Stefans blog

This page acts as a placeholder to share information about rock climbing on the island of Curacao with the global climbing community. If you are visiting Curacao on a holiday and you're looking for a climbing buddy, please check this forum post on Mountain Project:   https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/113326091/climbing-on-curacao . This is a place for climbers to announce their visits, what gear they're bringing and what they are planning to do. It's of course also possible to get in touch with the local community, but especially if you're here for a short stay (2 weeks or less), using the Mountain project forum will maximize your chances of getting in touch with other climbers.     Regarding the bolting situation on Curacao. The areas developed with the support of the NKBV (Fort Beekenburg, Kabrietenberg, Punta Partawela, Mirado and Seru Sablika) are fully bolted with Eterna titanium bolts. In the areas developed by RCC, routes are bolted with stainless stee

Click here for Dutch version It has been longer than I had hoped. About time for an update! The last time I wrote to you, I had just bolted 1 route on the Caracasbaai island, near Fort Beekenburg: Unchained! The development of that area for rock climbing is the reason I'm writing now, but it will have to wait until the end. First, we have to catch up. In the summer of 2018 we did a one-week cruise in the region: Bonaire, Aruba, Panama City and Cartagena in Colombia. Such a cruise is quite passive and you are only briefly in one location; still, I thought it was a good way to see something of the region in a short time. Moreover, a cruise was on my 'bucket list'. The journey from home to the accommodation was the shortest ever, 20 minutes by car to the harbour... In September 2018 I traveled to the Netherlands for the second time. At the beginning of September the weather can still be nice in the Alps. So I drove my motorcycle to the Lienz Dolomites. Where I spent a

Excited because I've finally put up my first route! It's been quite a process, starting around September last year, when I first saw photos of this block and tagged it as a possible climbing place. I wanted to my first route to be an easy line that wouldn't be too hard to bolt. Upon close inspection this line turned out to be just that. The top of the block turned out to be accesible by a scramble with a crux of about french 3 / yds 5.4 close to the ground. It turned out there were plenty of opportunities for temporary anchors. The line had horribly rusted bolts, so there was some de-bolting to do as well, but a big hammer helped :-) after that, tapping, marking, drilling, cleaning, cleaning again, cleaning yet another time... gluing in bolts and then, finally, bounce testing them. The block stands in the sea, near Fort Beekenburg. It has big chain around it that was used to close off the harbour in World War 2. This is where it is in Google Maps:  https://www.google.nl/m

Having fun in Jack Sparrow Klik hier voor Nederlandse versie And to think I was worried about not climbing anymore after moving to Curacao… From where I live now, it’s five minutes driving to Roi Rincon and some ten minutes to Piscadera. Though fledgling, the climbing scene is very active. It’s not hard to find people to climb with. Being my own boss also means I can climb on weekdays sometimes. Although there is less reason to, as the climbing areas are not crowded even in the weekends. I think I managed to climb about once a week for a couple of hours on real rock. Let me tell you a little bit about the two areas that have been prepared by Accion Directa, a team of foreign climbers, who started to bolt climbs here last year. The number of routes is still small, but well-spread grade-wise (French 4 to 8) and rapidly growing. First of all, there is Piscadera. On the way from the airport to Piscadera and Otrabanda, this is hard to miss. It’s at the hill to the left of

Welcome to my new office! Klik hier voor Nederlandse versie I finally did it, I founded my own business! This was a long term ambition, really. After switching to a trainer role in 2008, I came to realize it would be hard to maintain a position as full-time trainer. Although I got exactly this with Sapienza Space and Defence, I regarded it as a unique opportunity, unlikely to recur. So, for some years, this had been on my mind. With some hesitance, because I liked the security of having a paid position. And then, suddenly, this became the way forward. I wanted to continue working for Sapienza. To avoid complications, this was best done from my own business. The founding started way before moving to Curacao. Lots of things had already been completed, like contract negotiations, getting support for the legal stuff and advice on how to run a business in general. I could only complete founding after moving; I had to prove I’m living in Curacao, as this is a requirement fo

Klik hier voor Nederlandse versie OK I guess this a little bit overdue, but things have been – quite  simply – too busy. I guess what they say is true; it will probably take close to a year to really settle in a new place. It’s safe to say there are still many things to do and many people to meet! After my previous post, we sold our house and moved in with family for a while. Then, on Monday 5 February we said goodbye to the Netherlands and flew to Curacao. We were accompanied by Liesbeth’s mother, who would remain with us for  the first two months of our stay, to ease the transition for Jona, our son. The first few days we spent at a rental apartment. After that, we moved into our new house; and the next day, the shipping container from the Netherlands arrived. This execution of planning was done in a very “un-local” fashion, people told me. I just guess we were lucky. The first procedures regarding immigration went very quick and without hassle; our meetings at

