Christiane Wolff is a strategic communications consultant and has been accompanying leaders on their journey to a sharper positioning and more media presence for over 20 years. In the summer of 2025, she decided to set off on a journey and hike across the Alps alone. In her travel report, she shares her experiences with us.
Alone across the Alps…
120 kilometers. Three countries. 7 days alone. Almost 3,000 meters uphill and over 3,500 meters downhill. Five and a half days of rain. And a week that taught me more than many a seminar, meeting or mentoring session.
I set off — alone, on foot, over the Alps. Not because I was looking for answers to all the questions. But because I wanted to know what remains when everything else falls away. When there are no appointments, no conversations, no roles, no expectations. Just me, my rucksack — and the mountains. Maybe that sounds like a retreat. For me, it was the opposite. It was a conscious turn: towards myself. To my inner voice. The questions that I usually ask others — entrepreneurs, board members, managers — and that I have now asked myself.
…on the path to more clarity
Because a lot of my everyday life revolves around clarity. I accompany people in positions of responsibility who know (or sense) that communication today is more than just a press release or a LinkedIn post. That communication needs attitude. That it must be strategically thought through and personally felt. And that it only works if it comes from within.
So I asked myself: Am I actually still telling my own story? Or is she now talking about expectations, role models, attributions?
In the silence of the mountains, there was suddenly space — not for new to-dos, but for honest answers. I have learned what sustains me. And what I can let go of. I didn’t try to reinvent myself — I reduced myself to the essentials. Not to be “less”. But to be more genuine. I have realized that real positioning is not about impact — but about truthfulness. That it doesn’t succeed when you communicate as much as possible — but when you communicate the right things.
Crossing the Alps as a strategic pit stop…
Positioning starts on the inside. In your values. In your inner compass. In what is non-negotiable for you. And this clarity gives rise to communication that connects. Because it creates meaning. Because it leads. And because it touches. Crossing the Alps was a strategic pit stop for me. No retreat. No wellness. But rather a conscious pause: Where do I stand — professionally and personally? Where am I traveling — and why? What do I want to pass on? And what no longer?
I was not “gone”. I was simply with myself.
And that’s exactly what I wish for you. Not necessarily a week in hiking boots and a rain jacket. But an honest moment with yourself. A brief pause. Maybe even a little Alpine crossing in mind. Because it is precisely when you have responsibility — for a team, a company, a brand or a vision — that you need this moment. Again and again. You need your inner pit stop before you become effective on the outside.
Hence my question to you:
- When was the last time you really paused — not to take a deep breath, but to refocus?
- Are you still telling your story in your communication — or are you (unconsciously) reflecting the expectations of others?
- Do you know what really sustains you today — beyond performance, status or the next deadline?
…and as a journey to yourself
I believe that the best communication does not begin with the next campaign. But with an honest look inwards. This can be on a crossing of the Alps and there is sure to be just the right trip for you. Because maybe now is the time to remember what you really want to stand for.
Maybe you don’t need to cross the Alps to regroup. But sometimes it takes courage to ask yourself honestly: What do I want to stand for — and how visible am I already?
Fire & Ice Tourism and other companions
I would like to thank everyone who has accompanied me — visibly or invisibly. And to the Feuer und Eis Touristik team, who not only opened up routes, but also spaces.
This trip was exhausting. Wet. Challenging. And one of the best decisions of my life.
About: Christiane Wolff in an interview with Feuer & Eis Touristik
- Feuer & Eis Touristik: In as few words as possible: Who are you and what do you do for a living?
- Christiane Wolff: I am Christiane Wolff, I live in Munich and at weekends with my wonderful partner on Lake Starnberg. I enjoy doing sport regularly, have been a vegetarian for almost 40 years and have had a women’s network for 25 years. Culture and art are also often on my leisure program and I love small and big adventures! Professionally, I am a strategic communications consultant. For over 20 years, I have been supporting and advising managers in medium-sized companies and corporations in sharpening their positioning, effectively aligning communication strategies and implementing them with clarity, attitude and presence — both internally and externally.
- R&D: What motivated you to cross the Alps now — and to do it alone?
- CW: In my consultancy, regular pit stops are an integral part of the collaboration. Together we look at: Is the strategic direction still right? Do the target image, tonality and storyline match the company’s development? Where do we perhaps need to change course? That’s exactly the pit stop I’m treating myself to now. I take seven days for my own professional journey. Alone. On foot. Across the Alps. In doing so, I want to ask myself the relevant questions that are otherwise often neglected between projects, calls and all the many everyday topics. Where do I want to go in the next ten years? What is really essential? What can stay — and what can go? I am looking for clarity. And I find them best in motion. And I love micro-adventures: ice bathing, horse-assisted coaching, swimming across the lake — the unusual inspires me. And now I’m really looking forward to this bigger adventure. A journey to myself — and perhaps a step into the next stage of my career. And I am excited and very curious to see what happens on this path and on my journey!
- F&E: Why did you choose Feuer & Eis Touristik — what was particularly important to you in the organization?
- CW: Two friends independently raved to me about their crossing of the Alps with Feuer und Eis Touristik — with so much enthusiasm that it was clear to me: if I do it, I’ll do it with you. I wanted a good feeling — trust, reliability, humanity. Not a logistical challenge, but a real experience. And that’s exactly what I experience with Feuer und Eis Touristik. It is personal, uncomplicated and professional. It suits me — and this trip.
Booking Information
Walk the same paths as Christiane Wolff