13 Dec
Enthusiasm for alpinism, that is what Rik exuded as he told his story about his expedition. On Monday 3 December Rik van Odenhoven came to Neoliet south to give us a lecture about the expedition to Kyrgyzstan. He told us how his love for the mountains arose in his student days at the ESAC and how this has grown into more than just a hobby. By now, he is apprenticed to become a mountain guide and recently took part in the expedition academy.
Rik told us about how the process works from the start. To begin with the selection for the trajectory. Step by step he showed us how the preparations for the expedition were taken. For example, how to choose an area for your expedition, and how do you actually prepare for a place where no one has ever been? In his story it became clear that you have to be an all-rounder, and as a team you need to know each other's strengths.
There were a lot of beautiful photos and videos from the expedition itself, which gave a good picture of the special landscape in which they found themselves. With humor Rik told about the different summits they climbed and that he and his buddy have named 2 mountains after their girlfriends. Rik managed to create a good overall picture of the resting in the base camp to the physical performance to reach the top. He has inspired me and a lot of others very much and fed the thirst for these kinds of adventures.
Thank you Rik for your passion and enthusiasm!