Hey!

I'm Chris. I have a passion for being outdoors and doing long distance human-powered travel such as hiking, skiing, kayaking and cycling. I've just spent 5 weeks hiking in Armenia and a week or so in Georgia with my girlfriend, Elina.

I enjoy the pace of these human powered trips as they allow you to take in your surroundings and meet local people. Often it's the interactions with locals which are my most heart warming and memorable.

I work as a back-country skiing and kayaking guide in Finnish Lapland and the Finnish Archipelago. In between working I also do many smaller adventures by ski, foot and kayak.

One of the most exciting places I recently slept in was a cave!

I look forward to sharing stories and meeting people from all walks of life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm here to meet and live with people of the country, get immersed in their culture, learn their languages and genuinely trying to live life to the full with a smile on my face.

I have couchsurfed in Romania, Bulgaria, Finland and also in the USA before this. I found it a great way to meet people of the area.

Interests

I have a range of interests. I enjoy spending time with friends, playing board games, table tennis, camping (in summer and winter).

I'm also quite active and enjoy running, wild swimming, cycling, trekking, skiing and foraging for berries and mushrooms. I like to play music, including guitar, djembe, piano and didgeridoo. I also hitchhike sometimes too.

I've done a range of travelling and expeditions over the years, below outlines some of more notable ones.

2023 - spent 3 weeks climbing in El chorro, Spain. 3 weeks exploring Catalonia. 6 weeks hiking in the Romanian carpathians and walking along the danube river
2022 - sailed down the west coast of Scotland
2021 - Kayaked across Sweden from Gothenburg - Stockholm
2019 - Kayaked from Finland to Estonia
2018 - Cycled from England to Finland
2017 - Spent the winter working as a husky guide in Finland. Next adventure, living in helsinki for a few months.
2016 - Swam the River Thames from Lechlade to Putney bridge - 130 miles in 15 days
2015 - Ran the length of the Pennine Way in the UK - 260 miles in 10 days.
2014 - Trained as a International Wilderness Guide in Finland.
2013 - Ran 900 miles across the UK unsupported. A physically and mentally gruelling, but hugely humbling and beautiful trip.
2013 - Spent 3 days rowing in a team of 8 from Oxford to London
2012 - Explored the West coast of America. Started at the Burning Man festival and continued down the coast to San Diego.
2009 - Spent 5 weeks travelling around Croatia by coach. Visited Zagreb, Havar, Pag,
2007 - Inter railed around Europe for 5 weeks with 4 friends. Cities visited included Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Krakow, Prague, Budapest, Venice, Rome, Nice, Brunol (tomatina festival) & Madrid
2006 - My first big trip. 18 years old and excited to spend 6 months travelling around the world

• festivals
• running
• meditation
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• skiing
• swimming
• lakes
• travelling

Music, Movies, and Books

BOOKS

A few books I've read over the years:

Dune - currently on book 4
Brave new world
1984.

All the Harry Potters

A Long Way Back - Slavomir Rawicz

The Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton

On the trail of Genghis Khan - Tim Cope
The incredible voyage - Tristan Jones
Bushcraft Survival - Ray Mears
Eat and Run - Scott Jurek
Run or Die - Kilian Jornet
Finding Ultra - Rich Roll
Across the Empty Quarter - Wilfred Thesinger
Thunder and Sunshine - Alastair Humphreys
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Wind, Sand and Stars - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
My Family and Other Animals - Gerry Durrell

MUSIC

Interests in music covers a range of genres. From house, folk, country, indy, rock, rap and reggae and some others. I've just skimmed through my music and selected a few: Talmud Beach, The White Buffalo, Interpol, Frank Ocean, Etta James, London Grammar, Jon Hopkins, Caribou, Francis Bebey, Francesca Lombardo, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Rodrigo y Gabriela, xxyyxx, Nick Drake, MK, Rag'n'Bone Man, George Ezra, Fat Freddy's Drop, Nick Mulvey, Marlena Shaw Bon Iver, Bob Marley, Drake, Method Man, Soul Captain Band, Blur,Tom Odell, Fleet Foxes, Devendra Banhart, Nicolas Jaar, Gill Scott-Heron, Bonobo, Alt J, Old Crow Medicine Show, Aphex Twin, Damian Lazarus, The Streets, Fela Kuti etc etc

FILMS TV

I like many films from a range of genres. Here's a few films that come to mind: Arrival, Blade runner (old and new), Valley Uprising, Unbranded, Walk Hard, The Way Back, new), Dune 1 & 2, Fitzcarraldo, we are our mountains, Happy People, Back to the Future (all), The Dark Knight, The Matrix.

Series that I like: Black mirror, love, death and robots, Cosmos, The Expanse, The OA, Stranger Things, Sherlock Holmes, Elementary, Adventure Time, Planet Earth

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A few years back I swam down the river Thames from Lechlande to Putney Bridge. The trip lasted 15 days and I swam 130 miles (225km), covering around 10 miles (17km) a day.

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, United Kingdom