From Zero to Hero

Text and images by Reiner Taglinger

Five Women. One Goal. One Story

Often, it is not the big decisions that shape us, but the quiet beginnings. A thought. An idea. A “Why not?”

For IFMGA-certified mountain and ski guide and photographer Reiner Taglinger, it was originally meant to be a very different journey: a photography trip to Nepal, “Walk for Pictures”, carefully prepared, explored, and documented in 2025. A journey to accompany people through a unique mountain world. Just the camera, the mountains, and the moment.

But then everything changed. It was his daughter Madeleine who changed it all.

Nepal sounded like adventure. Like something real. And suddenly, there were others too: friends, curious and open, but with no alpine experience.

Five women. Not mountaineers. No trekking background.

And yet, they shared the same longing: to step out of everyday life and into something that would stay with them.

“From Zero to Hero” was born. It was an honest description of the starting point.

Kathmandu: Between Chaos and Magic

Kathmandu is not a place that introduces itself gently.

The city hits you immediately: loud, dense, contradictory. Between temples, incense sticks, and honking scooters, a feeling emerges that is hard to explain. You either love it, or you want to leave straight away.

It is not only the impressions, but above all the people: their openness, their calmness, their kindness. A contrast to one’s own world that continues to resonate.

And yet, Kathmandu was only the beginning.

The Journey Begins Where Comfort Ends

Kathmandu is the last familiar point before everything changes. An eight-hour drive. Dusty roads. Bends winding through the hills. Roads that stretch like loose lines across the landscape. Dust, potholes, narrow curves. Again and again, glimpses into valleys opening deep below.

Then: Mele Gompa, a small monastery nestled in the silence of the mountains.

The starting point for everything that follows. This is where the trekking begins.

And with it, reduction. No running hot water. No heating. No conveniences taken for granted. Only the essentials, and what is truly needed. The group, five women with no mountain experience, sits somewhere between curiosity and respect. Between anticipation and quiet doubt. With every kilometre, the familiar slips further away. And this is exactly where the journey begins.

Mele Gompa: A Silence That Remains

At some point, the road ends. And then there is this place: Mele Gompa. A monastery. Simple. Quiet. Surrounded by mountains slowly changing colour in the evening light.

Here, the group spends its first night.

For many, it is more than just a place to stay. It is a moment of arrival. A pause. The silence is almost tangible. No noise, no signal, no distraction. Only the creaking of wood, soft voices, the wind.

For the women, used to a life full of appointments and speed, it is something completely new.Something that lingers.

Reduction, and What Really Matters

With the first step into the trek, with acclimatisation here in Mele, another world begins.

And yet, it is precisely here that something essential takes shape: focus. On one’s own body. On the next step. On the here and now.

In conditions like these, reliability becomes essential. A shoe that does not give way when the ground becomes slippery. One that provides stability when strength begins to fade. AKU models are made for exactly these moments: unobtrusive, yet decisive.

When Nature Sets the Rules

It begins in Mele. Rain. Not gentle, not brief. Heavy rain. The night before the start of the trek becomes a test of patience. Thoughts circle. How can you begin in conditions like this?

Only in the early hours of the morning does the rain begin to ease.

Higher up, the consequences become clear: snow. And with it, everything changes.

Between Doubt and Togetherness

The days pass in the rhythm of the mountains.
The crossing over Dole Demba becomes a test.

Fresh snow lies on the trail, enough to make every step noticeably harder. The landscape changes. Sounds become muted. The world feels slower, quieter, almost unreal. But beneath that calm lies effort. The body works. Breathing becomes faster.

And it is exactly here that something happens. Not visibly. Not loudly. But deeply. Step by step. Metre by metre.

The group grows together. No small circles. No distance. Each one helps the other.

And yet, there are moments of doubt. When the air grows thinner.
When the legs become heavy. When the mind begins to ask: “Why am I doing this to myself?”

The answer rarely comes immediately. But it does come.

The Moment Before the Summit

The night before the ascent throws everything into uncertainty once again. Snow. Thunderstorms. Cold. A moment in which even experience can offer no certainty.

In the morning, the decision is made: wait.

The disappointment is tangible. A goal that suddenly seems far away again. And then, as so often happens in the mountains, everything changes.

The weather opens. A window appears. And with it, a new chance.

The Ascent to Pikey Peak

The route to Pikey Peak is not a technical adventure. But it challenges them all one more time.

In the snow, with tired legs and pounding breath, the women keep going. Step by step. And at some point, there it is: The moment when something shifts.

Doubt becomes will. Effort becomes focus. “I don’t know if I can do this” becomes “I will keep going.”

At the Top

The summit is silent. A wide view. Himalayan giants on the horizon.

And in the middle of it all: five women who, just a few days earlier, had started from zero.

Is this the “Hero” moment? Perhaps.

But in truth, it lies everywhere in between. In the drive. In the monastery. In the snow. In carrying on.

More Than an Adventure

For Reiner, this journey is more than a project. Having his daughter Madeleine with him changes everything.
Conversations become deeper. Moments more intense. A shared experience that remains.

Trust That Grows Over Years

A constant presence throughout this journey is Lakpa Sherpa. Friend. Companion. Brother in spirit.

For decades, he and Reiner have shared a history in the mountains. His calm, his experience: they are an anchor for the group.

What “Hero” Really Means

In the end, it is not about the summit. Not about the photo.
Not about arriving. It is about the experience. About being on the way.

From Zero to Hero is a story that can be lived personally, by everyone in their own way.

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