Niklas Wiechmann and Jake Mason are routesetters from "Another Setting Podcast" but you may already be familiar with them because Niki was my FIRST ever podcast guest and you are probably familiar with Jake from the Bouldering Bobats. In this episode, we absolutely TRASH US gym hold selection and setting, they give their opinions on worldwide setting styles, comp formats, and moves to LEAVE BEHIND in 2024, and we discuss freelance vs world cup routesetter pay.

Guest links:

“Another Setting Podcast”

Niki’s Youtube

Jake’s Youtube

Niki’s Instagram

Jake’s Instagram

Reference links:

The hold that doesn’t need to exist

Routesetting workshops through Frankenjura Academy

Dockmasters 2025 - January

Studiobloc masters 2025 - March

Quarryman

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Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.com

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Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:33 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

2:29 - Stretching!

5:36 - The bromance + getting into setting

10:23 - Settings trends in each country

15:10 - TRASHING hold selection in US gyms

24:54 - Lack of style in world cups

32:26 - Setting for Brawl on the Wall

42:28 - Fun experimental comp formats

48:08 - Niki's setting future + Frankenjura academy

52:58 - How will setting innovate?

57:12 - STOP setting these moves and START setting these!

1:01:41 - World Cup setter dreams or freelancing + pay

1:09:04 - Another Setting Podcast

1:11:57 - Discord Q: Why is it rare to find footwork-intensive climbs in gyms?

1:14:53 - Discord Q: How important is hold selection in order to force a move?

1:19:27 - Discord Q: What is the "jug ladder" of parkour routes?

1:23:47 - Words of widsom + Where to find Niki and Jake

Andy is a climbing PT from Process Physiotherapy. He has been climbing for over 30 years, has coached in the past, and over time has noticed climbing injuries change as the style of climbing has evolved in the competition scene. In this episode, we'll debunk some training and PT myths, talk about the differences between male and female climbers and the types of injuries they face, and we’ll hear about why he thinks fingers are strong enough.

Guest links:

Website

Instagram

Reference links:

Frontiers | Top of the podium, at what cost? injuries in female international elite climbers

Painfully ignorant? Impact of gender and aim of training on injuries in climbing | BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine

Olympic competition climbing: the beginning of a new era-a narrative review - PubMed

David Barrans IFSC History

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

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Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:30 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

2:17 - Holidays

4:22 - Getting into climbing, coaching, PT

11:31 - Evolution of climbing injuries over time

19:24 - Is there any competition move that's too dangerous?

26:59 - Shoulders, hanging and catching one arm moves

36:11 - Fingers are strong enough!!

40:55 - World Cup climbers using KT tape, metal stickers, ice packs

51:14 - MYTH: Climbing ability declines as you age

1:03:00 - MYTH: Injuries happen from specific occurrences

1:07:14 - How injuries show up differently between male and female climbers

1:17:56 - Period cycles and injury

1:27:54 - DISCORD Q: How to deal with DIP issues/synovitis?

1:34:20 - Discord Q: How should an experienced climber integrate more training?

1:38:29 - A PT's new years resolution

1:40:09 - Closing thoughts + where to find Andy

"She goes by Oce" is a boulder and lead climber from Australia! She's had an amazing 2024 season with her first world cup boulder medal in Prague, and also recently competed in her 2nd Olympics. In this episode, we'll learn about how she battled THREE health issues while competing in the Paris olympics, how Paris compared to Tokyo, her training with team Switzerland and making lead climbing gains, and her (thankfully far in the future) plans for retirement.

Guest links:

Instagram

Tiktok

Reference links:

Anime Recommendation

K-drama Recommendation

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

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Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:19 - MadRock Shoutout!!

2:06 - Post-season break

4:09 - Being away from home for 6 months/Switzerland coaching

9:18 - Starting out climbing with the family

12:24 - Birth order stereotypes

15:16 - Shingles in Paris

19:23 - Meeting other Olympians but not Raygun

21:13 - How Olympic finals felt compared to qualis

27:06 - Comparing Paris to Tokyo Olympics

36:12 - Being emotional on camera

38:44 - Top athletes being gone from 2024 WC season

40:17 - Making lead climbing gains

45:18 - Winning her first WC medal

51:24 - Competition schedule preference

54:59 - Brisbane Olympics and future retirement plans

57:52 - Discord Q: how do you navigate a vegan diet while traveling for comps

59:09- Weeb/koreaboo?

1:03:01 - Discord Q: Could you imagine doing a Swiss bouldering comp next year?

1:04:47 - Discord Q: Do you have any interesting experiences in Japan?

1:06:30 - Discord Q: Are Australian gyms too focused on commercial climbing?

1:09:49 - Traveling with her sister

1:11:53 - Where to find Oce

Tom is team GB’s ex-head coach! He personally coached Shauna Coxsey into getting her Tokyo Olympic ticket and has worked with the rest of team GB up until he left the national team earlier this year in April. In this episode, we'll learn about why he’s banned from the USA, the strategy for getting Shauna to qualify for the Olympics, and the politics and public backlash he faced working in the circuit that led to his eventual resignation.

