Be\u010dan bought a van and structured his life so that he could travel Europe and climb as much as possible. His rambling eventually brought him to Chulilla, Spain where in 2015 he made the first ascent of Siempre se Puede Hacer Menos<\/a> <\/em>(8c\/5.14b)\u2014onsight. The following year he made the first ascent of Joe Mama<\/em> (9a+\/5.15a),<\/a> an open project in Oliana, Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nowadays, he\u2019s still at it and draws motivation from coaching other climbers<\/a> and developing new routes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After three decades of climbing and living on the road, the 38-year-old says he wouldn\u2019t change a thing\u2014except maybe for a slightly bigger van. Here, Be\u010dan speaks on his climbing roots, how he makes the vagabond lifestyle work, and the lessons he\u2019s learned on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did you find climbing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I started climbing when my school built a climbing wall. It was one of the first in Slovenia, and even though the wall was only eight meters tall and vertical, with wooden holds, after I tried climbing once, it was basically all I wanted to do ever since. I couldn\u2019t wait for the next climbing training. We each got to climb only once, maybe twice if you were lucky, in each session. Sometimes you didn\u2019t even climb because when it was your turn, you didn\u2019t get the harness and you had to go back in line. It was kind of crazy. But at the time it was new and we were still quite okay with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was about 7 or 8 years old, so I started climbing around 30 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did you grow in the sport from there?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We were climbing at school, on this wall, and then soon the coaches started to take us outside, as well. Above my hometown there were some old, ruined castles, and we would go up all the time to traverse along the base. Somebody would have to watch us\u2014don\u2019t go too high, don\u2019t go too high<\/em>\u2014because the old stones could pull out and you could fall. But still, we survived without any big problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then we started climbing at real crags, on top rope at first, and then on lead. The routes were not as nicely bolted as they are now, but it was fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important thing was that our parents were happy to drive us around anywhere we wanted to climb. For example, we decided, okay, tomorrow, your parents take us there<\/em>. And you come home and say, ah, tomorrow, you have to take me there<\/em>. Every week it was like this, and we were climbing a lot outdoors when we were kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the time, did you see it as a hobby or did you realize you could make a life out of climbing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a hobby. My parents were happy that I was doing something\u2014anything was better than just going to the bars, drinking, smoking, doing stupid stuff. They were happy that I was obsessed with this sport and being serious. Basically, it was just a healthy way to spend time, and since I loved it, they supported me all the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When did climbing evolve from a hobby into a career for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I started doing competitions with my school team, and little by little we were getting better results. Eventually, we entered the European youth series, and on and on and on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At that time, we were lucky we could still climb outdoors and combine it with competitions. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s possible anymore. Some people can manage it, but most comp climbers<\/a> are so specialized now that it doesn\u2019t look so fun anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy parents were happy that I was doing something\u2014anything was better than just going to the bars, drinking, smoking, doing stupid stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n How did you structure your life to be able to climb as much as possible?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, I climbed and I put everything else to the side. I\u2019ve been traveling ever since. And then I found a wife who likes traveling, as well. Of course, it was nice that we could share these trips together in the van. She doesn\u2019t mind if we go climbing somewhere for a few months. Sometimes she complains that we spend too much time in the van and she wants to go inside, take a shower, or something. But, yeah [laughs]. That\u2019s how it is sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you live full-time in the van, or do you have a home somewhere, as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We have a home in Slovenia, but this year we spent less than a month there, so far, and it doesn\u2019t look like we will return anytime soon because of the new lockdown. We escaped to Croatia and will probably continue our journey to Greece when it gets too cold here, then next year we\u2019ll slowly make our way back when the restrictions are over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How is it being in the van with a young child?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah, it\u2019s good. Just now, he\u2019s sleeping in the van, and we\u2019re inside in the front section\u2014just checking\u2014yeah, he\u2019s still good. It\u2019s a small space, but when it\u2019s sunny, it\u2019s okay. You can go play outside and everything. When the weather is bad and we cannot go anywhere inside, it can be stressful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re super lucky that we have friends here and we can use their apartment from time to time to play inside, like normal humans, and then we go back to the van.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you made any sacrifices in your pursuit of climbing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No, I wouldn\u2019t say that. Usually, I do what I like, and that\u2019s it. It\u2019s not so easy sometimes. Living a normal life probably would be much easier, but you can\u2019t have it all. You can\u2019t have the security of a normal life and then do all the time what you want. I don\u2019t think I would have done it any differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you say it\u2019s not so easy sometimes, what do you mean by that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n All the traveling can be tiring. Even if the vanlife photos<\/a> look so nice on the Instagram, where everything\u2019s super neat and tidy, in the real world it\u2019s not like that\u2014you would need to clean the place 10 times a day. And then the van breaks down, and since you\u2019re living in it, you have to sleep at the mechanic. Or you get stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere because you drove into the mud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s hard, sometimes, but it\u2019s more fun. You meet people everywhere you go and you can share so many different experiences. I think it\u2019s really a nice way of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLiving a normal life probably would be much easier, but you can\u2019t have it all. You can\u2019t have the security of a normal life and then do all the time what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve been climbing for three decades. What keeps you motivated after so many years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the beginning I focused on training and competitions, and then I put my energy into climbing outdoors. It was so good all the time, and I saw continuous progress in my own abilities. Now it\u2019s a little bit harder to progress, but I\u2019ve found coaching to be rewarding<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I coach other climbers and they improve and are happy, it makes me even happier. I feel the same. If they achieve their goals with my help, I feel like I progressed, as well. This feels even better than if I had just climbed something hard myself because I\u2019ve done it a thousand times before.<\/p>\n\n\n\nQ&A with Klemen Be\u010dan \u2014<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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