Klik hier voor de Nederlandstalige versie A few months ago I hoped that after putting our stuff into a shipping container things would get quieter. Alas, reality proved this expectation to be wrong... Much has happened since my last blog, so here is an update. All lights are green. Paperwork, a school for our son, the sale of our apartment, buying a new house and the arrangements for my work have all been completed – as much as possible, considering not everything can be done from the Netherlands. Our material possessions are floating somewhere in the Atlantic. Don't worry, they're on a boat ;-) and they're supposed to arrive on Curacao by the end of January. Early February we will fly to Curacao and move into our new house. I expect to be quite busy the first few weeks... Below an impression of our last weeks in the Netherlands. Winter in the Netherlands. Gloves, cap and scarf. Soon, we won’t need this anymore... Moving isn’t cheap, but at least we

Voor Nederlandse versie klik hier Ten hours of flying passed without incidents. Then I left the plane with Jona (my son). My first impression: it’s hot! Then the usual stuff. Immigration, picking up suitcases and customs. And then: the long awaited reunion with Liesbeth. She had been working on Curacao for two weeks before we arrived. Into the car. Tired of the journey, an avalanche of impressions. In terms of architecture, it reminds me of the Canaries. With increased poverty. The roads are different and at the same time familiar; the asphalt is worse, but I see the usual Dutch traffic lights and signs. Then we leave the main road and arrive in our 'neighborhood'. The roads are still bad, but the houses have large gardens. Very different from the Netherlands. Our house looks old but it’s huge. The following days, Jona and go sightseeing while Liesbeth is still working. Fort Beekenburg and Westpunt. Nature here is very green. Then the juggle starts. Searc

Een snel antwoord: klimroutes maken! Rotsen genoeg, of meer dan Nederland in elk geval... om me daarmee te helpen heeft Kobe Bellinkx van het Belgian Rebolting Team (BRT) me vorig weekend een 'crash course' route behaken gegeven. Kobe bedankt!! Bij deze een impressie met foto's. Er komt meer als ik daar een begin maak! A quick answer: setting up new routes! Plenty of rock, more than in Holland at least... to help me with that Kobe Bellinkx of the Belgian Rebolting team (BRT) gave me crash course in bolting. Kobe, thanks very much!! In this post I'm sharing some photo's. More to come when I start to do it over there! Flone, 'under construction'   Een hoop materiaal te versjouwen Lots of gear to carry to the rocks Stap 1 is boren - het was al schoongemaakt Step 1 is to drill - cleaning was already done   Zeker stellen dat de haak niet kan draaien Making sure the bolt can't rotate Passen / fitting Klaar voor de haak Rea

For Dutch version click here One of my favorite pastimes is running. Like most runners, I have a circuit I repeat quite often. My circuit I call a “rondje Zegerplas”, a run around a local lake. It’s a little of five kilometers. Years and years ago, while running this circuit, a system of laps came into existence. It’s to be expected, I guess – if running isn’t going well, it’s easier to focus on the next bend than the end destination. (as writing is also one of my favorite pastimes, these laps quickly received names. The Bay, Hill and Valley, Dead Man’s Dyke… that kind of stuff. I like to add to the experience J ) As time progresses, I’m starting to see that our emigration consists of laps as well. You could also call them ‘phases’ or ‘stages’, but that doesn’t feel entirely right. This has to do with my background as a project management trainer. In the world of project management, stages are often seen as a control. Are we still on course? Should we go on without cha

( For Dutch version click here ) There is a big change ahead for me, Liesbeth (my wife) and Jona (our son). Figuratively speaking I'm writing this blog from a train - a big and cumbersome one - that is finally starting to pick up speed. The train's name is "emigration" and its destination is Curacao... The plan started to materialize in the beginning of 2017. Liesbeth applied for a job at the hospital of Willemstad. For her, this was a renewed acquaintance; she worked there in the nineties. In the spring she was accepted for the job. I am planning to found my own business and deliver services in the field of training and development. The last four years I have worked extensively with expats. It has shown me from close by that moving abroad can be done. Now that it's personal, however, it's a different experience of course. All kinds of emotions pass by; curiosity, worries and hope to name a few. The fact that this change also affects my son works in