G'day explorers - this adventure had been on my bucket list for 17 YEARS! 😮 Thanks so much for sharing it with us! We hope you're inspired to visit the Dolomites too! ► *NEXT EPISODE // DRIVING AROUND THE WORLD SERIES:* ruclips.net/video/-v9pYxHPwqY/видео.html KOMBI CREW - ruclips.net/user/kombilifejoin
MYSTERY SOLVED - 15:00 Those are Obell-X Avalanche mitigation units. Placed strategically on mountain sides and can be remotely triggered to cause a gas explosion shockwave to dislodge snow resulting in a controlled avalanche. ruclips.net/video/S5rYnpuNlt0/видео.html CREDIT: Conrad Bonorchis - Kombi Life Channel Member
Great video! Just a heads-up it you ever do a via ferrata again: Always make sure to clip them in from opposite sites. This way if you accidentally grab them when falling you don't open both of them at the same time.
Not quite the first snow of the season, actually! I was in the Austrian Alps for one week at the beginning of October, and they were having an early cold snap - I went hiking in spite of it, and up on the mountains (at around 1700-2000 meters above sea level), the snow was deep enough for me to sink into it knee-deep. :D It was wild. Haven't seen snow like that in years. It was definitely exhausting to hike in, though - especially since we were the only people up on that mountain from a certain point onwards, and no one had blazed a trail for us; we had to stomp our way through that knee-deep, fresh snow step by painful step. Of course, we couldn't see the hiking trail anymore either - it was covered completely, and it was just steep slopes covered in an even, snowy blanket for as far as the eye could see. It was worth it though. ☺️ The mountains in the snow are gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. And the hot chocolate we had after that hike tasted all the better for it. 😉🥰
A tip to avoid overheating of brakes in the mountains. Use the same gear you have used to ascent to the top of the mountain for descending. Use the brakes in intervals; never stay on the brakes for the total descent.
Those things are avalanche mitigation pods. There's videos on here about them. I just learned what they were after watching this. RUclips put a news story in my suggestions. I would tag you on the video but I don't know how. The news story was based in Colorado in the US.
Just started looking into it too. The French company that makes them "Gazex / Gazflex / O'bellx (Name of the pods). Fixed remote avalanche control system (RACS) based on exploding a propane/oxygen gas mixture inside an open metal tube. Quick video of how O'bellx works ruclips.net/video/73mZv4XgLIA/видео.html
:) Those mountains always remember me of an Italian family of three generations from the Dolomite's, that I met in the Norwegian mountains a few years back, on a fairly rugged trail....and they where wearing just regular clothes with loafers and sneakers and what not......we start talking and I asked them if they didn't find it a bit challenging to walk this trail in clothes/shoes like that. The kids just looked at me with a surprising look and said that "this is nothing, it's like our route to school everyday". Don't know if they fooled me, but they did not have any problem what so ever in the Norwegian mountains. They looked just like they were out on a sunday stroll, no sweat at all :)
What a great video! My grandparents were from the Dolomites. We had planned to visit our relatives there this winter and also do some skiing, but that won't be happening, so we were so happy to be able to watch you enjoy the area. Buon Viaggio!!!
I can never get over how you craft your stories -- They are stunning visually and captivating orally. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and here's hoping that one day we would be privileged enough to meet you on the road! L (and Andy)
When you are descending a mountain your brakes are for emergency's only !, use your engine to control your speed !. An old VW is great in the mountains, I did loads in the UK and Europe in my first car - a '72 1200 Beetle (with a concrete block in the front). Teaches you a lot about driving, although the long queue behind me where probably not so impressed !!
I driven a few hills in a VW, crossed the Andes mountains 7 times so I know where the limits of engine braking are....and a 16% grade is definitely enough to send a heavy bus to the redline. With properly adjusted brakes it's fine. but 16% is a CRAZY grade
CONGRATS Dude; Summit!!!!! Next time guys wear Neoprene type gloves.....rubber/wetsuit type material.....insulates hands against a cold STEEL cable, the wet, etc. I even wear my pair washing my car all year round. On the trail- a godsend.
