Develop your climbing, develop yourself: A journey with “the climbing philosopher” Siebe Vanhee.
Meet our special guest who is visiting Bohuslan this months, Siebe Vanhee. Belgian professional climber and social worker who views climbing as a school of life. Known today as big wall free climber and adventurer. Siebe’s passion for climbing started at an indoor camp in Belgium when he was only 10 years old. From indoors to outdoors, climbing took him on remote big wall expeditions and lead him into the game of free climbing hard multi pitches and big walls.
Siebe believes that climbing is a simple game of going up, but the rules you set for yourself or those dictated by local climbing culture can make it more challenging, and valuable, and offer opportunities for personal growth. In this talk, he will open up about his own development process as a climber and a human being, sharing insights from his experiences on and off the wall as well as his trip to Bohuslan. Get ready to be inspired and reflect on what climbing means to you.
RECENT FILMS
“Darkest before Dawn” – about my attempt to free the Dawn Wall in winter 2022. (Spring 2023 online in collaboration with The North Face and Epic TV)
“Friends of the Grit” – explores the climbing ethics and traditions of the famous Peak District as Belgian Siebe Vanhee climbs various Gritstone’s test pieces.
“Orbayu Free Again” – centres around Orbayu (8c) in the Picos de Europa National Park, and follows The North Face’s Siebe Vanhee. (on the TNF youtube channel)
“Le Voyage” – The North Face athletes Jacopo Larcher and Siebe Vanhee teamed up to look for the first repetitions of the route Le Voyage, first freed by fellow TNF athlete James Pearson.
“MAD in Madagascar” First ascent and First Free ascent of a mighty blank wall in Madagascar.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- “Histoire sans Fin”, 2th free ascent of the 8b+ multipitch route. A real Suisse granite testpiece, 2021
- “Project Fear – link up” 1th ascent of an 8b+/c link up in Europe’s biggest roof climbs on Tre Cime in the Italien Dolomites, 2021
- “Fly”, 2th ascent of Switzerland’s hardest multipitch graded 8c and 20 pitches long (550m), 2021
- Orbayu, the fifth free ascent of the 8c trad/sport multi-pitch route in Spain, 2020
- His first 9a sport route, Estado Critico, Spain 2021
- A single day free ascent of Unendliche Geschichte in Switzerland, 8b+, 11 pitches, 2020
- The third free ascent of Yeah Man, an 8b+ route over 9 pitches in Switzerland, 2019
- A single day free ascent – without any falls – on Silbergeier in Switzerland, 8b+ 6 pitches, 2019