Qualifications World Cup Bouldering 2009 Netherlands

Pictures tell more than words. These are a few of my shots that I was able to take between my Jury duties. Cool to see a bunch of the world top boulder climbers before your eyes !

World Cup Bouldering 2009 Netherlands - Last Preps

Rustam Gelmanov from Russia listening to the technical meeting in MONK

The Japanese climbing team enlisting for the World Cup. Is Tim talking japanese or gibberish...

Last minute copy and paste work.

Some of the jury inspecting the boulder wall and watching the routesetters making their last changes. It's gonna be cool !!

(pictures by Paschnampook)

Dilbert Comic - Delegating Strategy

Love the sarcasm in this one.

(source: dilbert.com)

World Cup Bouldering 2009 - One night to go

The media is getting more interested in the coming World Cup Bouldering 2009 held in Eindhoven (Netherlands). For the Dutch see this link for an article about the climbing bro's Nicky and Ricardo de Leeuw. Click here and here to see pictures of the last preparations and climbers getting ready. And don't miss the Dyno Contest at Sunday !! (see the dyno wall below).

(source: climbing.nl)

Cat Showing Dissapointment after Bird Hunt Failure

Watch the cat's reaction after she misses her attempt to catch the pidgeon.... yuk yuk (click the picture to see video)

(source:offbeatenough.com)

Boulderwall for World Cup Eindhoven 2009

Last saturday a dress rehearsal for the World Cup in Eindhoven 2009 was held in MONK (Eindhoven - Netherlands). All the members of the Dutch Climbing team (minus Vera Zijlstra and Wouter Jongeneelen who were at the World Cup in Vail), the wildcard holders and the judges were present for the Try Out (see here for results). Primarily it was a test for the boulder judges to see if we were ready for the real thing. I was the only one with only theoretical experience. And as such the only one to get my first time experience as a judge on a World Cup !! As a dress rehearsal should be, lots of things went wrong. But the rule states the premiere will be flawless !

Ofcourse all the climbers did well to test us and made a lot of 'mistakes' to see if we, the judges, are up for the real thing (thanks Casper and Michiel :P). So besides being serious we had fun as well.

See this link (7th of june) for a post from Nicky de Leeuw (sorry only in Dutch).

After the try out we went to the Klokgebouw where the World Cup 2009 will be held and saw the beautiful and colourful wall for ourself. Check it out ! and be there at the World Cup.

(pictures by paschnampook)

Humour in Commercial - The Witness Programm

A while ago the insurance company Centraal Beheer made some very funny commercials about things not going quite the way you want.... Click the pic for the movie.

(source:youtube.com)

Commercial - The Witness Programm

Vertigo Designs Lead and Bouldering walls for World Cup Qinghai - China

Vertigo-klimwanden, one of Europe's leading constructors in Climbing Walls, is also doing business in China. In 2004 Vertigo they joined business with Geckoking and for the World Cup Climbing in Qinghai, held at the 30st of june until the 5th of july, they designed the whole complex.

The bouldering area looks a great deal the same as the construction they used in Vienna (Austria): outdoors with a roof on top (see previous post). But what the heck, Bouldering is best with a light breeze and some sun so presumably this is going to be (is??) standard for bouldering competition. OK, the one (see picture under) in the Netherlands excluded....

(source: Vertigo.nl and IFSC-climbing)

World Cup Bouldering Vienna - Austria

Aleksandra Balakireva and Rustam Gelmanov from Russia won the World Cup competition in bouldering in Vienna, Austria last weekend. A wonderful outdoor setting of the boulderwalls made it an event a bit different from the coming World Cup Bouldering in Eindhoven (Netherlands), which is held indoors. Check all the clips from the finals and watch the awesome boulders and their climbers. Not to forget the new world record dyno from Nicky de Leeuw (Netherlands) and Peter Würth (Germany)!!

(source: boulder-worldcup.com and czechclimbing.com)

World Cup Bouldering - FAKE

At the 6th of june there will be a try-out of the World Cup Bouldering in MONK as a practise for the Dutch climbing team and the wildcard holders. Main objective thought is to give the Judges a last update and simulation possibility for the real competition. Enjoy 'FAKE' from the MONK bar and see what the World Cup Bouldering has in store for you. Admission is free and it starts at 18:oo until 20:30.

Op 6 juni wordt er onder de noemer FAKE op onze wedstrijdwand een simulatiewedstrijd gehouden als voorbereiding op de World Cup Boulder een week later. Hoofddoel van de wedstrijd is de nationale scheidsrechters een laatste bijscholings/trainingsmoment te geven. Voor de deelnemende klimmers (uitgenodigd zijn alle Nederlandse deelnemers aan de World Cup) is het een mooie laatste oefening. Geniet vanuit de Monk bar relaxed van deze try-out en neem alvast een voorproefje op wat komen gaat. De toegang is gratis. Zaterdag 6 juni18:00 - 20:30 uur

(source: blog.monkbouldergym.nl)

Judge at the World Cup Bouldering Eindhoven - MONK

Yesh !!, Mooch the cat from the comic Mutts would say. I have been asked to be a formal judge at the World Cup Bouldering in Eindhoven. What an honour !! To see the most skillful bouldering man and women of the world competing in front of your eyes is a thrill to behold. See here for the enlistment so far.

First I'll have to learn all the general and specific bouldering rules by heart, but it's the pre-meeting with the other judges and the training session with the Dutch team and wildcard holders that will teach me the most.

Another step in the climbing world I have not yet experienced is about to become reality. Something to look forward too. Be there and enjoy all the activities with me !! Check this link (Dutch) and this link (English) to learn more about the World Cup Bouldering in Eindhoven. For international news go to the IFSC site.

More updates about the World Cup will folow for sure !!

I need a holiday....

See ya L8terz, after the holiday-break.

Old days in Val di Mello

In my early days of climbing the Van der Linden-brothers took me to all sorts of magic climbing places. From the limestone cliffs in the Gesäuse (Austria) to the long and sustained climbing on granite in Val di Mello (Italy). Specially the latter became a mecca for me, and still has many good memories to reminisce about. The pics below are taken in the famous 'Luna Nascente' (Birth of the Moon) where the descent was an even greater adventure than the climb itself !

Although it was a fine and beautiful route, nothing can beat the thrill of climbing 'Oceano Irrationale', with lots of spectacular climbing in fissures, requiring the famous Timmy 'O Neil moves. That route is branded in my memory as one of the finest climbs ever.

(source Luna Nascente pictures: Martijn van der Linden, source other pictures:unknown)

Variations on Homo Universalis - Leonardo da Vinci

I stumbled upon some nice variations of the drawing Homo Universalis, Leonardo da Vinci once made. Funny parodies I found you can see below:

Why Men Die Younger

In this times of crisis humour is needed. This one is an oldie from the Wallis 'Dress to Kill' campaign, but worth to post again. I like the last one the best because of the book the man is reading....