Goatcast

Afleveringen

1. Maddy Williams on Cicerone, the Tour du Mont Blanc at 11 & Writing a Guidebook

   4 november 2026 · 57 min

   Afspelen
   Maddy Williams did her first hut-to-hut trek at 11 and never forgot it. Today she is director of operations at Cicerone, the guidebook publisher she runs with her brother Joe. She also wrote the guide to the Tour of Monte Rosa, a book that took two summers after fresh snow in Zermatt turned her and her dad back from the glacier.
   Maddy and Sierd talk about growing up around guidebook authors like Gillian Price, how Cicerone works with about 150 authors and around 420 guidebooks, and how books are kept up to date after printing. They also get into why an expert author on the ground matters more as AI content spreads, overtourism in the Dolomites, and Cicerone's first navigation app.
   Maddy also shares her own trail stories: the Camino Francés in January 2022, horseback trips through Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, and walks near her home in the Lake District. New guides are coming for the Jordan Trail and St Olaf's Way in Norway. Lees meer

   Chapters
   0:00 Meet Maddy Williams and Cicerone
   0:40 Trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc at 11
   3:52 Inside Cicerone's guidebook archive
   5:46 150 authors, and walking with Gillian Price
   7:07 How the TMB and hut booking have changed
   8:25 Overtourism and sustainable trekking
   13:45 Writing the Tour of Monte Rosa
   15:13 Turned back on the glacier
   18:33 What goes into a good guidebook
   21:06 History and culture of Monte Rosa
   24:35 The Alps vs Tajikistan
   27:34 What "Cicerone" means, and 420 guidebooks
   31:16 Why expert authors matter in the age of AI
   33:20 Keeping guidebooks up to date
   37:01 Where to buy, ebooks and the new app
   41:56 AI as a tool for publishers
   45:20 Camino Francés, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan
   50:31 Running Cicerone with her brother
   54:37 New guides: the Jordan Trail and St Olaf's Way
   56:18 Wrap-up

2. Jeff Sandifort on Huayna Potosí, the Cordillera Real and a Restless Life in the Mountains

   2 november 2026 · 55 min

   Afspelen
   Jeff Sandifort trained as a mineralogist and spent years on mineral exploration in East Africa and Pakistan before the mountains took over. Climbing in New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia followed, and a backpacking trip through South America turned, almost by accident, into a guiding job in the Andes. Eventually he built his own mountain guiding company in La Paz. Lees meer

   Jeff tells Sierd van der Bij how it started with a chance six-day climb, what guiding in Bolivia was like in the early days, and what it actually takes to run expeditions across Bolivia, Chile and Argentina: custom itineraries, acclimatisation, vehicles, food supplies and long days on the road.

   Jeff and Sierd also get into what makes Bolivia different. A capital at altitude, Inca trails, rough landscapes and 6,000-metre peaks like Huayna Potosí within reach of the city. Jeff explains why a slow, steady pace matters up high, how guiding standards have changed, and what goes on behind a climb that looks simple from the outside.

   And it gets personal. Jeff now lives in Australia with his family, keeps the business in Bolivia running from a distance, and still thinks about going back to the country that feels like home.

3. George Soan and Rach McInerney on Tour du Mont Blanc & Hiking as a Couple

   21 oktober 2026 · 59 min

   Afspelen
   George Soan and Rach McInerney met in Sydney seven years ago. He’s from England, she’s from New Zealand, and both have called Australia home for years. Lees meer

   This year George left his corporate job to go all in on hiking and has since walked the Great North Walk and the Larapinta solo. For Rach, the Tour du Mont Blanc was their second long trail together, after the Camino Portugués.

   In September they set off around Mont Blanc, hut to hut. Somewhere along the way one of them got injured. There was some hitchhiking, a bus, a fair amount of pain, and they still finished.

   We talk about walking a long trail as a couple, sharing dorms in the huts, what the TMB is like compared with hiking in Australia and tramping in New Zealand, and what comes next: George walking the Te Araroa solo, with Rach following in a campervan.

