Boulder 1.

Might be strange, after loosing a person you love, but, life goes on.

And so I go, on, and on... Maybe a bit too fast the last week as I have a cold sore, feel really tired and wonder why my recovery goes so slow.

But well, life is not bad at all, sun, putting flower bulbs in my garden, trying to grow vegetables, climbing a bit (a lot)...

So, after been quiet for a couple weeks (on my blog) I write again. About fun, climbing, and how much fun it is to climb.

Here's what's been going on last weeks:

1. Promotop, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. National lead competition. With just climbing for a week on plastic again after just holding on my axes for a couple months. I had to get used to the climbing and did 'reasonable' with a 1st place in the Promo class and 7th in top class.

(Me in Lead 1. Nieuwegein)

2. Demo's, Enschede and Bussum. The season is not over yet. With two iceclimbing demo's I held on my axes for the last time this season. Enschede, the TSAC (Twentse Studenten Alpen Club) held an mountainsports-day for the 50th anniversary of the University in Enschede. I was invited to give a demo Iceclimbing. With 3 demo's and over 60 watching me per demo, it was quite a success.

(Herman & co. putting up my drytool route and the woodblocks, iceclimbing pictures and "Truus" the climbing wall in Enschede)

Next day, Sunday, next demo. Bussum this time. For the regional Mountainsports-day. It seems to be popular, holding this 'mountainsports-days'. Less organised, strange (bad) communication, but still fun. I had to build my own "ice" route and climbed it once a couple hours later. Truong and Ferdinand were also invited for clinics and demo's.

(Me in Bussum putting up my iceclimbing pictures and me in in my demo-route)

Some restdays now, some friends over for climbing and dinner, some first-aid course and it's already Saturday again.

(My garden, full of plum-tree flowers and my little vegetable garden with tiny carrots, broccoli, lettuce and more)

(Arnoud climbing with Kim in Monte Cervino before dinner at our place)

3. Boulder 1. the national boulder competition. I did reasonable for an iceclimber. But as I want to be an allround climber, I did 'o.k.' With a 3th place after the qualifications, a lot of nervous climbing, stress, lack of concentration, tired arms and legs, a bit hungry and a bit cold I landed on a 5th place. Not satisfied, as I wanted to maintain my position... Missing some finger strength and experience in boulder-movements... Hopefully a top three next time (in two weeks already!)

(Pictures: Truong and me in the finals of Boulder 1. Bussum)

Now: try to get work fixed and relax a bit.

Picture credits: Truong Ngo, Hans van der Steen and unknown photographer on the Lead 1. in Nieuwegein.

GriGri 2

A new toy.

Gear-freak as I am, I'm always happy being able to test new gear :)

This time it's the new GriGri.

My old precious GriGri is now replaced by it's improved sister: GriGri 2.

I noticed I'm not the only one with this new little toy, so I gave it some fancy colour... Pink.

I had to get used to it a bit. Pretty much the same handling, but still...different. As the GriGri 2 is smaller, it's a bit different to give out rope and to lower the climber.

The new lowering system works nice, and looks a bit like the system used in industrial devices like the Rig.

More about this little thing in this video:

Marie Koster

I haven't been very active on my bog lately.

With a reason.

I have something important on me the last weeks.

My grandmother.

Marie Koster was her name, widow of Wout Oudshoorn, my grandfather.

She was finished with the thing that drives us every day, the thing that feels so logical we hardly think about it, the feeling that goes on and on, forever...?

Life, it's the thing making us breathe, think, move, love every day.

But sometimes it's not as easy as it sounds. At some point you can get to an end with that 'thing'.

That is what my grandmother had been struggling with. Last week was the final end of her struggle.

Ninety-one years of life ended last Friday, with a week of struggling...

Now, I can tell 1001 stories about how I admired my grandmother, about her strength, her big working hands, how hard she worked, about all her children, my aunts and uncle, about the farm she lived on...but, it's all to say with just one word. Love.

My dear 'oma', I just love you...

(Picture: my grandmother when she was a young girl. Me and my brother are colouring all the black and white pictures we have. You should all do that for your old grandparents when they're still alive. My grandmother would have loved to see herself in full colour again.)

Single rope iceclimbing

Stuff to think about on Dennis' blog about using a single rope and a tag-line for pure ice routes.

Linky-link here :)