Worldcup Boulder Eindhoven

Oeeee, almost. Just one night, a bit of soccer and then climbing!

I just had the technical meeting and got the starting list.

I'm already nervous and feel this little heartbeat in my throat. But, I already felt better after I met another iceclimber: Radka from Bulgaria. She's kind and social, so time to chill and laugh :)

I'm number 31 on the list for tomorrow. Which means I'll be one of the last to climb.

On the website of the Worldcup you can follow a livestream.

The Womens qualifications starts at 9h (Dutch time) which means I won't be climbing before 10h.

The Belgian climber Cloé (also an iceclimber) takes the lead on the list. Vera, is first of the Dutch to boulder as number 21. Then Magli form Belgium (nr. 25), then me (nr. 31) Roelien (nr. 34), Radka (nr. 36), Marianne (nr. 37), Rachel (nr. 38), Nikki (nr. 39) and Channah (nr. 40) (see the whole list on the IFSC website)

And now: have fun...and climb well :)

Tuzgle

I remember my first time in Céüse "many" years ago.

There I met a really nice, friendly, enthusiastic, energetic girl from Swiss. Nina Caprez.

When climbing in Europe I met her again a couple times and now she's the star in a new climbing video.

A real must-see video called Tuzgle.

Allez Nina!

Worldcup Boulder Eindhoven

Just a couple days to go.

I'm nervous and have the feeling I'm not strong enough, not good enough.

Erik told me yesterday that 50% of my strength is 'between my ears'. If I'd stop 'thinking', be more relaxed, I'd climb a lot better...which is true, I guess.

Most of the times, when I climb something difficult I'm surprised, not expecting to climb the thing. And that happens when I'm not under pressure of time, people or whatever.

So actually, climbing competitions is my weakest thing. (Then why do I join the WorldCup???)

This Friday I'll climb the qualifications and hopefully I'll land in the semi-finals (...getting little butterflies in my tummy by just thinking of it)

The program

Friday June 25

08:30 Doors open

09:00 Start qualifications Women

11:45 End qualifications Women

14:30 Start qualifications Men

18:30 End qualifications men

Saturday June 26

12:00 Doors open

13:00 Start Semi-finals Woman and Men

15:30 End Semi-finals Woman and Men

Finals

19:30 Start finals Women and Men

22:00 Award Ceremony

22:00 Worldcup Party

And there are several side events, demonstrations with Breakdance, Taekwondo, Bike-polo

So, if you want to see me climbing on Friday, wake up early and get to 'Klokgebouw 141' in Eindhoven.

Trad climbing meeting in Italy

Good news, again :)

I'm one of the two (or three, Dennis, I hope you can join us too!) who's invited by the NKBV (Dutch Alpine Club) to go the the International Trad Climbing Meeting in Valle Orco in Italy (yes, close to Arco)

It's not yet going to happen, but I just received my invitation. In September I'll go there... :)

For all who don't understand what I mean with 'trad climbing' (like my parents...)

It's that kind of climbing that you place "things" in the rocks as protection. If you know how to handle the gear it's completely safe (really mum, I'm always on a rope)

Here two video's of some climbing in the Orco area. One friendly multipitch version and Didier Berthod climbing one hard (HARD!) line.

Sunday Movie Time

My life is so complicated/simple (circle the right answer).

When I'm not climbing I am:

• Dreaming about climbing
• Fixing my climbing gear
• Working as climbing instructor
• Planning my climbing holidays
• Chatting with my climbing friends
• Make climbing pictures
• Write about climbing
• and....watch climbing movies

Like this one about Tim Emmet on Muy Caliente in Wales (E10 6c)

In the movie he didn't finish his line, but he recently climbed his route.

Tim about Muy Caliente:

“The section to the gear would warrant E9 in its own right, featuring F8a climbing in a very dangerous position.

The crux comes after the gear and is the equivalent of a V7 boulder problem. It bumps the whole route up to F8b.

It’s hard to say whether it’s E10 because I haven’t done one before! I have done Meshuga and Chicama (both E9) and been on Divided Years E8/9, Parthian Shot E9, Alchemine E9 and Rhapsody E11. Also ‘Ghost Train’ is F7a and has been E7 for years, now considered tough E6, – ‘Muy Caliente’ is F8b, with the same run out. I think E10 is a fair suggestion.”

(Thanks to Rogier van Rijn for the post about Tim on his blog)

New! Petzl gear

Yes, so cool to receive a big box full of gear!

Yesterday I went to Demmenie Sport in Amsterdam to pick up my birthday-sinterklaas-christmas-presents for the next 10 years.

I'm sponsored by my favourite climbing brand, Petzl. (Really, it is my favourite brand, even before I got sponsored I gathered as much I could from Petzl. Petzl Spirit draws, Hirundos harness, krabs, Meteor helmet were already in my collection.)

