Help mee de verdwenen Nomic's terug te vinden!

Beste mede-klimmers,

afgelopen november 2012 organiseerden we in samenwerking met Petzl, klimhal Monte Cervino en de NKBV het Dutch Drytool Event.

Vele mensen deden enthousiast mee ondanks het slechte weer.

Helaas was niet iedereen even eerlijk deze dag.
Er zijn 5 paar ijsbijlen verdwenen.
Dat is dus tien Petzl Nomic ijsbijlen. 
Met een nieuwwaarde van €240-250.

Een simpel rekensommetje leert dat er deze dag dus voor €2500,- aan materiaal is ontvreemd.

Zoals jullie kunnen begrijpen zijn de distributeur van Petzl (die de bijlen gratis te beschikking had gesteld voor het evenement), het bedrijf Petzl zelf en de andere organisatoren hier niet gelukkig mee.

Het verdwijnen van de ijsbijlen had onder andere als gevolg dat er geen leen-bijlen meer ter beschikking gesteld waren na het evenement.
Voor iedereen zonder ijsbijlen is het nu dus onmogelijk om de routes te proberen, terwijl het introduceren van de sport bij een groter publiek juist ons hoofddoel was van het evenement.
Ook zal er voor het volgende evenement veel strengere eisen gesteld moeten worden aan de deelnemers, wat het misschien minder aantrekkelijk maakt om deel te nemen met het evenement.
En, logischerwijs heeft een verlies van €2500,- gevolgen voor de toekomstige financiering van het evenement.
Om het nog maar niet te hebben over het geschonden vertrouwen.

De distributeur van Petzl in de BeNeLux was desalniettemin zeer enthousiast over het evenement en wil degenen die het materiaal hebben meegenomen een laatste kans geven:

Breng vóór 28 februari 2013 de bijlen terug bij klimhal Monte Cervino en er zullen geen gevolgen zijn.

Worden 10 de Petzl Nomic ijsbijlen niet terug gebracht voor deze datum, dan zal er aangifte worden gedaan.
Let op: alle serienummers van de bijlen zijn bekend bij Petzl. Sommige van de bijlen waren prototypes ("sample not for sale"), wanneer je klimt met prototypes zonder toestemming van Petzl, ben je niet verzekerd.
Koop of verkoop je bijlen met een gestolen serienummer, ook al heb je ze niet zelf gestolen, dan ben je alsnog medeplichtig (heling).
Vinden wij de bijlen na 28 februari 2013 terug, dan zullen we alsnog actie ondernemen en o.a. aangifte doen tegen degene die de bijlen op dat moment in bezit heeft/te koop aanbiedt.
Twijfel je aan de herkomst van de ijsbijlen die je hebt gekocht of gekregen, aarzel niet contact op te nemen met mij of Petzl BeNeLux (info@petzlbenelux.be).

Ik nodig iedereen uit om mee te helpen zoeken en er voor te zorgen dat we onze eigen reputatie hoog kunnen houden: klimmers stelen toch niet van andere klimmers?!
Help mee het Dutch Drytool Event een nog groter succes te maken in 2013.
Alvast bedankt, namens alle organisatoren,


Marianne van der Steen

Good luck - Bad luck

Back in the Netherlands again. 

After more then a month of just travelling and climbing.

I've seen amazing things, met beautiful people, shared so much happiness.



Luck and hard work gave me the opportunity to travel all the way to Ouray, Saas Fee, Rabenstein, Bad Gastein, Busteni...

Sometimes luck was bad luck, like the day I realised I had the flu that everyone had been bugging for weeks.
I thought my immune system would do better.
Since Saas Fee I'd been sick. The flu going up and down in different stages.
But it didn't really stop me from climbing.
It was so great to swing my tools in the Bad Gastein ice, it was so much fun to see Dennis win a sheep, and actually I had to laugh when we got a plate of undefinable fat meat again in our crappy Romanian hotel.
I think everyone in Busteni was lucky last weekend, because no one died, even when the belayers gave slack all the way to the ground, it was still all 'o.k.'



I learned this week that, when you work really hard, you can get a lot of things done.

I also learned that when you work really hard other people will try to profit from you. And some of those in a very mean and unfair way.

Like the man that promised me coaching, training, support... But in return took all I worked for and now claims it for himself and now even tries to exclude me from all that I worked for.
And like the woman in the hotel that stole my passport, price-money I won in Ouray, insurance card and visa documents.
Like the Bulgarian guys that robbed me in France.
And the people that stole my clothes, sleepingbag, stove and more.

