Aesthetic Survival – A Journey Through the Alps with Sam Le Roy and Aurora Realini
Over the past few years, escaping into nature and reestablishing a dialogue with the outdoors has gone from a niche hobby to now a global culture. Although having always been a favoured past time for many, hiking and exploring is now welcoming more and more newcomers into the scene, and this could be down to multiple things: the evolving vogue of functional fashion, people becoming more conscious of mindfulness and healthy habits, and the fact that many of us were locked away into solitude for so long during the pandemic, leaving us craving the intoxicating feeling of freedom we can get from being in the vast outdoors.
Whatever the reason may be, there is no denying that hiking and climbing has a growing community behind it and more and more dedicated explorers are joining the ranks to tackle mountain ranges. With the beauty that these places have to offer there is no arguing why, and a recent book published by HARTCOPY [@hartcopy] has been able to capture this essence in-between its pages perfectly. Introducing AESTHETIC SURVIVAL, a love letter to the beauty of stepping into the outdoors.
Sam Le Roy [@Lleumass] and Aurora Realini [@aurorarealini] are two names that many may know already, with Sam being a close friend and previous writer for sabukaru and now partner in HARTCOPY, and Aurora, or Auri, being a multifaceted creative and leading figure in the outdoor scene running the Aroundoutside Instagram page [@aroundoutside]. Both came together to embark on a mission that would test them both physically and mentally in their AESTHETIC SURVIVAL expedition, in which they would visit 20 Bivouacs starting from Slovenia and venturing across to the French-Italian border.
The book, which marks HARTCOPY’s second print project, takes a deep dive into the architecture, geography, topography, and history of bivouacs. A bivouac, or bivvy, is a temporary campsite which was used especially by soldiers or now in modern times by campers and explorers to find shelter for the night. Usually incredibly ergonomic, the shelters act as a safe haven for people traversing vast routes in some of the most incredibly scenic locations the world has to offer.
BIVOUC 8 - GIACOMELLI ALLA MADONIINA
Bivouacs started as an instrument of survival, but now act as glamorous getaways. These structurally sound and cosy specimens of architectural design are littered across mountainscapes. The alps are home to some of the most uniquely designed bivouacs nestled within its beautiful landscape, and AESTHETIC SURVIVAL dissects this growing culture with the utmost respect and detail.
As a culture still widely beloved but largely under the radar, both Sam and Auri embarked on a 20-location, 45-day-long hike to help contextualize the beauty behind this passion. As hiking and being outdoors is as important and as popular as ever, this acts as an incredible gateway into the culture and one that will be looked at for years to come.
To dive deep into this project, the passion behind each step taken, and the hard realities of what a mission like this takes we managed to sit down with both Sam and Auri to get a 360 scope into their latest AESTHETIC SURVIVAL book.
Can you first introduce yourselves to the sabukaru network and tell us a little bit about what you do?
Sam: I’m Sam Le Roy, a partner and general creative lead at Hartcopy. Hartcopy is a footwear-focused media platform inspired by traditional print, encouraging people to slow down and understand the products they’re buying into, and break out of a very disposable media landscape dominated by the forgettable and short-form. Since 2022, we’ve put huge effort onto the creation of physical print, with the goal of becoming a widely available publishing agent that reaches out to subcultures far and wide.
Auri: I’m Auri , 25, from Milan. I work as a content creator, freelance social media manager and more recently as a model, always in the outdoor field. Over the last year I have done several personal projects, some of which I am still doing. Among them the aroundoutside platform that was born as a worldwide guide of places for climbing, walking, bivouacs, shelters, everything that is part of the outdoors shared by me and anyone who wants to be part of it. This community right now resides online, but in time will convene physically for events, workshops, and more.
Your most recent project, AESTHETIC SURVIVAL, is an incredible deep dive into the world of hiking and exploring. Could you dive into the ins and outs of this project for those who don’t know?
Sam: Aesthetic Survival is an in-depth, comprehensive documentary of twenty different bivouacs throughout the Alps, dissecting architecture, geography, topography, and history. Starting in Slovenia and moving westward to the French-Italian border, the project saw Auri and I hike to twenty different locations, shooting everywhere we went, and learning a lot about ourselves and this evolving culture.
