Paths outline the habits of our lives – and mostly, they’re dead straight. In an age where speed is the default and efficiency our mantra, I can’t recall a recent journey where I haven’t opted for the fastest route or huffed when a bus is a whole 12 minutes away. Yet, increasingly, a countervailing force has emerged in travel. Having witnessed the environmental gains as travel ebbed because of Covid restrictions, the slow travel movement has taken root in the post-pandemic years and champions a sustainable speed for exploring the world.
It resists the lure of cheap airfares, over-tourism, and the pressure of tick-box itineraries designed to hit every bucket-list destination at breakneck speed before you throw in the towel. Perhaps it’s choosing a five-hour train ride to Edinburgh over a 40-minute flight, backpacking across Peru in two months rather than choosing to tackle the whole of South America, or – at its most extreme – even swimming to your holiday destination (if you don’t believe us, Google it). And while it might sound like a slogan printed on a sequin cushion from Home Bargains, sometimes the journey really is as important as the destination.
Having travelled by public transport from Italy to Austria, Slovakia, and Romania, Loïc arrives in Borovets, Bulgaria
Few have captured this spirit better than the intrepid quartet of Max Kroneck, Loïc Isliker, Johannes Hoffmann, and Silvia Moser. Their self-documented ski film, Going East, premiered at the Arc’teryx Winter Film Tour last October and follows four adventurers who, armed only with skis and filming equipment, carved the mountain ranges of Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, travelling solely by public transport.
Clocking over 140 hours in transit, taking 34 trains, 24 buses, seven metros and two trams, I found Going East to be one of the most inspiring films I’ve watched this year – made all the better by its premiere at the BFI IMAX with a screen the width of a blue whale. I caught up with the film’s director and editor, Loïc Isliker, to delve into the making of the film and its intimate ties with the ethos of slow travel.
Escapism: What inspired the making of Going East, and how does the idea of slow travel shape its narrative?
Loïc: It’s actually a funny story. The idea started with me and the crew – Max, Joi, and Silvia – wanting to do a film about public transport. Initially, we planned a ski project in Corsica, Sicily, and Greece using just public transport, but two weeks before the trip, there wasn’t any snow in these places. We were still really keen to stick to the public transport theme, so we decided to go as far east as possible instead and see where we ended up. It was actually a pretty last-minute switch, but it ended up being a more adventurous trip because of it.
A train station in Slovakia
E: How did you get into professional skiing and filmmaking?
L: I’m half-Swiss, half-Dutch, and I spend summers in Amsterdam and winters in the mountains. Every holiday, we went skiing, and I participated in competitions but never really excelled. I’ve always had a passion for filmmaking and studied it in Amsterdam. I ended up merging those two passions, making GoPro edits of me jumping off things in Verbier. Then I started sending these videos to sponsors and brands, like Arc’teryx, and eventually, they picked up my work.
E: A large part of slow travel requires embracing uncertainty. How did that manifest in Going East?
L: When travelling by public transport, you must be ready for whatever comes your way. There were moments in the film where you can see us struggling. Take when we arrived in Bulgaria – it was just 20 minutes by car to the mountains, but instead, we had huge difficulties finding the correct bus, running around stations, while simultaneously trying to make seat reservations for the train to Turkey we were taking the next day. But that’s also the beauty of using public transport. With so many things that can go wrong, it adds to the adventure.
The dark, star-studded skies in the High Tatras Mountains
E: In a world where speed and efficiency dominate, what do we lose by rushing through travel? L: We lose connection with people in each place. In the film, we couldn’t show all the waiting we did at train stations, but you have many more interactions with people, both on and off the carriage, giving you a better understanding and feel for the countries you journey through. You appreciate the places more and have time to think about everything. Instead of one hour on a plane, taking buses, trains, and transfers brings you closer to locals, something I love about travelling slowly.
E: Were there characters who left a lasting impression or influenced the story?
L: Definitely. There were two featured in the film. The first was Chi Chi (Tomáš Cuník) – I still think about him and smile. We met him walking alone in the High Tatras mountains, and he asked to join us, lifting our mood and teaching us interesting things about Slovakia. It’s cool that no matter where you are, if you meet another passionate skier, you get on right away. And in Turkey, Esma (Esmanur Çalişici). Without her joining us to Kayseri, it would have been tricky due to language barriers and navigating Turkey efficiently. She was super nice, and without her, we’d have wasted many days.
Hiking up the mountain with a beer keg in Slovakia
Mount Hasan in Turkey
E: Were there moments that shifted your perspective on nature or mountains?
L: My perspective didn’t change – I’ve always loved mountains. It’s where I feel happiest. However, the film showed me appreciation for different mountain types. I’ve always been drawn to skiing big, steep mountains, but on this trip, we skied diverse landscapes, each with unique beauty, like Romania’s hilly terrain or Slovakia’s huge couloirs.
E: What was the biggest challenge you faced when filming this?
L:Constant logistics for three weeks was the biggest challenge. An example was the Bulgarian bus station – lost while also thinking about seat reservations in Turkey. Continually thinking ahead was exhausting. Also, the filming equipment bag we carried around needed constant management, finding lockers or places to store it.
Isliker hikes up a slope in the High Tatras Mountains in Slovakia
E: I noticed that you hung it on a tree at some point?
L: Exactly! It’s not explicitly explained, but when you watch it again, knowing this, you notice the bag.
E: How did you shoot the film? Carrying filming equipment and backing everything up constantly must have been testing.
L: Definitely another logistical complication. We filmed everything ourselves – no extra camera people. We backed up everything when possible, often at train stations while charging batteries. We spent weeks before the trip finding the perfect lightweight camera setup. Joi and I had fun figuring this out, rotating cameras among ourselves, keeping things natural.
E: What do you hope people take away from the film?
Caransebes Station
L: I hope people feel inspired to do the same. Adventure starts immediately once you begin. It’s just about hopping on a train and going somewhere. It doesn’t need to be skiing; public transport suits biking or hiking trips too. I also hope people appreciate journeys more, not just destinations. The small moments along the way made this the most unique trip I’ve ever had.
Going East is available to stream here for free on YouTube
