[Photo] Urban Golob collection
Urban Golob was born in 1970 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. After studying geography and cultural sociology at the University of Ljubljana, he became a freelance journalist and editor of photography at the former Slovenian outdoor magazine Grif. Over the past six years he has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, concentrating in climbing and outdoor photography. He serves as Alpinist’s Slovenia Correspondent.
As an alpinist and photographer Urban was a member of the Ski Everest 2000 expedition; his images of Davo Karnicar making the first complete ski descent of Mt. Everest were published worldwide in National Geographic magazine, Le mond, L’espresso and the book Z Everesta. His photography also has been published by Alpinist, Outside, Climbing, Climb, Vertical, Montagnes, Desnivel, Campo Base, Klettern and Gory, among others. He sells his work to Slovenian magazines and newspapers, and he is represented by Anzenberger agency in Vienna, Austria. Urban’s love for music led him to play drums with famous Slovenian rock singer Vlado Kreslin for seven years and to take photographs in the music realm.
Urban, 37, has been climbing for nearly thirty years. He made his first alpine ascent at age 9, sick with cancer. He spent most of the next four years in hospitals, then stood atop Mont Blanc at age 14. In 1985 he started to climb more seriously. Since then he has made around 700 ascents, extreme ski descents and more than sixty first ascents in the Slovenian Alps, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Canada and the Himalayas.
His most outstanding achievement was the first winter traverse of the Slovenian Alps in 1998. By walking, climbing, skiing and cycling the range, he promoted and raised money for the Foundation for Helping Children with Cancer and Blood Diseases. He also made the first ascent of Tocno opoldne (aka High Noon) in Bavh, Loska Stena, Julian Alps, Slovenia; the first ascent of Nektar on the north face of Breithorn, Wallis, Switzerland; the first ascent of Peak 41 (6654m) in the Nepalese Himalaya; the first ski descent, Ples v megli, on the north face of Sonnblick, Austria.
Recently Urban has been working for the Slovenian editions of GEO magazine and National Geographic, and he frequently takes assignments with Mammut, Red Bull, Black Diamond, Elan and others.
Urban wrote the book White Walls and is finishing another about Francek Knez, the legendary Slovenian alpinist. He also hopes to finish his master’s degree, on media and alpinism, next year.
Urban lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia with his girlfriend Tanja and two sons: Jus and–recently newborn–Gal.
Download Urban’s high-resolution desktop backgrounds at Wallpaper of the Week. Also visit Urban’s website: www.urbangolob.com