Chalk and Frames

Swedish Photographer, adventurer, mountain leader and coach, Emma Svensson, is on the mission to empower female climbers to get outdoors together. Living 50% of her time in her van, Emma spends her time working remotely, while attempting new climbs and adventures.

Watch Emma in Montenegro with Dometic, living the digital nomad #vanlife lifestyle.

MEET EMMA SVENSSON

After working hard as a photographer with her own studio in Stockholm, Sweden, Emma Svensson, is now able to pursue another passion of hers - mountaineering and climbing, while living as a digital nomad in her van. With her newly found independence, she continues her work from wherever the next adventure takes her.  

“I love the freedom of living in my van. I spend half the year traveling around on different adventures, mainly in The Alps and northern Scandinavia. Climbing mountains, skiing, hiking, and eating amazing food along the way. I work remote most of the time, from the van with everything from planning photoshoots to doing logistics for travels I arrange.”

HOW THE VANLIFE STARTED

The first taste of the mountains came a couple of years ago for Emma, who had limited experience of the outdoors and mountaineering. She booked a spot with a guided climbing group and set off to conquer her first mountain. Before even attempting the climb, she had a gut feeling that this would be something she’d love and want to pursue again. After this first conquest, and then climbing Mount Elbrus (the tallest mountain in Europe, located in Russia) Emma set herself the goal to climb the highest mountain in every country in Europe, thinking “Is this even possible for someone like me with such little experience?”.

When setting off on her first solo trip in Italy, with only a rental car – which she slept in between climbs, the need for more comfort quickly dawned. After being out all day, coming down late and exhausted in the evenings, and then sleeping in the car, there was a moment of realization that having a van could provide much more comfort: for sleeping, a place to cook and for shelter after many hours up in the mountains. Fast forward to now, Emma lives half of her time in her van and says “my van is my home and I love living my life in it.’

Within a year, Emma achieved her goal and climbed the highest mountain in every country in Europe! 

EMPOWERING FEMALE CLIMBERS

Today, Emma is working on a new project to climb all 4000 meter peaks in the Alps with only female partners. Along with her main climbing partner, also called Emma, they are inviting other female climbers to come join them on their expeditions with the aim to empower more women to get out in the mountains together. Breaking any gender barriers that are present in the outdoor space.

Follow Emma’s epic mountaineering and vanlife adventures on Instagram @emmasvenssonphoto.