Kurt Spiegel, Amber Guzzardo & Ashley Pickering

WHO’S SKIED THE GLACIER

Three skiers from Colorado who traveled to the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda to ski equatorial glaciers — one of the most improbable ski expeditions on Earth. This page collects their first-hand stories and photography from the trip

FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT

Kurt’s Story

Paramedic, Ski Instructor & Mountaineer - Leadville, CO

Hi, my name is Kurt Spiegel. I live in Leadville, CO where I work full-time as a paramedic, and part-time as a ski instructor at Copper Mountain. Ski mountaineering is my passion in life, and I love to travel to ski the far corners of the world.

I decided to go to Uganda to ski for four main reasons:
1) I had never heard of anyone ever doing it before.
2) It was the most improbable place I could think of for one to snow ski.
3) I had never been to Africa before and I really wanted to see Uganda.
4) I want to eventually ski all 7 continents.

As soon as I heard that there was a glaciated peak in Uganda, it immediately became an itch that I just had to scratch. It was a few years before we could make the trip happen, but it was worth the wait.

The trek up was like nothing I'd ever done before. Obviously I'd hiked in the rain and through mud before, but this was a whole new level. I have no words to describe the mud we encountered. It was also cool and new to carry skis for multiple days through legit tropical jungle, then a very unique sub-alpine zone, then into real-deal high-alpine terrain. It was a lot of work, but way worth it.

The skiing itself was almost surreal, and a strange dichotomy. I felt completely at home and in my element, but at the same time, I felt almost like I was on another planet doing something I'd never done before. I was almost overcome with how fortunate I was to be able to ski somewhere like that. We even got lucky enough to have nice corn snow and mostly clear skies. It was a lot of work slogging for three days through hard miles of mud to get up there, but it was completely worth it and then more. They were some of my favorite turns that I've ever made.

My favorite part was the novelty of it all. It was such a unique place to make turns and I doubt I'll ever be able to ski anywhere farther off the beaten path than that. When I got back I even felt a kind of minor depression knowing that I'll most likely never be able to top it, no matter what I do for the rest of my skiing life. I have plenty of objectively better turns still ahead of me, but I'll never match that experience.

I can't recommend the trip highly enough. If you're into that side of skiing, then do it! And do it now, because the glacier won't be around too much longer.
If you need somebody to explain to you why it was such a great experience, then don't go. Either it's for you, or it's not for you. There's no middleground. But, for the kindred spirits out there who neither want nor need any convincing, I'd simply say: Go for it! You won't get the same experience that you'd get in Patagonia or the Dolomites, but that's the whole point. It's a long flight(s), long van ride, and long, wet, muddy slog to get up there, but the payoff is huge. And you'd become a member of a very unique and extremely exclusive club!

FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT

Amber’s Story

Nurse, Wilderness Medicine Instructore, Endurance Athleete - Leadville, CO

Hi my name is Amber Guzzardo. I live in Leadville, Colorado where I work as a nurse and also teach wilderness medicine courses. I love to travel and crave pushing myself with endurance sports. I love riding bikes, skiing, running, and racing triathlons and I especially love using those activities to explore different parts of the world.

My best friend has worked and traveled extensively in Uganda for years. When she told my husband and I of a glacier on a high mountain in the Rwenzoris, his eyes lit up. An epic adventure to an improbable ski destination far away? I'm in!

The trek up was honestly like nothing I'd experienced before! Until the final camp, you are hiking through this lush tropical foliage. It's this crazy dichotomy to be at a fairly high elevation, cold (at night), and surrounded by tropical plants! I've never taken my skis through anything like that before. It's incredibly steep and rugged and the mud cannot be overstated! It was a challenge and an art to not over top your rubber muck boots with the mud. It was gorgeous.

The skiing was both improbable and so much fun! I mean, the turns themselves were short and nothing to write home about but we were skiing on a glacier in UGANDA! And the effort it took to get there was epic. We actually had corn snow too. It was the whole package.

I believe this trip perfectly sums up why I love to travel: it was new and different, I was uncomfortable at times, I was pushed, I learned new things and met new people, I shared incredible experiences and was in amazing places. I had so much fun and this will rank very high on my list of "most incredible trips I've been on".

Would I recommend this trip? Totally! But it's definitely not for everyone! It's not a "ski trip" in the conventional sense. It's an adventure in the conventional sense! I felt like I was a member on one of those original expeditions back in the day that you read about in National Geographic. If you are up for the adventure of a lifetime and the skiing is the cherry on top — GO RIGHT NOW! You will be amazed. Just make sure you rent the rubber boots!

From the Expedition

PHOTOGRAPHY

SKI CLUB UGANDA

Why These Trips Matter

The Rwenzori Mountains harbor some of the last equatorial glaciers on Earth — ice that has existed for millennia but is disappearing rapidly. Each expedition to ski these glaciers is not just an adventure; it is a record of a place that may not exist for much longer.

Documenting the
Glacier

Every skier who reaches the summit adds to a living archive of the glacier's condition — a record that grows more precious as the ice recedes. Scientists estimate the Rwenzori glaciers could vanish within decades. The photos, video, and first-hand accounts collected on this page are part of that archive, preserving what the glacier looked like for those who may never see it themselves.

Tree Planting in the Rwenzoris

Ski Club Uganda is actively planting trees in the Kilembe region to help restore the lower-elevation forests that anchor the Rwenzori's watershed. As the glaciers shrink, protecting the ecosystem that depends on mountain water becomes more urgent with each passing year.

The Kilembe
Community

These expeditions pass through communities that have lived in the shadow of the Rwenzori for generations. Ski Club Uganda works to ensure that glacier tourism supports local guides, porters, and families in Kilembe — not just the skiers passing through.

Part of the Historical Collection