Hi Guys! I believe those pods are Avalanche Mitigation Pods. They trigger avalanche remotely when it's safe to do so. But they look like spaceships indeed :-D
It's great to see and hear from the 4 of you again. I can't tell you how good it is to not only hear your voices but to actually see you again. I've been wondering how you've been doing in this pandemic time. It's like hearing an old friends voice and name again 🤣. That sure is beautiful country where you are now. Take care of yourselves and Alaska and Boomerang.
I love how this channel has adventurous and educational content intertwined with great commentary and video, you can learn a lot from enjoying the content Ben, Leah and Alaska bring to this channel. I found this channel a few years ago “hasta Alaska” binge watched and have been watching since that day.
This moment when you realise you have already seen this episode because you're a channel member . Worth a second view, tho! Hope u guys are feeling well!
you shouldn't have to break every time you're driving downhill. Just let it brake on the engine, the system is made for it. So dont worry about the sound it will make. As a rule of thumb you should be in the same gear as when you drive uphill on that place. But if you still go too fast, just gear down again. And one last tip: its better to push the brake pedal firmly once in a while, than braking just a bit all the time.
That was a great video, great dialogue, scenery, etc, had my heart in my mouth when u was doing that climb towards the end. Best to you three plus the Kombi van, if you want somewhere to park in Tuscany on a vine yard give me a shout 👍
Hi guys I love the channel and look foreword to each new adventure . I must say Ben you certainly have more nerve than me and I don't blame Leigh for sitting that one out . My wife and I are hopefully going to try exploring France next year in our self built T4 I would like to check out the Basque Country if we can get enough leave from work but maybe another time .
I imagine they're in the same area (or were at this point) as Luca and Sara's house. Would be neat to see a van-life meetup. I don't remember if they've ever run across each other. South America maybe?
Hi Ben, a tip from an experienced trucker......go down a hill in the same gear that you would use to go up it. Using engine retardation will save brakes.
Can I ask what you do with Alaska when you guys go hiking for the day? Me and my mrs took our dog in our T4 to Switzerland but found it difficult to explore as we would like to as we couldn’t leave her in the van for long.
@@KombiLife appreciate you guys taking the time to reply. She’s clearly better behaved than my dog! 😂 love the content and watching your progress. Wish I’d known when you guys where in the UK so I could have joined the cruise. Stay safe 😷
well - you passed my place on your trip (south of munich) by 2 Km only 🤨☺️ - next time you stop by for an boomerang oil change and a free coffee for the crew ! cheers and happy roadtripping
Its so weird you saying about them pods you saw . And they come up on our RUclips. They are to set off Avalanche they put them in place with a helicopter and set them off by remote. .
Hey, If you are driving in the mountains, breaking is nearly forbidden due to overheated breaks. so you HAVE to slow down and break with your gears instead. That's common knowledge to mountain drivers.
Wow looks beautiful! And really nice editing too! Just recently subscribed, but have you had lot of break downs with your kombi? My Hymer camper needed to be fixed with 1k€ per year 😆 Have you heard, that one should go down with the same gear what was used when climbing up. Climbing with 2nd gear, going down with engine breaking with the same 2nd gear! 👍 Happy travels!
Those pods are alien spacecraft which landed thousands of years ago. The occupants spent those years trying to yodel but failed. With no vocal communications in the mountains they eventually died out.
G'day explorers - this adventure had been on my bucket list for 17 YEARS! 😮
Thanks so much for sharing it with us! We hope you're inspired to visit the Dolomites too!
► *NEXT EPISODE // DRIVING AROUND THE WORLD SERIES:* ruclips.net/video/-v9pYxHPwqY/видео.html
KOMBI CREW - ruclips.net/user/kombilifejoin
You should look up Luca and Sarah from LeAw. They are back in Italy.
Such a mountain paradise. Great stuff guys.
Cheers Gabriel! Same to you on your recent videos. 😉
@@KombiLife Right on, glad to hear it.
MYSTERY SOLVED - 15:00 Those are Obell-X Avalanche mitigation units. Placed strategically on mountain sides and can be remotely triggered to cause a gas explosion shockwave to dislodge snow resulting in a controlled avalanche.
ruclips.net/video/S5rYnpuNlt0/видео.html
CREDIT: Conrad Bonorchis - Kombi Life Channel Member
16 min in those pods are for avalanche control. We have them in the Rocky mts
yeah I just watched a cool video explaining that - great tech! Thanks for watching Luke
"Avalanche Mitigation Pods".
