Crag Check: Mountain Network Dordrecht

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“Wait, what? Mountain Network Dordrecht? Did they open already without anybody noticing?” Nope, not yet, but the Vertical Athletes team was lucky enough to get a private tour from the host.

View of the outside of the building

The newest offspring of the Mountain Network family is located in an area that was specifically designed to combine one’s professional and recreational life by means of work and workout facilities.

While many climbing gyms are adapted to already existing infrastructure, Mountain Network Dordrecht had the fortune of being in a building that was designed as a climbing gym from the very first drawing on. Already from the outside, the building looks amazing with big glass walls allowing for onlookers to see the climbers inside.

Location
The location consists of four floors with the most important one being the so-called “big hall”, an impressive 17 meter (56 feet) high wall, featuring overhangs and lots of possibilities for leading strong, challenging routes. The smaller brother clocks in at a very nice 12 meters (40 feet) and seems ideal for new climbers who want to get a feel for the sport, before going on to something more adventurous. Incidentally, all beginners courses are also given here. The top floor will feature a 360 degrees bouldering area and even though we have only been shown the plans for it so far, we are sure that the builders are going to create something interesting.

When building the new gym, Mountain Network elected their Dordrecht location to be the first one to feature triangular plates instead of the regular, rectangular ones other gyms have. Having spent a few hours in the walls, both climbing and setting routes, we conclude that the whole feels more organic and a lot more creative than what we have seen so far, in other gyms.

Facilities
Walls and ropes are a given for any climbing gym, but Mountain Network Dordrecht takes the concept one step further, introducing not only cardio machines into the mix, but also a helluva lot in add-on services: during cold wintery nights, the open fireplace is sure to warm you up, while during the summer, BBQs on the rooftop will provide for ample sustenance. The ground floor of the gym also features a bar (did anyone say: specialty beers?!) and dining facilities, meant for climbers who come straight from work and without stopping at home for chow.

On the third floor, next to a fully stocked (traditional) gym, one can also find treatment rooms with professional physiotherapists. This is something we have not seen before and it is certainly a sign of the times: more and more people start climbing and not everyone knows what is best in terms of pushing their body. A little professional help will certainly go a long way.

Conclusion
What we see when we look at Mountain Network Dordrecht is a trendsetter: a new way of building climbing walls, a full-circle concept providing climbers with not only walls to climb on, but also good-quality food and, if needed, professional help on-the-spot. We hope to see many more climbing gyms to follow this ideology in the future.

On April 7th and 15th 2012, Mountain Network Dordrecht is opening their doors to the public and we will be there, again, to enjoy the festivities. Packed with introductory workshops, presentations from experienced climbers and that fresh paint smell, this is something no Dutch climber should miss.

Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour

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For the third time, the Banff Mountain Film festival world tour touches down in the Netherlands. The festival, which owes its name to the Canadian village in the Rocky Mountains, was first organized in 1975; fast-forward to the present and something very local has grown out to a spectacle, making stops in 37 countries with a total of more than 650 viewings.

The popularity of this festival comes from the diverse selection of movies; though called “Mountain Film Festival”, not all entries are about actual mountains and the contest rules are simple: any movie with an adventurous or outdoor spirit can enter in the festival. The diverse program is the reason why this festival was able to grow to three hundred thousand visitors a year.

We pre-ordered our tickets for the festival as soon as they became available and judging by the crowd, that turned out to be a pretty smart decision. Though we do not have any mountains of our own in the Netherlands, just yet, there is definitely a strong interest in everything outdoorsy.

The evening started off with the movie All I can, a beautiful and stylistic feature about skiing. Even though none of us here are skiers ourselves, you cannot help but want to get out there, strap in and hit the piste. The imagery, combined with a perfectly selected soundtrack conjures up emotions that are hard to tame right until the second movie starts: Freedom Chair features Josh Dueck, a former skiing coach who got paralyzed in a terrible skiing accident. The viewer gets to go back in time with Josh and relive the moment when Josh’s life changed for good. After a chilling few seconds, the story continues with Josh’s comeback, now on a sit-ski and clad in neon-colored spandex. “Freedom Chair” is not about a man who lost everything, but rather about a man who, despite his position, is living the life he wants. Though up-beat, the guilt and pain from his injuries resonate throughout the film, adding credibility and a certain humble aura to the whole.

After a short break, the festival continued with the longest feature of the evening: “DeepSea Under The Pole”; the most unrelated movie of the selection. Showcasing an expedition to the north pole, the viewer is taken on a chilling mission, filled with beautiful but cold ice structures, little drama and a very awesome husky called Kayak.