Whats new:

• Attache 3D krabs, extremely light krabs with renewed gate to ease opening and safe closing.
• Spirit draws, my favourite draws, they're the best with keylock clip system and just the clipping sound is so good that it's my ringtone on my phone.
• St. Anneau slings, nicely coloured new slings. (My old ones became very fluffy...)
• Nitro screamers (energy absorber), showed them to my parents and now they understand: climb safe, use screamers.
• Bug climbing backpack, handy little rucksack for fashionable climbs (and your rope, headlamp, draws, helmet, water and jacket)
• Koda chalkbag, my millipede got a baby!
• Power Crunch magnesium, I sweat a lot so I need a lot of chalk.
• Sarken crampons, technical duo-point crampons for the longer iceclimbs.
• Swivel to attach my axes when I'm training indoors or on glaciers.
• MC T-shirt, black Petzl logo t-shirt, I'm fixing it now to make it look girly ;)

Oh yeah, now I NEED to go out and use it :)

Elections 2010

Tomorrow, Wednesday, the Netherlands will vote for a new parliament.

It's an exciting 'competition'!

Will the conservative right-wing win, the anti-Islamic party, the Christian democrats (again...) or will it be my favourite this time D66 (liberal democratic)...

Op wie stem jij/op wie heb jij gestemd?

Ik stem op D66, ik ben zelfs lid van D66. Op de nummer twee van de lijst, Boris van der Ham.

Dat 'Anders, Ja', daar sta ik achter. Nederland is daar wel weer aan toe na jaren lang gerommel met partijen die het niet gelukt is om degelijk te regeren.

Ben je nog zwevend? Bekijk dan eens het D66 verkiezings-programma

Ow, en ik sta open voor discussie :)

Elderly-walk

These days in Holland we have an annual event called 'wandelvierdaagse'. Kids walk four evenings a little walk. On the end of the week they get a medal.

My grandmother is doing her special elderly-walk this week. Three days, one hour per day.

Me and my mum pushed her wheelchair.

Finally something good for the elderly in the elderly-home of Muiderberg :)

Though, I hope I'll never get into such an elderly-home...Imagine, working all your life, too old to walk and then, when you need something, theres nobody to help you. You get the wrong medicines, no coffee when you ask for it, and evening dinners which even I wouldn't want to eat on a cheap camping-trip...

New cams :)

Got a whole set of cams now. Finally!

Thanks to my friend Richard, I'm now the owner of a big vase with flowers ;)

(Not all on the picture are mine though, some are Dennis' cams)

I also made a funny chart with a size/weight comparison. I'll probably fill in more, when I have more cams.

Now, go out and climb!

Boreal

Yes!

I'm still sponsored by Boreal, it just all went so slow that I wasn't sure anymore if Boreal was still interested in what I do and what I climb.

But, it all changed again and I got new shoes!

First: the IceMaster, renewed and even lighter then the pervious version. They're slightly higher and the looks changed a bit. And, as all new good alpine shoes, they have a little strap to avoid getting snow in your shoes. Ready for the Summer and the Winter I guess :)

Second: the Arrow lila (lady), for running, walking and just casual walking. They're my favourite running shoes. The old ones are completely 'gone', as I wore them every day :)

Third: the Mutant, a bouldering shoe adjusted for lead climbing. Because of the strap, you can thighten the shoes pretty well. Only a little problem: I think they're too small...again, strange those sizes, I fitted exactly the same shoe about three weeks ago in that exact size and now they don't fit...did my feet grow that much??

Fourth: socks, yes Boreal has socks as well. And actually, they look just as good as your favourite socks of any other brand :)

Next week: full test results!

Anyway, I'm happy.

If you'd like to try those shoes as well, please contact me and check the Boreal website.

2 competitions in one weekend

...And yes again competition climbing today.

This time bouldering. Really fun relaxed atmosphere in THEA, Amsterdam (Tussen Hemel en Aarde=Between Heaven and Earth, as the gym is in a church)

Climbing with other good climbers who respect each other and are interested in what others climb. Such a good support to be around these people. (Thanks Bart, Roelien, Hans, Mariana, Joost, ....)

Nikki joined, but didn't put in here score card, Mariana, Roelien, Rianne, Martina and others did put in their score cards and surprisingly, I won! As price I got a pair of climbing shoes :)

It's very motivational to win this little comp and see where I stand between the other climbers.

Mariana won the over-all Winter competition. She got a really cool big triple crashpad!

Though, I still have to keep on training. I notice that my fingerstrength really has to improve and I need to get some more powerendurance. I can do most of the moves, but get tired fast.

So, restday tomorrow and then training again!

