The Backpacker’s owner is skiing all seven continents in less than a year

Sometimes you need an audacious goal to shake things up.

That was Michael Mathews’ thinking when he hatched an idea to ski all seven continents over the course of 2026, a project that was scheduled to culminate in late October with a trip to Antarctica. It was the final destination on a punch list that has taken the owner of The Backpacker to British Columbia, Argentina, Austria, Morocco, Japan, Australia and New Zealand over the last 10 months.

The idea for the world tour came about last year as Mathews and his team rebranded The Backpacker’s longstanding winter travel division to a new venture called ALPINR Mountain Travel. The Bocage outdoor retailer, founded by Mathew’s father, Dale, in 1974, has long been known for planning ski trips, a favorite pastime for Louisianans taking advantage of that extra winter holiday: Mardi Gras break.

But Mathews felt it was time to help families stretch beyond Aspen and Park City. He set out to downhill ski all seven continents in 300 days and document his adventures in a YouTube series. The project has been self-funded and includes no sponsors or brand partners.

“I wanted to inspire people,” Mathews says.

Mathews has been skiing since age 3, but it wasn’t until 2018 when he was in his 30s that he traveled outside the United States. A business trip to Switzerland opened his eyes to global travel. Then, on a 2024 trip to the French Alps with his family, Mathews formed the kernel of an idea to launch an educational travel series that could portray the magic of a fresh adventure.

“I wanted to get out there and show people what their options are, and how travel can be life-changing in a positive way,” he says.

Timed with the ALPINR rebrand last fall, Mathews announced his quest to ski the seven continents and his hope of securing a Guinness World Record. He also saw the global journey as a way to revive his own sense of adventure, which he says had grown stale. The Backpacker might be a brand that represents fun, but running the business means a lot of time behind a desk.

“I wanted it to be more than sitting at a spreadsheet ordering socks,” Mathews says.

His first of the seven continents, Asia, kicked off on New Year’s Day 2026 on Japan’s Hokkaido island. Mathews brought his wife and two children to ski Mt. Niseko and enjoy the country’s well known “Japow,” or Japanese powder. Soft and fluffy, the plentiful, uncompressed snow draws skiers from around the world and was the reason Mathews chose Japan for his Asia quest.

His intention was to do more than ski. He and his family got to know the local culture and sample the cuisine, gobbling up wagyu dumplings from an aprés ski food truck village and booking a coveted spot at the 12-seat, family-run Rakuichi Soba in the town of Niseko. The restaurant is famed for homemade soba noodles and dishes prepared with local ingredients.

“Reservations open up 90 days in advance, so I woke up at three in the morning to book because it fills up immediately,” Mathews says. “It was the best meal I’ve ever had in my life, and the hosts were so nice.”

Following Japan, Mathews tackled the rest of the Northern Hemisphere continents. For North America, he passed on more familiar slopes in the U.S. and opted for remote heli-skiing in British Columbia near Bella Coola Valley. To reach the slopes, Mathews and his cameraman, Cameron Easley, were dropped off and picked up by helicopter.

For the next challenge, Africa, Mathews and Easley headed for the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. It’s not always possible to find good ski conditions in Africa, but this year, they got lucky. Along with a few good ski days, Mathews also explored the city’s old medina where narrow alleys are lined with bazaars, shops and restaurants.

For Europe, Mathews selected Austria from thousands of other Alpine locations because, along with its stunning mountains, the country has a reputation for having a hospitable aprés ski scene.

“There’s no insecurity here; it’s not classist or pay to play,” he says. “It’s just a really welcoming experience.”

Next, it was on to the Southern Hemisphere, where Mathews successfully skied the Patagonian Andes in Bariloche, Argentina. Then he tackled slopes in Kosciuszko National Park in Thredbo, Australia, and the alpine village of Methven, New Zealand.

Last month was perhaps the biggest challenge of them all: Antarctica. And while it was the last of the seven continents to visit, it was the first to be booked on Mathews’ calendar due to tricky logistics.

To reach slopes in the South Pole, Mathews had to schedule a ride months in advance on the Ocean Albatros, a 184-passenger expedition ship that would transport him from Ushuaia, Argentina, through the Drake Passage and south to Antarctica. Skiers are brought as close as possible to the shoreline, then transported the rest of the way by inflatable boat. From there, Mathews expected to hike up a small mountain in his skis, then ski down a short run.

Mathews says the best part of owning a business like The Backpacker is having people approach him to say how much fun they had on a ski trip the retailer organized.

“They’ll say, ‘You know what? That ski trip was the best family vacation we ever took,’” Mathews says.

He’s hoping that the world tour will remind people that getting out and exploring is good for the soul.

“If I can inspire people to travel and see the world,” he says, “then we’ll be able to do this for a long time.”

This article was originally published in the November 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.