When I was 16 I went on holiday to France with my parents, like all Dutch people, and got the idea to join a climbing course in the Verdon. The famous rock climbing area, that time I learned to belay, lead and make safe ancors etc.
I got completely hooked to climbing, but what to do if you are from a country with no mountains?
So I went to indoorclimbing gyms and started to meet "real"climbers. Very quickly I started to make trips to the Alps and by the time I was 18, me and my climbing friend started to nail all the major peaks there. This was completly inresponsable and dangerious, we had no idea what we where doing! We had no money, no gear, no experience!
Very quickly we gained experience and somehow survived this dangerious period of experimenting in the Alps.
I sarted to look around to find a way to make my proffesion of my hobby, this took a wile......

Then I met the famous climber Dan Mazur, we became friends and he offered me a chance as a assistand leader and later I started to lead trips for him alone. I went to Manaslu, Everest (twice), Cho Oyu (twice), Lothse, mt Kenia and Kili. This sping I am going to Everest and Lothse again!
I also have a Sherpa girlfriend, who becomes my wife this spring! She always joins me on my climbing adventures now. She is also a good climber, her name is : Maya Sherpa, she was the first nepaleese woman on Ama Dablam, Pumori and Cho Oyu. This spring she is joining me on Lothse!

So from a flatlander I became part of the Sherpa community. I am a very lucky man to have uncles and cousins who are the best climbers in the world. I am very proud to be part of this family!!!
My passion is climbing and by being a proffesional climber now I have a chance to share this with all kinds of people from all over the world. The mountains are for everybody and I hope I can help a lot of people living their dreams in the future, like I do !!!!!!!!!!!

Stay tuned for my next dispatch I will tell you about my last climb on mt Kenia