NSK Sportklimmen

Yesterday (and officially today as well) I competed in the Dutch Student Championships Lead climbing (short: NSK Sportklimmen)

And gosh, suddenly I was a little insecure girl, not knowing if I could climb on these walls and if I'd reach a proper place in the ranking. I got completely influenced by arrogant girls who were telling me they're basically better climbers.

When people shouted up when I was climbing I wasn't thinking of climbing better but thinking of the girls who were all hoping I'd fall off so they would win. So I climbed too slow, too insecure and not strong enough.

Strange how much influence people can have on me.

All the waiting in between the routes didn't help either. I was happy that they shortened the program to just one day to avoid having the finals in the rain (it's raining here today)

Though, I reached second place.

I drove to Utrecht with Jasmijn (who became 6th) and Truong Ngo, who also landed in second place. And now up for the next competition in Amsterdam, bouldering this time. Hopefully I'll do better there :)

Ettringen...again (3)

Yes, and again we went to Ettringen. Just for one day.

Way too warm to climb and not the focus to climb the things I wanted to climb :(

Sometimes I just have a day that things don't work the way I want them to work.

Then I get pumped after 3 moves,don't have the strength to do the crux of the line, get stressed by not climbing my project and frustrated, and then nothing works anymore. It's very annoying to have these days. Sometimes it works to take a break, but as we only had one day to climb, I couldn't really take a break.

Though, Rick and Dennis did a good job. Dennis climbed his first 7c: Diablo! And Rick did a very nice traverse over the Grosse Wand.

Later more, when I'm finished editing the little video :)

Spring!

In Iceland you have just two seasons: Summer and Winter. The in-between-version doesn't exist. Understandable. It's often just cold there: t-shirt weather is nice, but far not as nice as t-shirt weather in the Netherlands.

So, I'm enjoying the sun!

Worldcup Boulder Eindhoven

Waaa, exciting!

I'm going to join the worldcup bouldering in Eindhoven this Summer!

It's now official and on all webpages: climbing.nl, nkbv.nl, the worldcup webpage and more :)

Quite scary when people talk about you on webpages and stuff. I'm even in some kind of poll on climbing.nl: "Who is going to be..." bla bla, just vote, or don't ;)

I never expected to be fit enough after I broke my arm this Winter. But, with solid 6C os. level again and sometimes even 7A's that go good already, I'm feeling fit and strong.

These days I'm spending more time then ever on my climbing. Fitness in the mornings cycling everywhere instead of going by car and climbing in the midday and/or evening. Just bouldering and weekends in Ettringen for a change of scenery.

Ettringen...again

Ettringen last 2 days.

It was great: rain, cold, humid, but fun!

And I found myself two such cool things to do! Couldn't climb it today, but I'll definitely go back and get all my strength and power together to climb it!

Route 1: Diablo (1e Grotte, Modor) 7c on pure power. Bolted, long moves ok "ok" holds in a big roof.

Route 2: Mut der verzweiflung (Grossen wand) 7b/7b+, trad climb. Obvious crack line, very challenging but very possible. Only one woman has climbed it so far see Melanie climbing the route on basaltcracks.de

I made a little video of our climbing last days. Not the best video, but maybe fun to see :) (Thanks Vincent, Erik and Dennis for the images/video)

Who's up for Ettringen next week/next month/somewhere this year??? ;)

The weather forecast for today

After a week of rain in Freyr, I was hoping to have better weather this week.

But cycling today in wind and rain wasn't much fun today.

I even thought of cycling inside (they call it 'fitness').

(The picture is no joke, it really was the forecast for today...)

Giro d'Italia

This weekend is Giro weekend. All around Utrecht and Amsterdam there are little cycling events. And there is of course the big tour: Giro d'Italia. Italia/Holland, yes, I don't get it either...but it was fun to watch.

I took my brother and dad and five different camera's with me. This is the result: video/slow motion and pictures. Though, the best pictures stay on my dad's page.

Climbing is fun...in the rain

Last week I drove down South (sounds like driving to warm sunny weather...)

Freyr was our destination.

We were invited by Petzl in the classic Freyr restaurant (Le Chamonix) to sign our 2010 contract. Really amazing to be member of a team with the world's best climbers!

Though, the weather was quite bad...rain, cold and I even got sick! Sore stomach, fever for a day and the next day my belaybitch (Dennis) had the same thing :(

But, I found some new projects and when you have the right route, Freyr is not that slippery :)

Though...sometimes the Dutch climbers should try to shut up and climb instead of scream over the cliffs that it's scary/high/difficult/slack/...

Here a little (unfinished) video of my adventures.

Freyr and Petzl

I feel very flattered, amazed, exited, respected, motivated, energetic... I'm officially sponsored by Petzl!
Last Friday we signed our contacts!
And we climbed in Freyr with our new draws.
There's sun, slippery classic Freyr cliffs and fun!
Hopefully more climbing the next days :D