   Follow George: @georgesoan
   Follow Rach: @rach_mac_
   George on YouTube: youtube.com/c/georgesoan

   0:00 Intro: Hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc
   1:21 Rach’s knee injury begins
   4:10 The rescue plan — and meeting Carlos
   7:35 Deciding whether to continue
   10:24 Fear of heights and the ladder sections
   17:34 Finishing the trail and George’s UTMB goal
   20:28 The appeal of hut-to-hut hiking
   22:08 Making friends on the trail
   27:11 Leaving corporate life for content creation
   30:14 Van life and George’s next big hike
   33:36 Why mountain huts feel like luxury
   35:55 The legendary blueberry pie and marmots
   38:33 Favorite mountain huts on the route
   42:34 Exploring Chamonix
   45:51 Why they chose the Tour du Mont Blanc
   48:36 Future hiking plans: Dolomites and beyond
   49:45 What gear they’d bring next time
   54:06 Should the Tour du Mont Blanc be your first long hike?

4. Evans Mwangi on Mount Kenya: From Porter to Guide to Company Owner

   14 oktober 2026 · 56 min

   Afspelen
   vans Mwangi was 18 when he carried his first load up Mount Kenya in 1989. He worked his way up from porter to cook to guide, and today he runs his own company, Go To Mount Kenya. In this conversation with host Sierd van der Bij, he talks about a life spent on Africa’s second-highest mountain, what each of those jobs taught him, and why Chogoria is still his favourite way up. Lees meer

   They also talk about the people who live around the mountain, what trekking means for local porters and guides, and how Mount Kenya compares to its better-known neighbour, Kilimanjaro.

   Two stories from the mountain’s history also come up. On the night of independence in December 1963, Kisoi Munyao planted the Kenyan flag on Batian. In 1943, three Italian prisoners of war escaped a camp near Nanyuki to climb the mountain. Read their story in No Picnic on Mount Kenya by Felice Benuzzi: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1121565.No_Picnic_on_Mount_Kenya

   Trek Mount Kenya with Bookatrekking: https://bookatrekking.com/en/trekking/kenya/

   Chapters

   00:00 Evans’s 37 years on Mount Kenya
   01:13 Starting out as a porter
   06:11 From porter to mountain cook
   09:34 East Africa and visitors’ expectations
   11:23 Local names and the story of Kirinyaga
   15:34 Why Chogoria is his favorite route
   22:16 Mount Kenya compared with Kilimanjaro
   24:19 Altitude and the role of the guide
   32:15 The Chogoria-to-Sirimon trek
   36:29 The summit push to Point Lenana
   48:10 The Italian POW story
   51:19 The shrinking glacier
   54:07 Why the work is about people

5. Jan Bakker on Big Treks Beyond Europe: Nepal, Africa and the Pamirs

   7 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 3 min

   Afspelen
   Jan Bakker doesn’t exactly do ordinary hiking trips. Lees meer

   He has trekked extensively in Nepal, spent years exploring East Africa, crossed remote parts of the Rwenzoris, climbed mountains including Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, and led expeditions into places where there isn’t always a trail to follow.

   He is also one of the driving forces behind the Pamir Trail, a 1,310-kilometre long-distance route across Tajikistan, and co-author of the Cicerone guidebook Trekking in Tajikistan.

   In this episode of Goatcast, Sierd talks to Jan about exploration, route finding, the Pamirs, Nepal and Africa, what it takes to create a trail from scratch, and why there are still plenty of places left where a line on a map can turn into a proper adventure.

   And naturally, we start with the most important question: what is the coolest thing Jan has ever done?

   Follow Jan and his projects on Instagram:
   @jb37north
   @pamirtrail
   @summitsofafrica

   Jan’s Cicerone guide, Trekking in Tajikistan:
   https://www.cicerone.co.uk/trekking-in-tajikistan

   00:00 Introduction: Meet Jan Bakker
   01:16 A honeymoon sea-kayaking adventure
   03:01 Life in the Scottish wilderness
   05:36 How the Pamir Trail began
   13:30 Expanding into Afghanistan
   17:15 Travel, culture, and genuine local connection
   20:34 Scotland, family, and raising adventurous kids
   22:43 Climbing Africa’s highest peaks
   28:34 Trekking freedom: Tajikistan vs. Nepal and Africa
   32:59 Packrafting across Uganda
   35:54 A packrafting guidebook for Scotland
   38:37 Solo adventure, fear, and mountain therapy
   42:48 Trekking in Nepal and travelling respectfully
   50:51 Preparing physically and mentally for the mountains
   55:20 Cultural tips for East African trekking
   59:22 What adventure means to Jan now
   60:33 The best adventure partner

6. Soffi of the Pfälzerhütte on Running a Mountain Hut in Liechtenstein

   30 september 2026 · 57 min

   Afspelen
   Sophie Sandkühler shares the realities of running the Pfälzerhütte in Liechtenstein: water shortages, unexpected visitors, demanding logistics, and the teamwork behind a remote mountain hut. She and host Sierd van der Bij discuss guest safety, mountain culture, and how shared dinners bring strangers together. Sophie also reflects on her final season and what comes next. Lees meer