Auri: This project was born out of a desire to document and publicize a culture that is still not talked about enough. Before starting the project, a selection of bivouacs was made based on location, architecture and technical difficulty.
We deliberately chose bivouacs that are more or less easily reached by everyone so as to give a wide target audience the opportunity to reach them. The itinerary saw us start in Slovenia, into Italy, and ending up on the French-Italian border. The project lasted a total of 45 days, alternating between hiking, resting, content creation and even a week of COVID. There were 20 bivouacs visited, all collected in the book AESTHETIC SURVIVAL, which presents all the information about the individual bivouacs with accompanying photography. .
What inspired you to embark on this journey together?
Sam: Very openly, I’ll be the first to admit that my experience in the mountains is somewhat limited. Prior to this trip, I’d ventured up Snowdon as a child, and more recently the likes of Helvellyn in the Lakes, but generally speaking the terrain in Suffolk (my hometown) doesn’t really lend itself to mountaineering in the same way that Northern Italy does. It won’t come to much of a surprise, then, when I say that Auri was, and has been, the driving force for this massive project, stating a desire to document these shelters en-masse over a late night FaceTime call. I kind of latched onto it and said that it’d make a very good book, and we ran with it from there.
BIVOUAC 7 - CATULLO DETASSIS
Auri: When I thought of this project, despite knowing I am a big fan of doing things myself, I immediately knew it would be inappropriate. I knew that Sam didn't have the same physical training/land knowledge as I did for obvious reasons, so I never thought I was going for an easy project and that's why I chose to propose it to him. I think this imbalance was our strength. It was good to see the mental strength of a person approaching a new world getting excellent rewards despite obvious difficulties and I think it is a big inspiration for all those people who for a thousand reasons prefer not to get off the sofa.
For those who have never heard or seen of one before, can you explain what a bivouac is?
Sam: The name originates from an 18th-century German word, Biwacht, which roughly translates to “night watch”, though it’s gone through several evolutions to drive at the point where we can call a metal tinpot a bivouac. Nowadays, a bivouac is known to be a small shelter that can be used day and night as a checkpoint for outdoors people. Mostly unmanned, and maintained by governing organisations and local communities, bivouacs have gone on to become a means to experiment for architects tired of designing for flattened tarmac, as well as to pay homage to fallen mountaineers. If you’re Welsh, consider a bivouac — at least in this day and age — an analogue of a bothy. There’s some controversy around the word, as really purists will say that bivouacking is an impermanent campsite devoid of any tents or shelter, but this discourse is really all about semantics and how the word has adapted its meaning in the last three centuries.
BIVOUAC 9 - CORINI
BIVOUAC - PAVLA KEMPERLA
Auri: Bivouacs originally served as a place of shelter for mountaineers walking from peak to peak during their ascents. Some bivouacs, on the other hand, were places of shelter during wars. To this day, the easiest ones to reach have become tourist destinations, but the meaning behind each one is varied. It may be built in memory of someone who had an accident in the mountains, a competition for architects and designers, or it may be owned by a governing vody like CAI and maintained simply for leisure.
Either way, regardless of the meaning, the constant of every bivouac is that they are freestanding structures, free and open to anyone. You may be wondering how it works if you get up there and find someone - I always tend to say first come first served, then actually we mountain people always find a solution if possible and squeeze in/sleep on the table or on the ground in the sleeping bag, otherwise in some cases there are those who bring their own tent and sleep outside.
The most important thing is that since it is a free facility and not a hotel, when you leave you have to leave it better than you found it. Any rubbish should be taken back down, and if you can, leave something to eat for those who come after you.
Out of all the memories made on your 2-month trip, can you pinpoint your favourite?
Sam: For me, experiencing such highs and lows were really incredible, and being exposed to the elements in ways I’ve never seen before was something I’d come to appreciate more and more as the project went on. Spending a couple of months hiking with your other half is an amazing experience that I, we, were very lucky to go through, and we made so many memories along the way.
Each and every shelter we reached as a real battle, and from that comes some amazing moments. From our first day, when we lost light and were hiking toward a candlelit window in the dark for hours, all the way to the very last, when we were deliberately dragging our feet a bit to prolong the inevitable end of the line, I loved every second. It’s impossible to narrow down to a favourite memory, but one that’ll stick with me for as long as I live is the two of us sat in a car park, in complete silence, after ticking off our first two bivouacs and realising the grand scale of what we’d set out to do. The fact that we went on to finish the journey after such a tough start really amazes me to this day.
