Ben is a climber on Team USA and hold shaper for Pusher holds! In this episode we’ll get some insight into the grades of world cup boulders, how depression, anxiety, and ADHD shapes his relationship with climbing, how he balances working as a routesetter with training, and get his thoughts on hold shaping.

Guest links:

Ben’s Instagram

Reference links:

Seoul World Champs Boulder Semis

The Boss hold

Thank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/

Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.com

Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Join the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zp

Join Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:10 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

1:53 - World champs experience

11:51 - Difficulty of semis boulders at world cups

18:33 - Getting into climbing and competing

22:36 - Climbing as self-medication for ADHD

30:20 - Training routine...or lack thereof

38:44 - Actually a lead climber

45:21 - MORE power boulders!

51:55 - Competitiveness with Colin

55:11 - Becoming a hold shaper

59:00 - Good holds vs bad holds

1:09:54 - Thoughts on no tex

1:20:05 - 2026 goals

1:21:56 - AUDIENCE Q: Did you really start climbing at 2?

1:26:19 - AUDIENCE Q: What kept you motivated to keep trying after failures at nationals

1:30:53 - AUDIENCE Q: What local climbers helped you growing up?

1:33:51 - Shoutouts + where to find Ben