You may have heard of him as the slab master, but Hannes is a climber on Team Belgium who just recently got silver in boulder at Arco Rockmasters and also won a bronze in Innsbruck this past 2025 season! In this episode, we’ll go over his 2025 season, get his tips on slab climbing, and learn about how he tries to stay in the right mindset during stressful competitions.

Guest links:

Hannes’ Instagram

Reference links:

Amazing Arco Rockmaster Slab Top

The Backflip of Anger

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Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:12 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

1:56 - Elbow surgery!

4:20 - Rockmasters reflection

10:55 - Getting into climbing and competing

15:27 - Transitioning out of youth comps

17:24 - 2025 season reflection

22:41 - Comps are going back to old-school climbs

26:08 - Instagram influencing world cups

28:44 - Staying in shape throughout a long competition season

32:10 - Lead vs boulder preference

35:43 - Training schedule + lifting vs gaining weight

43:12 - Pressure being the slab master

47:31 - Top slab tips

49:45 - The fickle mental game of comps

52:58 - Power of visualization for mindset

56:55 - The backflip of anger!!

1:00:16 - Taking his driving test

1:05:03 - 2026 goals

1:06:44 - AUDIENCE Q: What is the language situation in team Belgium?

1:09:37 - AUDIENCE Q: Do you think calisthenics/gymnastics is necessary now in comp climbing?

1:11:35 - AUDIENCE Q: How to stay calm during competitions?

1:16:43 - Words of wisdom + where to find Hannes