Does it even snow there any more?
Dolomites - breathtaking!
Great video! Just a heads-up it you ever do a via ferrata again: Always make sure to clip them in from opposite sites. This way if you accidentally grab them when falling you don't open both of them at the same time.
Thanks for the tip!
I don't watch TV so I'm always looking forward to these episodes! I get so excited when I see a new one pop up 😁
Glad you like them!
You must be have a awesome time ... How incredibly. I love to travel . Your vedio is inspirational .
Not quite the first snow of the season, actually!
I was in the Austrian Alps for one week at the beginning of October, and they were having an early cold snap - I went hiking in spite of it, and up on the mountains (at around 1700-2000 meters above sea level), the snow was deep enough for me to sink into it knee-deep. :D
It was wild. Haven't seen snow like that in years.
It was definitely exhausting to hike in, though - especially since we were the only people up on that mountain from a certain point onwards, and no one had blazed a trail for us; we had to stomp our way through that knee-deep, fresh snow step by painful step. Of course, we couldn't see the hiking trail anymore either - it was covered completely, and it was just steep slopes covered in an even, snowy blanket for as far as the eye could see.
It was worth it though. ☺️ The mountains in the snow are gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking.
And the hot chocolate we had after that hike tasted all the better for it. 😉🥰
Sounds like an incredible & exhausting adventure!
You guys really know how to put together a beautiful and engaging film. Amazing! Thank you.
Cheers Giles.
10:41 - This is the ski jump from the James Bond movie: For your eyes only
A tip to avoid overheating of brakes in the mountains. Use the same gear you have used to ascent to the top of the mountain for descending. Use the brakes in intervals; never stay on the brakes for the total descent.
Thank you kombi crew: adding to my RUclips experience!
Those things are avalanche mitigation pods. There's videos on here about them. I just learned what they were after watching this. RUclips put a news story in my suggestions. I would tag you on the video but I don't know how. The news story was based in Colorado in the US.
Just started looking into it too. The French company that makes them "Gazex / Gazflex / O'bellx (Name of the pods). Fixed remote avalanche control system (RACS) based on exploding a propane/oxygen gas mixture inside an open metal tube.
Quick video of how O'bellx works ruclips.net/video/73mZv4XgLIA/видео.html
:) Those mountains always remember me of an Italian family of three generations from the Dolomite's, that I met in the Norwegian mountains a few years back, on a fairly rugged trail....and they where wearing just regular clothes with loafers and sneakers and what not......we start talking and I asked them if they didn't find it a bit challenging to walk this trail in clothes/shoes like that.
The kids just looked at me with a surprising look and said that "this is nothing, it's like our route to school everyday".
Don't know if they fooled me, but they did not have any problem what so ever in the Norwegian mountains. They looked just like they were out on a sunday stroll, no sweat at all :)
So wonderful mountain ranges! Stunning trip you are doing there! Stay safe, Guys!
I could watch this for 3 hours.
What a great video! My grandparents were from the Dolomites. We had planned to visit our relatives there this winter and also do some skiing, but that won't be happening, so we were so happy to be able to watch you enjoy the area. Buon Viaggio!!!
Incredible!! Thanks Guys!
Welcome in Italy guys!
Grazie
I can never get over how you craft your stories -- They are stunning visually and captivating orally. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and here's hoping that one day we would be privileged enough to meet you on the road!
L (and Andy)
Wow the graphics in your video are so incredible!!!!
Glad you like them!
When you are descending a mountain your brakes are for emergency's only !, use your engine to control your speed !. An old VW is great in the mountains, I did loads in the UK and Europe in my first car - a '72 1200 Beetle (with a concrete block in the front). Teaches you a lot about driving, although the long queue behind me where probably not so impressed !!
I was about to suggest the same. go in 2nd gear, do hard brakes in short bursts, rather then continuous soft braking :)
I driven a few hills in a VW, crossed the Andes mountains 7 times so I know where the limits of engine braking are....and a 16% grade is definitely enough to send a heavy bus to the redline. With properly adjusted brakes it's fine. but 16% is a CRAZY grade
GREAT JOB ON THE ROCK CLIMB BEN
cheers
Great vlog, thanks. Brilliant drone images. That was some climb!
