Speedclimbing, Climbuz and the Outdoor lecture

The last week before real climbing starts again.

It's finally Sunny here in the Netherlands, making it feel like Summer.

Summer fun 

All the stress of getting everything done in time also belongs to the Summer feeling I guess.
Tax forms, invoices, MOT for my car(s), some work, a lecture for Outdoor, preparations for the Dutch Drytool Event, Expeditie Geluk, preparations with the Van Hoek family for the family climbing adventure and much more...
Oh yes, and Climbuz has to be ready for the Summer trip too.

Oh, yes, and I lost a bit of wisdom

In between I try to climb too.
Although, never enough... I wish I could climb twice a day, every day but three times a week seems the average for now. Making me feel slow and fat.

Preparations for the Van Hoek adventure

Climbing in the rain with the Van Hoek family

Apparently I'm not too fat yet, as I ended in 4th place on two national leadclimbing competitions. With that I'm good enough to be in the finals of the national lead competition.
If I had more time to climb...
Apparently I'm not too slow either as I reached the podium of the open national ("student") speedclimbing competition too. Second place.
And so, so close to gain the first place! I made a classic Marianne-mistake: I should have jumped to the top, instead I reached...static doesn't work when you climb on full speed :(
Roelien was smart enough to jump and won.

Interbest/NSAC/NKBV Speedclimbing: Battle the Wall

With Roelien on the first place

Dennis also took second place, but we're still not sure if he was second...or first?

About the fat issue, I went to a nutritionist last week, to talk about food, energy, efficiency and more.
There's so much nonsense to be found about nutrition, weight and health related to sports, that I found it a better idea to ask a pro about it all. As marathon runner and a non-believer in extra proteins he had some interesting research and facts to show me. He gave me some fairly simple but interesting tools to use. Let's see how that will work in the rest of this year.

My carrot cake recipe. The main reason of being too heavy I think

My parents are not worried about any fat issue for the next two months. They'll be cycling again. This time to Santiago following the French coast line.
My mum left all behind by retiring, my had is happy to join the journey (but still has a couple years of working left...)

My parents on their way to Breda. 

I also went to Schoorl.
Collecting rubbish for half a day and MTB for the rest of the day.
As ambassador of Respect the Mountains it was good to see how much effect a little bit of work has. Together with more then 60 volunteers and some ambassadors over 700kg of rubbish had been collected within just 2 hours time!
It's impressive to see how much of it is plastic. Even plastic toys were part of what we found.

Plastic soup?

Plastic soldiers and a armless Viking

Dennis has been busy too. First with school. He has a lot to do before he can go to his final traineeship in Germany after this Summer.
At the same time he tries to fix Climbuz.
A new engine, a fully working gearbox again and now everything is electric it's a lot harder to understand what might be wrong. (...or do I just have to reset the accelerator with the computer...?)
Since today the van works again! He took Climbuz out for a ride and hopefully we'll get it fixed before we reach Friedrichshafen on Wednesday.

New paint layer by night

The first start...and the engine works!

Test drive

My two cars have MOT again and I decided I should sell my lovely Golf 1.

Meanwhile I've been working on my lecture. At OutDoor in Friedrichshafen I'll hold a lecture about education. A motivational lecture about educational systems with a motivational link to the Outdoor Industry.
You're all welcome to join on Thursday 13:00h in room London.

One of the drawings in my lecture.

Now time to cycle, climb and work again.
Just two more days! Yay!

Iceland pt. 3 Vestrahorn multipitch

On the first day we drove straight to Vestrahorn to see if we could climb some trad multipitch there.

I've been living in Iceland for some years and never climbed any trad or multipitch here and really regret it...

So I didn't knew where to find any of the right stuff.

Sorry, want to write a whole story but the internet is quite bad so here just the video:

↵ Use original player

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Iceland pt 2 Day 1 and 2 Vestrahorn from Marianne van der Steen on Vimeo.

"One Swallow doesn't make Spring"

...or at least thats what we say in Dutch. Hirondelles, Swallows, Zwaluwtjes were flying low this week to catch the flies in Chateauvert.

Showing our new Berghuas Dutch Iceclimbing Team downjackets

Last week I drove 925km South to Crolles, France. Again.
I'm addicted to someone who lives there in a small campervan.
The weatherforecast was bad, just rain, rain, wind and thunderstorms for the whole week. I managed to do some of the things I needed to do (climbing a viaferrata and making a presentation about safe viaferrata climbing) and then it was already weekend. A long weekend as the French celebrate/memorise the WWII on May 8. In the Netherlands we do that on May 4/5.

