Our guides know these mountains by heart — and love sharing them with others.
Over the following eight years, Uta undertook her monumental project “Utalaya 14×8000,” an ambitious campaign to climb all 14 of the world’s peaks above 8,000 meters—a challenge completed on 10 May 2025 with her successful ascent of Kangchenjunga, the third-highest mountain on Earth. With this achievement she became the first person from the Balkans and the first Albanian woman ever to complete the 14-eight-thousander challenge, joining an elite group of high-altitude mountaineers globally. Beyond her climbing feats, Uta is a committed advocate for environmental protection, gender equality, and youth empowerment. Through the Utalaya Foundation, she champions sustainable development goals, promotes outdoor engagement and leadership among young people—especially girls—and uses her platform to elevate Kosovo’s visibility on the world stage.
In the UIMLA program Metodi is also part of the instructor’s team, specialized in winter tours and avalanche safety. He spends most of his time exploring Sharr, in winter and summer and he likes to make the Sharr Mountains shine and bloom and increase their recognition.
Fluent in Macedonian, Turkish, Albanian, English, and German, Nadir divides his time between Tetovo and Basel. For him, mountaineering is not about conquering summits, but understanding them — and, in doing so, understanding oneself. Each climb is a reminder that the real peak is the one that transforms us along the way.
Working at Butterfly is a natural fit for Beth. She combines her experience developing practical solutions and systems with her lifelong love of the outdoors. An avid hiker, swimmer, and cyclist, she spends as much time outside as possible. She is also an experienced traveler, often choosing destinations—like Kosovo—that offer both adventure and meaningful cultural experiences.
At Butterfly, Beth helps build the systems that support the organization’s growth, enabling more people to experience the beauty and magic of Kosovo. To start planning your Balkan adventure, email her at bethany.utalayaf@gmail.com.