Thanks 👍
Yeah I lived there 10 yrs in Fanna Maniago near Aviano near Pianchavallo ski resort... Wow good work Reinhold Messner.
Dolomites Italie are fantastic, good video. This is my furure destination.
Great watching
Good to see you guys are ok! Safe journeys. Alaska! Big love.
Well done Ben for climbing that mountain peak. Magnificent views.
beautiful mountains!
Such a beautiful part of the world 😍
CONGRATS Dude; Summit!!!!! Next time guys wear Neoprene type gloves.....rubber/wetsuit type material.....insulates hands against a cold STEEL cable, the wet, etc. I even wear my pair washing my car all year round. On the trail- a godsend.
Good tip!
Alaska has one of the best adventures for a dog. 🐕
We always see the Olympic jump when we go to the mountains! It's so cool to spot it from the road.
Hi Guys! I believe those pods are Avalanche Mitigation Pods. They trigger avalanche remotely when it's safe to do so.
But they look like spaceships indeed :-D
So happy to see Alaska is as playful as ever :-) Watching you scramble over those rocks reminded me just how old I am !
Great episode! I loved the climbing parts.
Elevation Rocks
Dolomites Italy looks like a mountain paradise.
It's great to see and hear from the 4 of you again. I can't tell you how good it is to not only hear your voices but to actually see you again. I've been wondering how you've been doing in this pandemic time. It's like hearing an old friends voice and name again 🤣. That sure is beautiful country where you are now.
Take care of yourselves and Alaska and Boomerang.
Welcome back!
As i told you, you will have fun in the Dolomites. There are many more Trails. We go there in winter and summer mostly every year.
"Figure out how to get back down"- been there - done that!
Absolutely stunning mountain views!!! ... A better man than me - Gunga Din with those climbs on the paths ferratas
Cortina and surrounds are fantastic, spent some time there a while back and was enchanted.
Thank you for taking us along.
lucky you! It was our pleasure! Thanks for joining us
Geez Ben, you had me all tensed up on that climb.
I love how this channel has adventurous and educational content intertwined with great commentary and video, you can learn a lot from enjoying the content Ben, Leah and Alaska bring to this channel. I found this channel a few years ago “hasta Alaska” binge watched and have been watching since that day.
Wow, thank you!
Amazing views there in the mountains..😍
This moment when you realise you have already seen this episode because you're a channel member . Worth a second view, tho! Hope u guys are feeling well!
Thanks for helping us create this series 🥰
...a good one, stay safe and keep healthy, ....enjoy..
Enjoyed travelling with you, such a gorgeous scenery of majestic mountains. Keep Safe and Healthy, always here to support 💗🐾🚐👍🌟
you shouldn't have to break every time you're driving downhill. Just let it brake on the engine, the system is made for it. So dont worry about the sound it will make. As a rule of thumb you should be in the same gear as when you drive uphill on that place. But if you still go too fast, just gear down again. And one last tip: its better to push the brake pedal firmly once in a while, than braking just a bit all the time.
What a beautiful vlog. One of my favourites from this series for sure . Thank you guys. Hope to see y'all in India some day.
Be safe out there guys
you too 😊
@@KombiLife New York is coming to 2 close cuz of this pandemi
Being a VW T6 driver enjoying vanlife I love your inspiring videos. Another great one, thanks for sharing! Greetings from camper unterwegs 🚐🧚🏼♀️
WoW! Alaska can run so fast! 3:57 Very healthy!
Wow what an adventure.. if I am ever in italy I will definitely check this out!
❤️🇨🇦
Where have you guys left Alaska while doing the ferrata? Stay safe Boris & Cris
Wow! Great adventure and exercise 😎✌️
It really was, thanks for sharing the experience with us
That was a great video, great dialogue, scenery, etc, had my heart in my mouth when u was doing that climb towards the end.
Best to you three plus the Kombi van, if you want somewhere to park in Tuscany on a vine yard give me a shout 👍
Awesome, thank you!
Well done!!
The little capsules are remote avalanche control devices. They create explosions to release unstable snow.
Fantastic editing!!!!!
Stunning views!
Hi guys I love the channel and look foreword to each new adventure . I must say Ben you certainly have more nerve than me and I don't blame Leigh for sitting that one out . My wife and I are hopefully going to try exploring France next year in our self built T4 I would like to check out the Basque Country if we can get enough leave from work but maybe another time .
