Johannes Walder, born November 20, 1986, took up ski mountaineering late, at age 20. Until then, the athlete from East Tyrol had only played soccer and, like every other Austrian, practiced downhill skiing. Johannes started ski mountaineering by chance. At first, almost every day after work, he moved among the mountains at home and the Dolomites with friends, discovering a passion for the challenge of climbing mountains as quickly as possible. Thanks to his dedication, discipline and iron will, Johannes has managed to make a name for himself in this field. He exploded onto the competitive scene in 2013 and 2014, when he beat Martin Weißkopf and Jakob Hermann of the Austrian national team, who came second in the Tristacher Nachttourenlauf (2013) and the Lesachtaler Tourenlauf (2014), respectively. Since 2014, Johannes has also been a member of the Austrian national team, and despite the hard daily workouts, fun always comes first for Johnson, as his friends call him. “Fun and joy in what I am able to do every day, and being happy about the place where I was born and where I can live.” These are his values. “The moment when you’re standing on the summit in the early morning and watching the world wake up below you is the reason why you do this,” he says. “The feeling is indescribable.” In the summer Johannes rides the roads around his town on his road bike. A fine balance, and also an excellent way to build endurance for the long winter season.