Those people took away immense opportunities for me.
They didn't just steal money.
They stole a piece of my life.

All this money I lost in the past months made it that I had to decide that I can't go to Canada next month with the Alpine Mentor Programme.
Even now that I work full-time this week, next week...
Still have to pay tax, insurance, rent, food.
And I need to climb.

To the ones that stole a piece of my life:
You are pathetic, mean, low, sad, worthless people.

Life is so much easier when you live in a cave in sunny Southern France.

RAB Sponsoring & more happiness

Today, in 48 minutes to be exact, I'll head for Germany.
It didn't go too smoothly to get here: my brother lost my house keys so I had to break into my own house to gather my stuff...And so I missed my last climbing session at my gym.

Night climbing/flying at Monte Cervino

Luckily I had a really good night session the day before. We climbed, drank whiskey, ate bbq-chocolate-bananas, slept in the 'Ger' (nomadic tent) swam in the lake in the morning, skeelered, then it was time to head for Belgium to deliver back the company car and get my new sponsor gear (new brilliant NAO, Ange, harness, Microtraxion! You'll read a review about that all soon here on my blog)

Chocolate bananas

To get my skates I took two friends to my amazing mansion (home) and there it stood, in the shed: two HUGE packages.
One labeled Five Ten and one labeled RAB.
This could only mean one thing: new stuff.
I jumped, my eyes twinkled so much they almost popped out, my smile extended to my ears and my brain was making happiness loops.

I ordered my new Five Ten shoes just in time, so I was happy to actually get them in time as well.
But the other package...that package...that was just so so nice...!

Big boxes!!

I'll explain:
RAB and Lowe Alpine (Equip) are my new sponsors.
I went to the BeNeLux office, explained the stolen bag situation and they told me they would try to help me, but weren't sure about it. I understand, it's all about budgets, time, a bit of hassle and a bit of 'not-my-concern-that-you-lost-your-bag'.
But they worked hard as they could and now I got a brand new down sleepingbag and a super lightweight bivybag all the way from RAB UK. 
Without proper sleeping/bivybag it would have been quite different in Iceland I guess. RAB is 'for the most extreme conditions' and I can say for sure: that's what Iceland is all about :)
But RAB just gave me the most epic present ever!

So now I jump around in not just the perfect downjacket ever made (RAB Neutrino) but I'll dream about the happiest things every night again in my new super warm sleepingbag.
Thanks guys!

This evening, after breaking into my own house I went to the postbox to take the last mail.
And not only RAB did something epic, Light my Fire had just sent me a new knife&flint in one and a new titanium spork! All the way from Sweden (with love).
Just in time :)
They sent me this sweet postcard:

The stolen bag

Sometimes people ask me "How do you manage to always travel and climb? It must cost you loads of money..."
I always reply that you just have to be dedicated.
I'm not a paid climber, so I suppose I'm not a pro. But I just try to work with the things I have.

I live cheap (anti-squat it's called), I don't spent money on cinemas, weekly hairdressers or manicure or parties and drinks, when I camp I often just bivouac, and I eat healthy but simple.
Rather no shower for a week and a week full of climbing then having spent money on an expensive campsite with showers and therefor having to go home early because I was out of money (or something like that).

My bivy spot in Ceüzette

I was happy last Thursday and Friday with my perfect little bivouac-spot in the forest.
Super basic, just all I needed was there: a mat, a sleepingbag, some food and water, the sun, stars and climbing :)
And that all until someone decided to ruin all my happiness...

How? Well let's start with... the start.
After we left Friedrichshafen we spent some time in Crolles.

I tasted some special beer (I never drink alcohol) enjoyed being together with Dennis again, work, bit of climbing and then I decided it was time for climbing again. 

Tipsy at Brasserie du Chardon

Dennis getting ready for an evening session at St

Climbing at the 'Pierre'

Together with the Petzl Media Crew (LaFouche, Eric and Guillaume)  I drove to Céuse (where else would I go) to film Daila and Chris.
I went climbing and they went hauling and filming :)

On my first day I found some Swedes (sweets) from Goteborg  to climb with, warmed up in what appeard to be a 7c (onsight!) Equinoxe or something (just left of the Demi Lune sector) and cooled down in the beautiful 7b's on the Un Pont sur l'infini wall which I'd done a million times already because I love them all :) They were fun to climb with and we made a climbing date for Friday again.

