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Anna Bezzola, founder and director of Alps and Beyond, was born and raised in Italy, and grew up spending her summers in Switzerland and exploring the cultural and natural environments of the Alps. Many years in California, where she studied theatre lighting and worked at Mountain Travel Sobek, gave her the wealth of knowledge and expertise she needed to start her own company in the adventure travel industry. Anna is multi-lingual, she loves to explore new places, to hike and, although owning her own business has added a new dimension to her life, she still enjoys to guide as much as she can. Among other places, her travels have taken her to Patagonia, Alaska, Bhutan, the Arctic and the Antarctic. She currently lives in Bellinzona, Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland, where she runs Alps and Beyond with great passion and dedication. Anna is also an official guide for the UNESCO site of Monte San Giorgio in Ticino.
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Richard Bortis was born in Brig and grew up in Fiesch, at the foot of the Aletsch Glacier. A licensed UIAGM alpine guide since 1999, Richard has been guiding trips all over the Swiss Alps, both in winter and in summer, as well as in Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Africa. In winter, he also works as a licensed ski teacher. He is an engineer by trade, and, in between seasons, when he is not guiding, he builds trams and gondolas. |
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Mario Casella lives near Lugano, Switzerland, is a licensed UIAGM/IFMGA mountain guide and a journalist, and has taught climbing and ski mountaineering. He was a correspondent for the Swiss-Italian TV (TSI) in Washington DC, for whom he still works in Lugano, but part-time, because he is too busy guiding, ski mountaineering and climbing mountains the world over. He is a free-lance documentary director and producer, and has done research, among other things, on the fall of the Berlin wall, Croatia, Bosnia. Worth of mention is his latest “Siachen: A War for Ice”, the first film, ever, to document the 20-year war between India and Pakistan over the control of the Siachen Glacier, in the heart of the Himalayas. The documentary has won several awards and nominations. |
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Bruno Hahn lives in Zurich, Switzerland. In addition to a career as a Swissair pilot, from which he recently retired, Bruno is an experienced mountain climber and has taught mountaineering courses for the Swiss military. He is a long-standing member of the Swiss Alpine Club and he dedicates his free time to his passions: hiking, climbing and ski mountaineering. But flying has remained in his blood and, weather permitting, he never misses a chance to enjoy scenic, mountain flying in a single-engine airplane. Bruno guides our “Hiking in the Swiss Italian Alps”, “The North Face Route” and “The Haute Route of the Bernese Oberland”. |
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Roland Kimmerle was born in Berne, the capital city of Switzerland. He completed his Masters studies in geography and geology, and is a member of the Swiss Alpine Club. During the summer, Roland explores the corners of the Alps and looks forward to sharing his passion for hiking and mountain-biking in his country. During the winter, he enjoys his second profession as a snowboarding, ski-touring, and snowshoeing instructor in the Bernese Oberland and in Winter Park, Colorado (USA). Roland speaks fluent German, English, French, and a little bit of Italian. |
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Chiara Pigni was born in Trieste and grew up in Milan, Italy, where she obtained her high school diploma in Languages, dropped out of university, where she was studying geology, and worked for a non-profit medical organization and a multinational advertising agency. Lucky enough to have been introduced to different cultures at a relatively young age, Chiara developed an intense curiosity and passion for traveling. She guides our “Secret Corners of Tuscany” and “Walking the Italian Lakes trip”, and she is a licensed tour guide for the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. In addition to her extensive knowledge, clients truly enjoy her company and her solar personality. In her spare time Chiara, of course, loves to travel.
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Eugenio Testa is an industrial surveyor by trade, but the mountains are his blood. He works for the Environmental Protection Agency, taking snow measurements and writing avalanche bullettins, and he is an istructor and active member of mountain search and rescue by helicopter. He has opened new climbing routes on Mont Blanc and Monviso and has been on expeditions to K2, Pakistan, Ama Dablam in Nepal and Yosemite, USA. In addition Eugenio is a mountaineering guide and instructor. He guides our Tour of Monviso and, needless to say, in his hands you are really safe.
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Hansueli Weber lives on a working farm in Emmental, Switzerland, and he guides our programs and activities with mules. A trekking and canoe guide, and a ski instructor, he started working with mules during his military service. He studied agriculture, was apprenticed on lama treks, and has been working on families adventures for several years. His patience with children and passion for what he does make him the perfect teacher. He is multilingual and has spent time in Australia and Ecuador. |
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