Lead climbing contrete, belaying with a figure eight device and a lot of gezelligheid

Saturday, October 12, the day we’d been anticipating like a kid waiting for Christmas morning: the grand reunion! Folks from all corners of the country showed up—but let’s be real, mostly for the “unfortunately-no-perco coffee” and cake that could rival a five-star bakery. Once the sugar kicked in, the climbing began. The young TSAC members strutted in, thinking they’d show the old-timers how to conquer that concrete wall—little did they know the “old guard” still had plenty of tricks (and back pain) up their sleeves! They might have felt a bit rusty, but apparently, muscle memory doesn’t take coffee breaks. As current members struggled with holds that seemingly moved further away, our seasoned pros zoomed up the hardest routes like it was the good ol' days. And then came the classic excuse from the seasoned members: “The holds have shrunk, they’re spaced out like my ex’s text replies, and don’t get me started on gravity!” Honestly, I think old age might be the sneaky culprit here, but who can blame them? It’s just character building, right?

Despite some creaky knees, the former members did a stellar job passing down their climbing wisdom to the new generation—who, by the way, are now far too grown-up for any “baby” luxuries. The “TSAC Crib” made an appearance, boasting that five little climbers have already trialed it. It was like a climbing version of “The Bachelor”: all eyes were on one of our rising stars smoothly completing the table boulder while some of the current members were still struggling to figure out whether to go left or right.

All said and done, it was a fantastic afternoon! Stories flew as fast as our enthusiasm. There was, however, a collective sigh of disappointment from our honorary members: the concrete wall has seen better days. Joint repairs, hatchet removals—it was practically a concrete Spa Day! Rumor has it a group of nostalgic members is plotting a “bik night” to bring those joints back. One enthusiastic old-timer declared, “Let someone else bik! I’ll judge whether it’s like it used to be,” channeling every bit of his “wisdom” (and likely a touch of wishful thinking).

By the time dinner came around, it became glaringly obvious that today’s members prefer to listen to thrilling tales of alpine adventures rather than actually step foot on a mountain. What happened to the glory days of stuffing ourselves into cramped unmanned huts? Now, we crave tent service with Perco coffee on the side! And while we once aimed to conquer Europe’s 25 tallest peaks together during our 25th anniversary, now the biggest challenge is simply hobbling down to the Freÿr descent. Maybe for our next grand adventure we should just stick to hitting 45 bouldering halls instead?

As evening rolled in, the highly anticipated gala began... or rather, it turned into a “civilian bedtime” for the old guard! Meanwhile, the younger crowd was fueled by strong perco coffee and jägert tea, waltzing into the wedding festivities like it was a scene from a rom-com. After a bit of guidance from the GalaCie, some questionable dance moves emerged—picture shirtless fans swinging wildly to the beat while some mysterious off-key serenades filled the air. And let’s not forget our piano man! When the night concluded, some folks were so in the zone that they had to retrieve their bikes from Waarbeek halls the next day. As for those who lost their way back to the VB? Well, the entire PublieCie is still in shock as no one could recall anything about the evening. Cheers to nostalgia, new memories, and the absurdity of it all! Here’s to us getting just a bit more cowardly but staying as lively as ever within TSAC. Until next time, let’s keep the spirit high and the stories flowing!