Hanuman Airlines takes the viewer to Mount Everest, on a journey-of-the-heart undertaken by two Sherpas. Proofing that the outdoors is not just about adrenaline and action but also about trying things no one has done before, the Sherpas explain their vision: Lakpa and Babu are well aware of the dangers of climbing Mount Everest and even more so about the dangers of descending them, so they change their approach: climb the mountain, paraglide down and then make their way to the coast and gaze at the sea they have never seen before. Funny and inspirational, this comical duo is sharing their passion for their sport in the most infectious of ways.

The closing clip of the evening was Sketchy Andy, a short we had already seen at last year’s Reel Rock film tour, but something we were happy to enjoy again. Slacklining is up and coming and items like these are a great way to get more people enthusiastic about the sport. Though Andy’s antics are dangerous and might be even considered reckless, the absolute control Andy seems to have is astonishing to see.

All in all, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is a refreshing event that introduces the viewer to concepts and sports we might not be so familiar with. Coupled with an audience that really lives every second of every movie, this even is something no outdoor enthusiast should miss.

Climbing Mount Everest: the easy way

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We are truly rock climbers at heart, but even we could use a break sometimes. Since nothing beats a good old board game on a rainy Sunday afternoon, we were pleasantly surprised when we ran into Sunny Games at the 2012 Bergsportdag in Nieuwegein. A company that publishes board games, at a conference for mountain sports? How does that work?

Well, Sunny Games does not just publish any type of games. They differentiate themselves by focusing solely on cooperative games. And since mountain sports are often cooperative at well, Sunny Games fits in just right. So since we at Vertical Athletes are all just kids at heart, we jumped right in and tried out one of their games.

The game we played was Mount Everest, a game that was originally created by Family Pastimes, a Canadian company that develops cooperative games. It is a board game where all players, or ‘expedition members’ in this case, join forces to summit Mount Everest. There is only one pawn that the team tries to get up the mountain together. You can choose between several routes, all with their own challenges. The members share their walking cards and equipment cards to work through troubles along the way, like difficult trajectories that require extra gear, bad weather conditions and small injuries.

There are different camps on the mountain to replenish your stock of supplies, and reaching the top might seem not that difficult at all. What makes it more fun, however, is that you will also have to get back down off the mountain again. Running out of crampons or carabiners can mess up your swift ascent.
While playing you might encounter some situations that do not seem very realistic when one would actually summit Mount Everest. However, the game play of Mount Everest is really nice and as a board game it works out well.

While the game is rated for ages 7 and up, it still brings some challenge for older players as well. You can choose to play the game just thinking about the equipment you’ll need to carry up the mountain, or you can play the game taking into account the weight of equipment as well. The second option makes the game a lot trickier, and working together with your teammates becomes even more vital.

During the Bergsportdag we have only looked more closely at one of the games, but Sunny Games offers many cooperative games for all ages and around different subjects. Next to board games, they offer card games and wooden toys as well. Check out the Sunny Games website for more information about the different games and for retail addresses.

The Scene

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THE SCENE is the newest movie from the director of PURE and CORE, and is a movie about four of the biggest scenes in the world of climbing.

Moab, Utah is a small desert town surrounded by rock faces and sandstone towers in the most unusual shapes. It is these massive towers that make this area so attractive to climbers, BASE jumpers and other thrill-seeking daredevils.

Switching to Boulder, Colorado, we see not only a shift in landscape, but also in the social community. Where we saw the ethic, natural style of living in Moab, in Colorado we experience what it is like to be in the birthplace of one of the sports biggest disciplines, bouldering, with sponsored athletes of every discipline living in a city packed-full of talent, competition, and progressive ideas.

The culture in Europe is even more different, and Innsbruck, Austria breathes a whole different atmosphere: with possibly the highest concentration of talent in the world, the competition climbers here fight not only for the tops of podiums, but also corporate sponsorships and mainstream success.

The last stop is in Catalunya, Spain. With near-limitless potential, Northern Spain has claimed the title of sport climbing capitol of the world, and is now home to climbing’s largest population of elite sport climbers. Serious athletes go here to test their skills and work on some of the hardest projects.

Review
Now let me first say: I am not a big fan of climbing documentaries, because I feel there is not a lot of innovation in the concept of these films and the subject matter is dealt with in a similar style overall.
We see climbers conquering different problems, and while it still amazes me to see these explosions of human strength, it does not seem very refreshing over time. So I might be a bit harsh, but hey, a little critique never hurt anyone.