Auri: It was an incredible experience, I will never forget it and it is very difficult to find just one favourite memory. Maybe the most memorable moment was when we reached the twentieth bivouac, which was the last in our series, and the emotion we felt compensated for all the difficulties we had experienced and gave way to a river of pride, happiness and melancholy at the same time.
I think the most beautiful moment personally was when we reached the tenth bivouac, Punta Rama, the most challenging of the series, and also the most technical as it can only be reached via a final 250m ferrata. We had to stop for a couple of extra hours for shelter as it started to hail and went on for two hours and the ferrata was impassable.
In those moments you realise you have to stop and wait, even though we had always had everything organised in terms of timing etc., I realised how strong nature is, you always know it but when you experience it it is even more beautiful, and so we dozed off in the bivouac waiting for the terrain to be safer.
BIVOUAC 4 - NA PREHODAVCIH
It must not have been an easy journey, both mentally and physically. What was one of the biggest hardships?
Sam: Again, I’ve never been exposed to mountaineering in any serious manner. At first, I had Auri skipping in front of me without any signs of fatigue, but at the end of the journey both of us were firing on full cylinders and flying up mountains without issues. The hardest part was definitely the recovery between the hikes; we’d set out giving ourselves a day between each hike, which in a vacuum isn’t bad at all, but when you’re repeating that twenty times in a row things get very difficult. While our conditioning got better and better with every hike, we ended up running ourselves into the ground over a long period of time.
Auri: It was a journey that challenged both the mind and the body itself. Having a strong mind is often not enough - I had the knowledge when I left that I was not at 100 percent of my strength as far as my physical well-being was concerned, from the first to the last hike I suffered severe pain in my knees. Simply put, the cartilage is quite worn out and as soon as I came back I looked reality in the face and had to stop for a while to avoid making the situation worse. Now I will start with hyaluronic acid injections and finally I can start properly again.
You must have used a diverse selection of equipment during your time, from waterproof apparel to bags and accessories – Can you list some for the most useful?
Sam: We had some amazing gear from a handful of places. All our apparel was ON, which proved to be great in every situation, while packs were provided by the wonderful Palante. Oakley on the shades, and after I rolled my ankle in an unnamed hiking shoe I bought up the highest, most supportive Scarpa boot I could possibly find. That shoe was halfway between orthopaedic boot and hiker, but without it I absolutely wouldn’t have been able to finish the journey.
Auri: During the project, ON and Oakley served as sponsors.
Needless to say, Oakley is the quintessential eyewear brand for me, in addition to the aesthetic side they are faultless, functional frames that I would hardly replace. As for clothing, we mostly used ON, which left me positively surprised as I never had a chance to test it.
From the storm jacket to the explorer shorts, I was comfortable with everything. Given the high temperatures we always used breathable and suitable products, and for this the gear we were supplied with was flawless.
As for the shoes, I am usually team La Sportiva, specifically the HYRAX GTX M - this is the model I used for the majority of the journey. On occasion, I used the ON Cloudventure, but this was more so on the easier hikes as they’re purpose made for running.
Did any brand, in particular, stand out to you both for quality and performance?
Sam: For a company defined by their footwear options, the offering of clothing from ON surprised me in the best of ways. As I mentioned before, the Manta GTX from Scarpa made the second half of the journey possible, so I’ve got to co-sign that in terms of quality as it really made an unwalk-able ankle work again. Not safe practices, I know, but I can wholeheartedly recommend it from my experiences.
Auri: I personally believe that each brand we used is strong in a particular product and I find it really difficult to put it in general terms. Usually for me the shoes always make the difference, in this case the previous answer explained everything.
This trip must have taken a lot of planning – how did you go about planning the routes taken?
Sam: The planning took us months, and we had to change up a number of times for multiple reasons. A big part of Auri’s reasoning for wanting to do this project in the first place was because of the lack of information out there, especially in nations where you don’t speak the language.
