I’m not much of a patriot, but I like living in Slovenia. This little country in Central Europe that I call my home ticks all the boxes for an outdoor enthusiast: beautiful jagged mountains, clean rivers and lakes, vast woodlands, a lovely green capital and even a sliver of coastline on the Adriatic.
I like living in Europe too. I’m so used to taking advantage of our border-free system that I barely even notice when I cross into one of a neighboring country on a whim. And I do it regularly—being able to go to Italy for a cup of coffee or to Austria to ski their perfect groomers is something that I cherish greatly.
![Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-9](http://images.ctfassets.net/r7p9m4b1iqbp/6Y4sVQtDh0cwFsxGpc3AAe/e10eb6118d0181ab1a092eca886766f4/Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-9.jpg?w=600&q=85&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-1](http://images.ctfassets.net/r7p9m4b1iqbp/5dwPOcP5rlhHBTA4uVvYH1/ea8f0c2ebd24a90139eff2f4562dadbb/Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-1.jpg?w=600&q=85&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
This past winter was all about powder hunting. Wherever there was snow, I’d go there. Slovenia, Italy, Austria, didn’t matter. It was business as usual, skiing the mountains I love and can escape to whenever I please, regardless of country.
Then the virus arrived, and everything changed. It was scary. And quickly became even scarier when nationalist politicians came out of their holes to turn a health crisis into a crusade against cosmopolitan Europe, a campaign to turn a united continent into a jumble of isolated, antagonistic countries.
![Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-7](http://images.ctfassets.net/r7p9m4b1iqbp/G2vfBUsrSBNLIlY2FObFI/249a047dbbf1b23abd5334c307930ce1/Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-7.jpg?w=600&q=85&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-5](http://images.ctfassets.net/r7p9m4b1iqbp/7Lk1ZSuLesbjM8x4yreOaq/0e5a73b971f408736837afcc963bf95d/Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-5.jpg?w=600&q=85&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-2](http://images.ctfassets.net/r7p9m4b1iqbp/4aLOy2zhNL2NQQ6uyzhBF9/e5f6ef0d2e966d4e5798979a82261172/Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-2.jpg?w=600&q=85&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
Even though mountains often form natural borders between regions, countries and even continents, they are also the epitome of openness, borderlessness and camaraderie. In that, they are a symbol of everything that is good about Europe.
As a reliable climbing partner or knowledgeable ski buddy contributes to a better and safer day in the mountains, I believe a continent of friends and allies makes for a better place to live. Amid the growing nationalistic mentality, cross-border powder hunts, carefree bike rides, and weekend hikes take on a new meaning. They are not mere pastime activities anymore, they are important acts of resistance to the new us-against-them norm.
While people here in Ljubljana are already taking to the streets on their bicycles to protest the way the government has handled the pandemic, I look forward to when it’s safe to protest chauvinism the way I know best—by going on hikes, climbs, and ski tours that pay no mind to the idea of borders and their arbritrary markers of here or there, us versus them.
![Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-6](http://images.ctfassets.net/r7p9m4b1iqbp/1y4TeDmCaUIWM2apsEkRMR/f829d52f73015e867f4eca4657a2da1c/Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-6.jpg?w=600&q=85&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-3](http://images.ctfassets.net/r7p9m4b1iqbp/33OdjgyBMsIFoMvprygqxs/69fd5429d30ccddf2e46038b44519fef/Jaka-Bulc-Slovenia-BW-35mm-3.jpg?w=600&q=85&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
Published 05-12-2020