Damn mountain' #2: A frozen world (hiking in sustainable tourism + Wim Hof)
New installment of the podcast 'Damned mountain'.by Eduardo Azcona (@eduazcona) and Uxua Domblás (@LearningCity_). High altitude airs for the whole week.
In this programme, we talk about the opportunities that this "frozen world" brought us by Covid-19 to re-emerge in more sustainable forms of tourism and we will talk about the opportunity that hiking has in these new ways of discovering places. In the second part of the programme we will talk about the Wim Hof method for practising it during confinement.
Remember that this podcast is part of the 'Soy Viajero' radio programme. You can listen to the full programme here, CLICK HERE.
Interesting links from this episode:
- Why hiking can be a great opportunity for sustainable tourism
- Win Hof breathing tutorial by Win Hof
- Episode in "I am a traveller
- Episode in "Ballet of the Sidewalks
Hiking in sustainable tourism
Regarding the decline of tourism, the return to the local level and sustainability, we believe that hiking is precisely the great opportunity to achieve sustainable tourism. Implemented in a well-planned way, it can be a constant and ample source of income and consequently an opportunity for the development of local, primarily rural, populations.
Through this type of tourism, resources and mechanisms for environmental protection can also be obtained, in order to extend the natural conservation of a particular area, although it is important to ensure optimal implementation, as there is also the risk of devastating the environment, also destroying the natural capital in order to attract visitors.
In the same way, many of the most successful hiking routes have achieved great influence by connecting with the local tourist offer of the place; that is, promoting both the physical and socio-cultural values of the area, which also contributes to the local economy, thus generating a benefit that ends up strengthening the basis of the project.
Furthermore, it will be of utmost importance that any activity to be implemented is supported and even co-designed with the inhabitants and key actors of that territory. In this way, they will not feel excluded and will feel part of the project.
An example, on a tiny scale, would be the process of creating the Sumac Route But this is the subject of another programme!
Wim Hof method in times of confinement
In the last programme we proposed some exercises to do at home during the confinement, today we bring you also some other exercises, these of breathing from the hand of a "tough guy" Wim Hof.
In 2007 Wim "the Iceman" Hof attempted to become the first man to climb Everest in his shorts. No feather suit, oxygen cylinders or goggles. Just shorts and a pair of open-toed sandals. "So take off that jacket, take off your boots", this quirky explorer is going to teach you how to brave the bitter cold in bare feet.
In the following video Wim proposes his breathing method and tells us why we should practice it during confinement. Some aspects can be taken with caution, but this routine will certainly help us to have a healthier and more energetic stay.
"We learn how to control our immune system in a better way. Our energy levels and our moods. Mood swings. We can learn how to control that. A lot more and in a deeper way. Now you have the opportunity while this Corona virus situation is spreading. Being at home. We are able to do so much more," he says in this video.
The first pillar is quite straightforward, it is a breathing technique that Hof recommends practising dailyLie down. First inhale and exhale rapidly 30 times, then take in a lot of air and empty your lungs completely. Hold your breath until you can't hold it and then take in air again, filling your chest. And hold it for about 10 to 15 seconds; repeat the same cycle three or four times.
Then the coldIt is crucial to learn to control our body when subjected to cold temperatures.