Céüse

I went down, had dinner with the Petzl crew (thanks LaFouche) and went for my favourite spot (Ceüzette).

The next morning was Friday. Already. So much sun, heat and just 1,5 day left to climb.
I was relaxed, chilled in the sun, played some games on my phone, wished my parents good luck on their cycling trip to Rome, packed my stuff and when 'I felt like it' walked up the steep hill.
The Swedes weren't there today so I found another 'lonely' climber. Pol (or Paul?) from France, although...he looked Russian :)
He told me his granddad was Russian, thats where he got the light hair and skin colour from.
We warmed up in Lapinerie (jump!) and found Ça Cartoon way harder then 7a+.

And then it happened (sorry, don't want to talk about it as I'm still too angry)
When Dennis arrived in Ceüzette I wanted to grab my bag (the one which had my sleeping stuff). But it was not there anymore.
I was surprised. I put it just under the climbing rock, and it wasn't there. How could it be gone?
I was so astonished that the bag disappeared...
How could it be gone?
We looked everywhere. Under trees, in the bushes, under other rocks, in caves, at cars close-by... We asked around...
It was gone.
Meanwhile it was already after 20h and we were hungry.
I was so confused!
I almost forgot my climbing bag on the back of the car when we drove away.
We wanted to go to the police but noticed everything was closed...
Instead we went to the pizzaria. (If you go there try the Chef en Chausson and take a Grillet as dessert)

Chez Ligo, my favourite restaurant

Because all I had was gone... My sleepingbag, mat, stove, food, clothes... Basically all except my rope, draws, climbing shoes, chalkbag and luckily my passport, phone and wallet were also in my climbing bag!
How, how, who, what... did this really happen? Did someone really get his sick mind into stealing the things that are most essential to life: food and sleeping materials?! Did this really happen just now?
What did I miss?
I don't want to say I'm a tramp, but would you ever think of stealing the sleepingbag of someone living on the street?!

The next day after a horrible night (we had no water, just one little mat and one sleepingbag to share and it even rained...) I started the search again.
I hung up notes everywhere. On the parking, on the campsite, in the gîte. Just hoping to find back my stuff.
After a search, asking everyone and notes everywhere we gave up.
Then we met Michel en Leonoor! They spotted us when we visited the casmpsite.
So surprised to find them here!
They were so kind to invite us for dinner that evening.
We went up to Céüse to get back my draws.
The dinner was lovely. Smoked (!) trout and a good salad. Thanks again :)

Were told to go the the police office in La Saulce to put in a declaration.
I was still hoping they found the bag there.
They couldn't help me and I had to come back the next day. (Still didn't understand why she couldn't help me)
The next day the office was closed.
That Sunday I had to get back to the Netherlands as I had to work again.
So no declaration and I lost a bag worth almost €2000,-
I had to leave.
I hope the one who stole my bag will get poisoned by my food, choke in my water, get germs and rashes of my clothes, suffocate of the smell and warmth of my sleepingbag, have backproblems for the rest of his life due to my mattress, cut himself badly with my knife, will never find a woman to love because of my bewitched underwear, will loose his toes of my socks that he'll wear, burn his face on my stove, will get electrocuted by the solar panel and iPhone charger, will loose all his hair because of my brush...and eventually feel regret and give it all back...or...
Anyway... I hope I can replace all in time just before Iceland and the USA trips that will start this week (!)

Yesterday I drove down through Germany to meet my parents. Met them in a hotel in Zülpich.
A good thing, a thing to be proud of: they just started their journey to Rome. A cycling-pilgimage from the Netherlands to Rome!
We chatted when I arrived in the middle of the night and had breakfast together.
Really nice to meet them on their actual adventure and strange to say goodbye again.
I wish them all the best on their big trip to Rome.
If you want to follow their adventures, check their blog: rome-ha.blogspot.nl
My dad is a fanatic photographer so you'll find a collection of very nice pictures (depending on the quality of their internet connection)

My dad getting his camera ready for the picture seen above :)

Today I'm back in the Netherlands. Fixing all the last things before Dennis and I will head for Iceland.
The stolen bag doesn't make things easier.
Hopefully I can still put in a declaration tomorrow on the Dutch embassy (as the local police, Gendarmerie, told Dennis in Crolles)

It's Dennis last week in Crolles.
Times went by so fast!
He's been in France for half a year and now it's time for Dutch studies again.
I think he can look back on amazing time at Petzl :)

Crolles (Petzl) and Grenoble by night after an evening climbing session with Dennis