We decided to go to Chateauvert close to the Verdon in Southern France as it seemed the closest place with some good weather for the weekend.
Close to Crolles it even snowed that weekend!

We drove straight after Dennis finished work. As the van has it's 'habits' we suddenly ran out of petrol. Dennis went by bike to get some petrol. The closest station was closed but there was a very friendly French farmer that drove Dennis back to the van (meanwhile I was cooking Ratatouille) with his car and got us some Diesel. We wanted to pay the man, but he was just happy to help us out.
After we lost our Diesel to some m*&%$ckin' Bulgarians a couple weeks ago, this was a real surprise. Thanks mr. farmer!
We were quite late so decided to park the van. It became a place close to the river Buech.
It rained a lot that night. I was worried that the van would become part of the river, but we were just fine.

The van at the river Buech.

The next day we arrived in Chateauvert around midday after a exciting ride with huge hailstones that covered the road like a Winter-road in Chamonix. Just a moment later it was Sunny again when we enjoyed the Lavender-fields...

Hailstones from hell

Chateauvert is the area where I had my first outdoor climbing experiences 6 years ago. Together with Chérie (former international competition climbing judge and my climbing partner in Arnhem) and two other friends we climbed there for more then a week. I did my first 7a/7a+ Magicien d'Oz. And realised how much I love this sport/life.

On the first day I figured that my climbing style is still the same. Maybe I got stronger but when I did the moves I suddenly remembered "oh, yes, thats how I did it 6 years ago". Interesting how your mind and body memorises movements for such a long time.

Dennis climbing a 7a+ in one of the caves. (Can't remember the name)

Southern France is getting warmer and warmer, closer to the Summer and everywhere you see the nature changing into a beautiful play full of colours and sounds.





Dennis and I like to find special places to sleep in Dennis' VW Syncro campervan.
He Loves his Synco. He's together with some other 'crazy' dudes united on a Dutch forum about the VW T3 Syncro van. He checks the forum daily and when I'm around one of the main subjects is the van. Not because of the bad performances or 'issues' but all just about how to improve the van and get it into a perfect 4x4 vehicle. "Does your 4x4 have a kitchen" is the text on a sticker he found on an American Syncro forum, and yes, it's quite what it's all about: having an van that can bring you everywhere.
Everywhere around the world.

The T3 Syncro by night :)

After/during our trip to China last year we got ideas on how to perfect our China experience. When we'd have a campervan we could just go wherever we wanted to go. Not bound on other people, hotels, transport. Just us and the country around us.
The idea grew and now we have a plan: travel to China (Getu) with the VW T3 Syncro.
All the way from the Netherlands.
And if possible travel back as well. Through Russia.

This week we'd been collecting information about the possibilities.
Dennis and I got a book from Dennis' grandparents about a couple that traveled with an VW oldtimer to China. Dennis' grandparents knew already about our idea and with the book they tried to help us find the right direction I guess.
The two from the book are not exactly the same as we are I found. They're a bit like the average couple you'd find on a beach in Ibiza, not used to camping, not used to traveling with a campervan...
And a big difference; we want to add something to our trip: climbing!
We want to climb in all countries that we'll visit on our trip. All the way to Getu in China where we were last year.
We just calculated the time it will take us: at least 2 years...if we want to climb at least 3 days per week and travel the other days. (Anyone who knows a millionaire who wants to sponsor us...maybe...?)

So...still a lot to figure. 2015 will be the year. After Dennis has finished his studies.

Back to Chateauvert.
The climbing was quite hard we found and sometimes the distance between the bolts was just really long. Too long.
I had difficulties climbing a 7b+ and failed to onsight 7a's. Strange...
Though it was fun. The area is really friendly you can't imagine easier access to the cliffs. The guidebook says 2 seconds approach for some of the sectors and thats right: bumper belay.

Bumper belay

The most beautiful route is one of the first ones in the guidebook on the complete left-hand side of the cliff there's a 2 pitch 6b/6b+. I climbed both pitches in one. They're continuous without any real cruxes making it a beautiful chain of movements of meters and meters. Pure climbing!

The beautiful 6b.

Yesterday we drove back to Crolles. Dennis had to work again today and I have to work tomorrow.
I drove the 925km North today.
Feeling happy.
Like a millionaire.
Because I just did this week what I love most and it felt like I have everything I need:
house, boyfriend, sun, climbing...

Now just a bit of money-making to do this week and then I'll go again all the way to Southern France :)

Rubbish, like we're suddenly in India or something

The good old times

Voting in France, left or right?