   00:00 Welcome to the Goat Coast
   01:23 Life at the Pfälzerhütte
   01:54 The tourists who drove to the hut
   04:05 Supplying a remote mountain hut
   05:41 Water shortages and a busy summer season
   08:59 Why Sophie took over the hut
   11:50 The reality of working in the mountains
   14:30 Living and working as a close-knit team
   17:51 Friendship, teamwork, and running the hut together
   18:58 Building a sense of community in the hut
   20:31 Safety, inclusion, and making guests feel welcome
   24:16 Balancing tradition with change
   30:20 Caring for an old mountain hut
   31:56 How strangers become friends around the table
   38:42 Alcohol culture and team boundaries
   41:42 Mountain safety and helping unprepared hikers
   46:35 Hiking the Liechtenstein Panorama Trail
   49:34 Sophie’s decision to leave after two seasons
   52:29 Life in the kitchen and future travel plans
   54:47 The final weeks of the season
   56:24 Goodbye from the Pfälzerhütte

7. Daniel Sulaiman on Six Epic Treks, Friendship, Group Dynamics and Filmmaking

   24 september 2026 · 56 min

   Afspelen
   Daniel Sulaiman has spent years walking some of the Alps’ bigger hut-to-hut routes with the same loose circle of friends, a camera, and a practical sense of what the mountains do to people. In this conversation, he talks about how those hikes became a yearly ritual, why he films them the way he does, and how group dynamics can become just as important as the landscape. Lees meer

   They discuss the Tour de Mont Blanc, Alta Via 1, the Stubai High Trail, and the Berliner Höhenweg, and what happens when the weather, food, altitude, and friendships all start asking something of you at the same time.

   [9:07 AM]

   00:00 - Daniel’s hiking films and how the project began

   05:26 - Making long documentaries for the group

   06:08 - Filming people, not just scenery

   10:22 - The difficult Alta Via 1 trip

   14:25 - Why a hike should be slightly challenging

   16:45 - Carrying 18 to 20 kilos of camera gear

   19:43 - Why the films stay private

   21:38 - The Berliner Höhenweg and a missed lunch

   24:30 - Fixing problems as a group

   26:31 - Making the films for Teddy

   29:43 - Comparing the different hikes

   38:01 - A tough section of the Berliner Höhenweg

   41:38 - Merel joins the group

   44:51 - The camera setup and charging in mountain huts

   47:42 - Future trips and advice for Teddy

   52:23 - Challenge yourself, but do it together

8. Nicole Hill on TMB, Fisherman’s Trail and the Differences Between Hiking in North America and Europe

   23 september 2026 · 51 min

   Afspelen
   Nicole Hill joins Goatcast for her first podcast and talks about discovering hiking, taking on the Tour du Mont Blanc, and exploring Portugal’s Fisherman’s Trail.She shares what trekking is really like, from carrying your own pack and sleeping in shared mountain huts to dealing with heat, sand, limited water, and long days on the trail. Nicole also talks about growing up in Oklahoma, snowboarding in Pennsylvania, recovering from a serious car accident, and how travel helped her build confidence. Lees meer

   00:00 Meet Nicole Hill: hiker, traveler, and trail creator 00:43 From Oklahoma to Pennsylvania 05:15 Discovering the outdoors and backpacking 10:44 Snowboarding, discomfort, and pushing boundaries 13:31 Hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc for the first time 18:06 Hut-to-hut life, strangers, and trail community 24:03 Why the TMB resonates with American hikers 32:22 Going viral and sharing trail stories online 35:33 The Fishermen’s Trail and Madeira 42:34 What’s next: the Dolomites and more adventures 43:40 Recovery, gratitude, and choosing to keep moving 47:22 Quickfire questions 49:08 Who Nicole would share a mountain-hut drink with

9. Kimberly Kephart on Solo Hiking, Confidence and Hut-to-Hut Trekking in France and Italy

   22 september 2026 · 57 min

   Afspelen
   What happens when solo travel, mountain huts, bad weather and a bit of stubbornness all meet on the same trail? Kimberly Kephart has spent years finding out. From the Dolomites to the French Alps, she talks honestly about what hut-to-hut hiking really feels like when you are on your own, carrying your own doubts, and learning to trust your own judgment. Lees meer