Ben and Leah.. I've just found your channel, I'm loving your adventures ❤️
Thanks. Welcome aboard 🥰
Come to Sardinia, it’s hot, beautiful, in the yellow region so not strict restitutions. Super chilled here.
Corona in Italian means “Crown”. Sounds Better in English in the current circumstances. Such a beautiful place. Xx
Thanks for clearing that up :)
Thanks for sharing ! Would love to do the dolomites (whith my dog) ! what about your dog when you climb the moutain?
I love this video, call up LEAW, they're from Italy and touring Italy. They're super sweet people
I imagine they're in the same area (or were at this point) as Luca and Sara's house. Would be neat to see a van-life meetup. I don't remember if they've ever run across each other. South America maybe?
Amazing video guy's
Fascinating 😯
Hi Ben, a tip from an experienced trucker......go down a hill in the same gear that you would use to go up it. Using engine retardation will save brakes.
Sorry to go off topic but a BMW E30 M3 at 2:25 , how kool 😎
Really enjoyed this one 👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it
@@KombiLife kombi owner, itching to hit Europe 👌 your videos have inspired me
Leah, I think the point of having two carabiners is to move one at a time. Always have one clipped in. You probably know that...just reminding you = )
Can I ask what you do with Alaska when you guys go hiking for the day? Me and my mrs took our dog in our T4 to Switzerland but found it difficult to explore as we would like to as we couldn’t leave her in the van for long.
Alaska chilled the the Kombi. It wasn’t long and wasn’t hot. Normally she would come with us.
@@KombiLife appreciate you guys taking the time to reply. She’s clearly better behaved than my dog! 😂 love the content and watching your progress. Wish I’d known when you guys where in the UK so I could have joined the cruise. Stay safe 😷
What a great place!
It really is!
bonjour et soyez heureux pour toujours du Maroc
well - you passed my place on your trip (south of munich) by 2 Km only 🤨☺️ - next time you stop by for an boomerang oil change and a free coffee for the crew ! cheers and happy roadtripping
You guys are sooo great, please keep up the Vlogs. We tried to do Van life this year but we came home in March due to world events.
How many engines have you extange?
Its so weird you saying about them pods you saw . And they come up on our RUclips. They are to set off Avalanche they put them in place with a helicopter and set them off by remote. .
Omg I'm in my second lockdown and seeing your videos is both wonderful and sad. Hi from a small youtube in Ireland 👍😆
Stay strong mate 💪
@@KombiLife any advice for my channel I'm only starting?
Hope your all well, Id took the road to Bari 10hrs south then the ferry to Albania.
Stay safe!
That was plan A... 😁
@@KombiLife Great minds Ben, great minds......Oh should that be Leah......lol
What’s Alaska doing while you’re off hiking?
sleeping in the van (if it's not hot and she can't come with us)
where was Alaska during this edventure?
3:31 hi, what's the total height of your camper-van?
2m45cm
Hey guys happy travels
Hey, If you are driving in the mountains, breaking is nearly forbidden due to overheated breaks. so you HAVE to slow down and break with your gears instead. That's common knowledge to mountain drivers.
Who looked after Alaska or did she join you on the hike?
How expensive does your 3g or 4g plan cost
Yay
Wow looks beautiful!
And really nice editing too!
Just recently subscribed, but have you had lot of break downs with your kombi? My Hymer camper needed to be fixed with 1k€ per year 😆 Have you heard, that one should go down with the same gear what was used when climbing up. Climbing with 2nd gear, going down with engine breaking with the same 2nd gear! 👍 Happy travels!
This Kombi is running pretty well. Thanks for the tip and for subscribing
I'll be heading that way soon, when travel restrictions are lifted, but I'll pass on the mountaineering bit, I'm a bit older than you guys 😕
you can do it Colin 😉
Those pods are alien spacecraft which landed thousands of years ago. The occupants spent those years trying to yodel but failed. With no vocal communications in the mountains they eventually died out.
"I just found this w a t e r f o u ntain ..... .... log thing"... So funny.... Like you were considering using it.
What's the name of the first via ferrata?
Nice video
Ben: We are going to lose a camera
Me: But that is a story for next time
Ben: But more of that in the next episode
Me: ...
Olympics were in Torino in 2006.