For Slovenia for example, the guides don’t translate so well into English or Italian, and it’s a bit daunting embarking on a hike when you’re not 100% trusting on your route. We went the extra mile in documenting every step we took, so anyone can follow us and do what we did. Plans changed because a couple of bivouacs had been disassembled, and most importantly, because of the collapse of a glacier on Marmolada which made us reconsider stepping foot onto ice in that summer heat. First and foremost we didn’t want to end up in a situation ourselves, and then by extension we wouldn’t want anyone to go somewhere on our recommendation only to have a bad experience or end up at risk. For this reason, we had to substitute our 5-8 shelters and rethink our choices.
SKIALP
Auri: Organisation is at the heart of this project. We decided to start in Slovenia because from what we could read on the internet, the mountains are generally technically more difficult, so tackling them with 'fresh' legs was a well thought-out move. In order to specifically find the routes to be taken, we basically relied on maps, talked to locals and followed the route signs. In some cases this is harder said than done, and In Slovenia especially, routes aren’t so well-trodden, so things can get confusing.
In general, however, the internet is great if the sites are up-to-date and well done, otherwise it is easy to get confused, I say this from experience.
BIVOUAC 19 - LOCATELLI
The focus of the project was to visit bivouac sites – if you had to list your top 3, which would they be?
Sam: A top 3 is really hard because each and every shelter has so much unique charm to it, and no two (at least from our book) are the same. I’d recommend going for a mix of styles, some old, some new. Gestaldi is the classic, a real tinpot of a bivouac that we included as it represents hundreds of bivouacs in Italy with the same design. Catullo Detassis is probably as “luxury” as a bivouac can get, and can be a checkpoint for some amazing hikes and climbs further into the area. Then I’d say either Pod Skuta or Pavla Kemperla, with a summit of Skuta or Grintovec respectively, and you’ve done one of the harder hikes Slovenia has to offer and thoroughly deserve a pat on the back and a beer.
Catullo Detassis
Auri: Having just returned from this project, I got a tattoo of the map of the tenth bivouac, Punta Rama. This one was my favourite for a number of reasons I went through already. Apart from Punta Rama, the second bivouac is Na Predodavcih, because it tested my mental and physical strength from start to finish and if I am challenging myself I can't help but like it.The third I would say Olivero. I literally felt like I was inside a painting, and I thought I would take my mum there, the least athletic woman in the world. However, in general, the bivouacs are all fascinating structures each for a different reason and they are all worth seeing.
How has the beauty of the nature you guys witnessed and experienced helped inspire you in your other areas of work?
Sam: For me I was able to step away from a desk and keyboard, which was really valuable and let me do a lot of thinking. Auri will be able to tell you how many ideas, good and bad, that I came up with throughout the whole project, some of which I’m putting into the world as we speak. I think there’s only so much someone can do when they’re at a desk, so for me to be able to get out there and experience a whole new world gave me a lot of food for thought.
Auri: I now work solely in this area. Whether it's when I do personal projects, or when I collaborate with brands on different bases, or when I find myself being a model for someone, everything revolves around the outdoors. My passion has become my job and I think that's the hardest thing to manage. Often when I go on a hike or any activity I can't enjoy the moment because I'm always thinking about what I can do and how I can develop an idea. This used to be different - when I was a stylist I could take my mind off going outside, now I'm trying to find a balance.
Sam, we know you’ve been on another personal journey yourself career-wise in recent years with HARTCOPY, your online catalogue for footwear. Where does passion for documenting and journalism stem from, whether it's sneakers or bivouacs?
Sam: Writing as a whole really wasn’t a big thing for me until I was tying up my time at university. I was studying chemistry, hating it, and somehow I ended up being pointed to Adrian’s profile on instagram when he first launched Sabukaru. After giving writing a go and trying my hand at it, I kind of caught the bug, and then ended up putting my all into it while covid kept all of us indoors. During this time I ended up writing for Hartcopy, under Tim Suen, which really made me appreciate documentation like this. As I learn more and more, the amazing people that have gone before me — some of which I’m lucky enough to call peers now — inspire me day in day out, all in all feeding into this obsession I’ve now got.
Being at the helm of a rapidly growing channel like this, we can imagine your work schedule and head space is nothing short of hectic. How did you find escaping into nature helped with the pressures of the 'real world’?