What bothered me about this movie is the stylistic choices made. Point of views and special effects are used because they are ‘cool’, but don not add anything to the movie. At times, it even works distracting. For example, there is a monologue from one of the climbers where the camera is tilted for no apparent reason, therefore being a huge distraction.
Also, the concept of the documentary is still very familiar: climbers sending routes and interviews about their climbing life. Not very refreshing, since this is what we have seen in most climbing films so far.

But on a more positive note: It is nice to see that this documentary does not focus on one climber (Like the movie “King Lines” does for example) or on just one area, but it features different climbers and rocks around the world. It does become apparant that these scenes influence the climbers there.
Covering different climbing areas in the world clearly shows that there are actually different communities that attract different crowds. They might all love rocks, but they express their passion in very divergent ways.

Conclusion:
If you are not that familiar with climbing movies or documentaries, this is a fun one to watch. Showing you different styles and disciplines as well as different areas of the world means that you stay interested throughout the film. However, personally I had expected a little bit more of this movie. Stylistic choices made did not appeal to me and I still feel that the filmmakers could have done a bit more to make the subject more appealing and give it a fresh new twist.

Crag Check: Monk Bouldergym (Eindhoven)

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“Just a bouldergym. So no climbing? How can that be fun for an entire day?” Those where my thoughts before we set out to visit Monk on November 19. Boy, was I wrong.

Monk Bouldergym is located near Eindhoven Beukenlaan train station. From there, it is just a 10 minute walk to the hall. Upon arriving, I was amazed at how big the place is. Maybe it is because I am just used to the small boulder facilities that most climbing halls offer or maybe it was the layout, but in all honesty: this place is huge. There are different training walls, with different degrees of overhang. In the middle, the hall offers two ‘mushrooms’ and there are different slated walls to either sides as well. Even though it was pretty busy on the day we visited (also due to the Reel Rock Film Tour screening that night), we never really had to wait for the routes we wanted to try.

Statistics
The grading system in the hall is easy to understand, as all routes of a certain level have the same color card at the bottom. What impressed me most about Monk is the great diversity of routes. I am not a great boulderer myself yet, but the opportunity to try out different style routes appealed to me. Whatever your challenge is in bouldering, there are many different routes to learn from. From extremely dynamic routes (just one big jump from the starting position to the final hold) to routes that required a perfect balance, it is all there.

Slated walls are not a personal favorite, mostly because they so adequately reaffirm the fact that I need to work on my balance. Routes with no handholds or traversing routes are a challenge for me, but Monk offers these routes on different levels, so I did feel like this is something I might eventually improve at. The overhanging walls offer lower level routes as well, making it easier to start practicing overhang routes. It requires a completely different technique and you will need to focus even more on your foot placement to make sure you don’t fall out of the route.

Location
The place is big, and that really works in it is favor. It is an open and spacious hall, with a nice bar and shop area as well. The people were really friendly, we experienced some true ‘Brabantse gezelligheid’. The center of Eindhoven is at a walking distance with nice restaurants and bars for some post-bouldering relaxation.

Conclusion
Bouldering was never really my thing. I am not very good at it and at my regular climbing hall, the boulder routes are often too hard for me and that is quite discouraging. However, Monk changed my feelings towards it. Not only the atmosphere, but the abundance of routes got me excited; really excited! I can not wait to try out more boulder gyms in the future. If you ever find yourself near Eindhoven, take some time and check this place out!

Back from the break!

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This past year has amazed, both on a personal level and as far as climbing goes; I have met with climbers from all over Europe and I have the good fortune to learn from them. I have spoken to route setters and trainers, national champions and even to manufacturers of the very gear I use. Having the courage to ask put me in a place to experience climbing in a different way – I was able to immerse myself in this lifestyle in a way that not everyone can and I am very thankful for all the support I got, but I am even more thankful for the opportunity of sharing my experiences with you.

In the last weeks of 2011, a silent veil fell upon Vertical Athletes, as I took a time-out to recuperate from an injury to my hamstring, which I did not, oddly enough, incur while climbing.

Now, with the new year kicking off, I am back in full swing and as ready as ever. Personal health aside, there is one thing I wanted to share with you:

I am very happy to announce that my dear friend and climbing partner Leonie is joining our staff of one and thereby doubling our team. Leonie has already shared a few of her thoughts with us last year, but is now going to be taking on a more active role in her contributions.

Last but not least, I am looking at this sheet of paper in front of me – a list of things that we plan on sharing with you this season. It may sound cliché, but all I can say right now: stay tuned and chalked up!

