Below is a message of 2015. It has been this long since we started thinking about this adventure.
A lot of things have happened since then and some of them made us postpone the project again and again.
But the good news is, it it finally official. July 18th-August 10th 2018 are the confirmed dates.
You can follow our progress on this dedicated teamblog, as well as some extra info about El Capitan, for those who are curious.
greetz
El Captains log oktober 24 – 2015
After hours of storytelling and listening to the previous big wall experiences of Johan and Filip this is the day where the dream comes alive.
I always believed that climbing El Cap would be out of my reach.
But more and more I got convinced that maybe I could become a small part of the great history and the great adventures that occurred on that granite rock face of El Capitan.
If you are interested in the history of this epic piece of rock follow this link
Well, convinced is maybe a strong word.
A project like this for a climber with my abilities must be prepared well in advance. Not only because of the climbing part, but also because of the fact that leaving a wife and 2 small children at home for three weeks needs some preparation as well.
But there is more then enough time to deal with all the aspects of the adventure. Project date has been logged summer 2017.
To do : save the money, find a time window that suits all three of us work-wise, make the necessary arrangements for those who remain at home, arrange the logistics of the journey
So far for the easy part…
Climb-wise :
Learn the specific big wall techniques
Getting in shape for a 3 to 4 day climbing marathon
Learn to jummar, learn to jam, learn to haul, learn to belay, learn to aid climb, learn to climb on nuts and friends, learn to get comfortable on the wall, learn to climb cracks, and so much more. BUT most important : learn to keep your sh*t together at 1000m above the ground.
We will need to take one step at the time. Only that way there will be a chance of doing The Nose and only that way there will be a chance of slightly enjoy the climb…
From now on I will report about the progress of the project. Stay tuned !
One more important thing :
I want to thank Eveline and my girls for the support and for giving me the opportunity to chase this dream. It means a lot to me. This might sound cheezy, but knowing they support this mission is a BIG part of conquering this challenge I love you guys with all my heart...