Sam: I’ve always struggled with separating work and play; when I’d have the chance to open up an email while at dinner, for example, I’d be the first guy to get it done. Stepping out and actually not having that opportunity, through a lack of laptop, phone signal, etc, really made me improve on that “separation anxiety” for lack of a better phrase, that did govern a lot of my behaviour in so many situations. Looking back, it was an experience that changed so many things for me above and beyond physical health, so I’ve been very lucky to have been able to do the journey in the first place. Would recommend it to anyone going through the same battle themselves.
You must have field tested a diverse catalogue of footwear on this journey. In what ways has this experience made you appreciate high-quality products even more than before?
Sam: I think it was a real education on footwear that’s purpose made. Before this, I’d use any footwear item for any task, and because the situation never demanded anything super high-performance, I never had any issues with my footwear choices. Here in the mountains that changed, and I came to appreciate well-made items as well as well-designed, and finding a perfect boot for me that allowed me to hike in my own unique way was pretty imperative.
Aurora, we know you’ve been an avid explorer now for years. Where does this innate desire to experience new things, nature, and cultures come from?
Auri: Leaving aside the fact that my dad put me on skis when I was 7 years old, my passion for nature, exploration and this whole incredible world I think came from a darker period I was going through during university.
I've always been a sporty person, I played volleyball for almost 10 years, I did martial arts, I danced, in short, standing still is not in my nature. Then I started to approach nature when I was going through a difficult time — I won't go into details — and I started to go hike alone. I would reach a peak or a bivouac and come back, I travelled alone to very far countries and with difficult realities to cultivate this passion that time after time opened my mind and filled my heart.
I then started climbing and as I grew up I developed this total addiction for the entire natural world, especially the mountains. I am an incredibly curious being, I feed on everything that is far from what everyday life can be for me, I am fascinated by the changing natural elements, their composition, colours, I am obsessed with cultures other than my own, I can't get enough of discovering something new. It is very beautiful.
For anyone out there who’s never been hiking or travelling, how would you describe the feeling? How has it helped to inspire or mold you as a person?
Auri: I cannot imagine a life without discovery. Self-discovery, discovery of the world in general, of places, smells, animals, humans, of anything outside the walls of a house or a city. The sensations are innumerable, you realise how incredible the planet we live on is, how many different realities there are, how lucky everyone, in his or her own small way, is and that we must value every day of our lives.
Being in the open air gives you an incredible feeling of positivity, it opens your mind, your body will thank you and above all you get in touch with the deepest part of yourself, it helps you to know and overcome your limits, but at the same time to know and then respect them. Needless to say, for many it is a life of escape from the normal routine, but I believe it goes far beyond that.
And as an empowering female figure in the outdoor scene, why is it so crucial to be able to have female voices within a male-dominated subculture?
Auri: Women must first learn not to impose limits on themselves. I have never felt limited as a woman and at the same time I have never felt strong or full of self-esteem in doing anything as such.
Speaking specifically in this area, I am of the opinion that there is nothing that can make a sexual distinction or a minority. I know female mountain guides just as I know male mountain guides, I don't think it is necessary to make a distinction.
To women who feel insecure, in the minority, weak or whatever, I just say to believe in yourself and break down any mental limits you may have and at the same time not to listen to people's obtuse thoughts.
We’re living in a digital age, but it's great to see you guys continue to help keep print alive with the release of a physical book. How crucial is it to be able to provide these tactile moments with your audience instead of just only being online?
Sam: For me, tangible product is the goal for everything I do. I think with every person using TikTok, IG Reels, and so on, there’s a crowd of people wanting the physical, the analogue, because it gives an experience and feeling that you can’t really get through social media. I’d liken it to photographers who swear by film over digital, or DJ’s on vinyl; I’m a big fan of books now more than ever, and want to make them more and more for cool projects like this one.
The book will be available through Hartcopy’s web store within the coming days, and in a number of retailers across the globe.
Finally, what’s next for you guys?
Sam: I’m focused on building out Hartcopy into a functional team, upscaling on all fronts and covering more ground on different platforms, as well as some cool product launches in the near future. Very excited to show that all off when the time comes!
Auri: Next step for me is being focus on my other page Aroundoutside and start doing events with it, plus I’m organising around chapter 2 that is my first individual project which see me travelling with a van and meeting new people somewhere in the world organising activities ecc and last but not least I’m planning a new project with Sam.
Thank you so much for your time!
Introduction and Interview by Joe Goodwin