Tactical Eating with Steph Davis

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We are big fans of eating the right way, here at Vertical Athletes, heck, we even wrote a guide on what is and is not important when you are trying to eat for endurance.

Steph Davis takes a different, purely vegan, approach, dubbed The Tactic. Check out her clip for some nice inspiration on a very healthy and fulfilling stir-fry:

Bonus tip: The clip also features a few seconds from The Scene, Chuck Fryberger’s latest climbing flick.

NK Boulder 2011 – Impressions

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This past Sunday, the Dutch climbing scene gathered in Klimmuur Centraal for the Dutch Boulder Championship 2011.

Apart from a great setting, what impressed us the most was the contestants total disregard for gravity. Whereas most people would be subject to that nasty force that normally pulls you out of a boulder, the competitors that took part this year seemed unfettered by physics, making it even more impressive to see how flexible the human body can be when it is properly trained.

Head on over to our gallery and have a look at some of the pictures that made the cut, showcasing the sheer focus and determination one requires to compete, like so:


Vera Zijlstra

Vera Zijlstra

Our most sincere thanks to Rogier of Klimmuur Centraal for giving us a chance to take a few pictures and for being such an inviting host!

Climbing like Alice in Wonderland?

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Having visited a couple of different climbing halls in Europe, I know why I like one hall better than another: longer routes, more overhangs and artificial rock. All these halls, however, have one thing in common: walls with holds in different colors, but usually nothing too spectacular – every grip is designed to mimic something that you could encounter on a mountain, as well.

Illoiha Omotesando

Illoiha Omotesando

When asked to design a climbing wall for the Illoiha fitness club in Tokyo, designer Nendo decided to take a different approach: To express the original brand concept of becoming beautiful through movement, Nendo chose the theme rock climbing in Omotesando and began developing a design that uses the mismatch between a rugged outdoor sport and Tokyo’s fashion district to its advantage. Instead of the usual rough and outdoorsy climbing walls we are used to, Nendo surprised with a wall full of interior design elements like picture frames, mirrors, deer heads, bird cages and flower vases to create a challenging wall with hard-to-find holds and unusual finger grips.

Illoiha Omotesando close-up

Illoiha Omotesando close-up

Though we have not yet visited this location, it sure looks like something that is worth checking out!

Gear Review: ZAGGsparq 2.0

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The Great Outdoors are an awesome way to get rid of the daily routine, the repetitive stress and the enslavement of mobile devices. Off-the-grid, however, also means not being able to charge your gadgets at your leisure. The ZAGGsparq 2.0 attempts to be your power plant in a pocket.

When you are out and about, exploring caves, crags and rivers, you need (electrical) power. Your headlamp, your GPS, your walkie-talkie, they all seem to run dry at the most inopportune moments, or, if you are very lucky: at the end of the day, with no chance to get them recharged before the next day.

ZAGGsparq2.0 (retail packaging)

ZAGGsparq2.0 (retail packaging)

Starting out with both a fully charged phone and ZAGGsparq, I was able to keep my iPhone running for a total of nine days without having to plug it into an outlet. During that time, Apple’s flagship product served as navigational aid, media player, camera, writing tool and expense report. The brightness setting varied: less bright at night and brighter during the day. Along the way, I was able to charge my iPhone whenever I needed to and even after the advertised four charges that a ZAGGsparq ought to supply on one cycle, the battery pack still is not empty.

The ZAGGsparq will give you an estimate on how full (or empty) it is with four very bright LEDs. Two USB ports, one for optimized charging (think: iPhone, iPad and many Android Smartphones) and one for normal charging (your headlamp, GPS etc.). Both ports can be used at the same time, if time is of essence. The battery pack comes with a European plug and works equally well around Yosemite or Arco. The shiny black finish makes for a very nice look, too.

ZAGGsparq 2.0

ZAGGsparq 2.0

Head’s up, though: the ZAGGsparq was built with mobile warriors in mind. rock warriors have different needs and though a number of headlamps, GPS receivers and most smartphones can be charged via USB, the Sparq is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The device is not IPEX-rated and therefore has no place in a very wet environment, unless you take proper precautions.

As I type this, my iPhone’s battery has about 12% juice left. Normally, this would mean rationing my usage and not having access to GPS, map material and other useful data. With the Sparq 2.0, I can keep using my device about four times as long, thanks to the powerful battery pack. At a price of TN, this item is a must-have if you want (or need) to charge your gadgets while you are off-the-grid.

Disclaimer: Nate Nelson, ZAGG’s media contact is a friend of the author. The product received was a loaner unit. No special consideration has been given.