slowly and keep falling further behind their planned schedule. Their water is running out, and they didn’t bring a stove. The initial goal had been to reach the summit by 6 p.m.
"Just before midnight we were on the summit, and it was unbelievable on so many levels. We'd been climbing for 18 hours. It was day 31. We were the first team of the year on Denali. The sun was setting over this almost incomprehensible wilderness. just stood there and wept uncontrollably for five minutes."
At the summit it’s -40°C – with windchill, probably another 10 degrees colder. And Tobi and Heli know just how demanding the way back down will be. At Denali Pass, at 5,500 meters, the sun has already gone. Tobi fights off exhaustion, repeatedly dropping into microsleeps. Heli goes ahead, but progress is slow and they’re desperately thirsty. They can’t open the frozen water bottle. using an ice axe, they smash the bottle open to suck out the remaining drops. It takes them 12 hours to get back to Camp 4 and Laetitia. 32 hours after they said goodbye to her.
The summit: 32 hours. -40 degrees. Zero water.
Tobi, Heli and Laetitia reach Camp 4 after 30 days. During the regular season the route is usually tracked, but now even the fixed ropes are buried in snow. Digging them out of the steep wall costs precious time and energy. Laetitia suffers frostbite in the process. Back at the tent, she reveals a blackened finger. It's clear she has to stay in the tent and keep the finger warm. With only one tent between them, Tobi and Heli are forced to bypass Camp 5 and make a direct push for the summit from Camp 4. It is a daunting choice.
They weigh it up until midnight. When the alarm goes off at 3 a.m., Tobi hasn’t slept a wink due to nerves. 2,000 meters of elevation gain lie ahead of them. Conditions are difficult, the route extremely technical. They move slowly and keep falling further behind their planned schedule. Their water is running out, and they didn’t bring a stove. The initial goal had been to reach the summit by 6 p.m.
"Just before midnight we were on the summit, and it was unbelievable on so many levels. We'd been climbing for 18 hours. It was day 31. We were the first team of the year on Denali. The sun was setting over this almost incomprehensible wilderness. just stood there and wept uncontrollably for five minutes."
At the summit it’s -40°C – with windchill, probably another 10 degrees colder. And Tobi and Heli know just how demanding the way back down will be. At Denali Pass, at 5,500 meters, the sun has already gone. Tobi fights off exhaustion, repeatedly dropping into microsleeps. Heli goes ahead, but progress is slow and they’re desperately thirsty. They can’t open the frozen water bottle. using an ice axe, they smash the bottle open to suck out the remaining drops. It takes them 12 hours to get back to Camp 4 and Laetitia. 32 hours after they said goodbye to her.
36 days without a shower or a toilet, without ever taking off their socks, and without a proper meal. And 36 days with their phones in flight mode. They're almost afraid to switch them back on and face the flood of messages. Civilisation can be overwhelming. Laetitia says her goodbyes soon after. Heli will continue on with Tobi to the second summit, in Canada. They eat, sort through their gear, strap the skis to the bike, and a few days later cycle off towards Canada.
36 days without a shower or a toilet, without ever taking off their socks, and without a proper meal. And 36 days with their phones in flight mode. They're almost afraid to switch them back on and face the flood of messages. Civilisation can be overwhelming. Laetitia says her goodbyes soon after. Heli will continue on with Tobi to the second summit, in Canada. They eat, sort through their gear, strap the skis to the bike, and a few days later cycle off towards Canada.
Watch the Denali Ski-Expedition Episode now!
Watch the Denali Ski-Expedition Episode now!
Products that make Tobi’s adventure possible
On this journey, every piece of gear has to earn its place. Tobias relies on ORTOVOX products to accompany him on his bike, in the rain, in the mountains and throughout long days outdoors.
Products that make Tobi’s
adventure possible
On this journey, every piece of gear has to earn its place. Tobias relies on ORTOVOX products to accompany him on his bike, in the rain, in the mountains and throughout long days outdoors.
“The Downwool 270 Jacket kept me warm even at -40°C in Alaska.”
Tobias Renggli - Adventurer
Average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
Average rating of 5 out of 5 stars