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That's Micha... |
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My first contact with this sport is based on old climbing stories by my parents. In his early twenties, my father had an accident while climbing and had to quit this sport. Because of that and due to the fact that I live in a pretty low land, I did not begin free climbing until the age of 22. After I finished my apprenticeship as a jeweler, I went to Australia for one year. On one side, I extended my professional skills. On the other side, Down Under offered amazing opportunities for free climbers. In Brisbane, my first stop, there are the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. In the middle of the city you find a natural rock which is 200 m long and 12 to 18 m high. Just awesome. With the Glasshouse Mountains, the Crampians or the Blue Mountains I also associate unforgettable climbing memories.
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The wish to find a direct contact to the immense resource of gems came true in two ways. In Brisbane, I worked with diamonds up to 3.0 ct.. Coober Pedy, on the other side, brought me closer to opals. I had the opportunity to mine opal underground, to learn the opal cut and later to work with the stones. Although the red desert drives the heart of a climber to despair, the idea grew inside of me to make climbing jewelry. The first three little climbing men came into being. Back in Germany, I put together a collection of piercings, necklaces and earrings.
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And you will not believe it, in Middle Germany there are also mountains. However, they grow downwards and are called quarries like the ones at Loebejuen. A magical porphyrean strip. Professionally my little climbing men and me were drawn to Stuttgart. With new friends, I got to know the local paradises for climbing. I would recommend the Swabian Alps which are sometimes difficult to get used to because of crumbling stone and mossy passages. But you will still talk about these experiences in thirty years from now. A second must is the Danube valley. Here you climb tours of several ropelengths. And when you get to the top, the view will knock you sideways.
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I've been back in the vicinity of
Magdeburg since 2006. I have been working as a travelling, independant
goldsmith giving jewlery courses, eg. for wedding couples to design and
build their own wedding rings.
There is no shortcomming of good
climbing in the area as well. The Harz Mountains, the Weserbergland and the
Elbsandsteingebirge are actually just next door and Magdeburg is right in
the middle of it.
Maybe we'll see us in the vertical?! |