There is an EXTRA FULL-LENGTH EPISODE available with Tom on Patreon available to members only: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Guest links:

Instagram

Email

Reference links:

Wedge Climbing

Janja Unfiltered Period Talk

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

Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro/Recovering from knee surgery

5:49 - Starting climbing + competing + coaching

10:20 - How he got BANNED from the USA

13:18 - How to get into coaching now

18:57 - Thoughts on Instagram coaching + current training philosophies

25:50 - Coaching Shauna Coxsey into the Olympics

34:15 - Why Team GB found such great form in 2024

37:12 - What makes Toby and Erin stand out from the rest

39:12 - Difference between coaching individually vs acting as head coach

40:56 - How GB training camps work

44:30 - Athlete consistency during comps + period cycles

53:45 - Why he quit as head coach of GB

1:01:32 - Dealing with a toxic climbing community

1:08:38 - The most difficult parts of coaching

1:10:56 - Favorite/least favorite travel moments on the circuit

1:14:59 - Recommendation to other coaches on stress management

1:17:25 - The future of comp climbing + athlete money

1:22:45 - "Coaching people to their own individual Olympics"

1:26:45 - Tom's future

1:28:22 - Discord Q: Does cohesion in a national team make a difference?

1:30:48 - Discord Q: Did individual coaching ever interfere with your work as national team coach?

1:32:54 - Final thoughts + where to find Tom

Sofya is a boulderer on team Switzerland and she’s part of the wave of OG climbing Youtubers! In this episode, she gives us a debrief on her last comp of the 2024 season in Prague, we get some insight into team Switzerland and their potential upcoming funding issues, and she opens up about her past struggles with disordered eating and how she overcame it.

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

Guest links:

Instagram

Youtube

Reference links:

Weight Vest Video

Training App

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

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Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Reflections on Prague WC

6:05 - Climbing + Competing start

7:58 - Worldwide childhood and origins of her accent

10:52 - Boulderer getting into lead training?

15:40 - The "no expectations" comp trick

19:55 - Slab is the enemy

22:10 - Being a short climber

26:08 - Training schedule

30:03 - Team Switzerland transformation

31:42 - Swiss athlete funding

35:23 - Money and YouTube

41:41 - Behind the scenes of Youtube

43:31 - Climbing with a weight vest controversy?

48:19 - Climbing, puberty, and eating disorders

54:47 - Bulking & cutting?

1:04:04 - The pro comp climbing dating scene

1:08:47 - Training with Nicolai

1:10:48 - Favorite hobby is...escape rooms?!

1:12:54 - Future goals & being born in the 1900s

1:18:55 - Shoutout from Tom Greenall

1:19:27 - Discord statement: calling Sofya by the wrong name

1:19:51 - Discord Q: Who's your favorite YouTuber?

1:23:35 - Where to find Sofya

Another double-guest episode! Stanley is an IFSC event delegate and judge chair, while Zul is officially a newly minted IFSC judge. In this episode, we’ll talk about how to become an IFSC judge, hear about their relationships and interactions with athletes and coaches, and we’ll hear some crazy stories about their judging experiences under pressure and cancelling events due to rain like in Keqiao.

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

Guest links:

Stanley’s Instagram

Zul’s Instagram

Reference links:

Appeal against Sorato during Boulder Finals at SLC 2023

Appeal Form

Stickman (Implied beta) on M1 Boulder Finals at SLC 2023

Bee incident during Speed Finals at SLC 2023

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

Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Getting back from Paris Olympics

7:31 - Their IFSC Roles

12:35 - Why become an IFSC judge?

20:34 - How to become an IFSC judge

23:46 - The pressure of judging at the IFSC level

26:51 - Being taken advantage of by coaches

31:09 - Messing up an appeal in Salt Lake City

38:44 - Things route setters do that judges HATE

49:19 - The appeals process

53:55 - Judge relationship with coaches

1:01:27 - Giving athletes yellow cards

1:14:06 - Fixing the weather

1:17:28 - Performing a skit at the World Cup opening ceremony

1:20:59 - Why is the rain issue never fixed?

1:26:58 - Belayer protest walk-out & other crazy stories

1:35:56 - Things to be improved in the IFSC

1:42:25 - Discord Q: How different are WCs based on who's organizing them

1:52:11 - Discord Q: Should corporations host world cups instead of national federations?

1:54:20 - Final thoughts, where to find Stanley & Zul

Jesse is a boulder + lead climber (mostly lead climber) from the USA who is fresh from the Olympics! In this episode, he walks us through his entire Olympics experience, from training through his first ever finger injury, to balancing training with his engineering job, to meeting other athletes in the Olympic village.

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

Guest links:

Instagram

Reference links:

Protect Our Winters

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

Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Post-Olympics travels

7:04 - Climbing and competing start

9:41 - Youth training + competition

12:39 - Wanting to work as an engineer

17:55 - Only getting 1 shot on a World Cup lead route

20:52 - Slipping on the Olympics semis lead route

23:12 - Boulder mindset as a lead climber

26:11 - Olympics Combined format strategy

29:42 - Finger injury leading up to the Olympics

35:34 - Olympics training with a hurt finger

42:41 - Olympics village experience - feeling like a real athlete

47:17 - Dealing with post-Olympic blues

51:22 - Goals post-Olympics

52:55 - LA 2028 plans

58:52 - Protect our Winters work

1:04:35 - Discord Q: Why does it seem like you're friends with every climber on the circuit?! (And a discussion on competitiveness)

1:10:03 - Discord Q: Professional and climbing career intersection?

1:12:35 - Final thoughts: Voting and memes, where to find Jesse

Olga is an official IFSC routesetter, and she recently came back from Paris, where she helped set the Olympic boulder rounds. In this episode, we'll learn about what it takes to become an IFSC setter, what it was like setting at the Olympics and trying to make the rounds fair, and how she balances setting, training, and traveling all while being a single mother.

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

Guest links:

Instagram

Reference links:

Boulder + Lead routesetting guidelines and point distribution goals

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

Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Break after Paris

2:35 - Climbing since childhood and being a team kid

5:36 - Almost an Olympic snowboarder...

7:28 - First time routesetting...was at an international comp

16:26 - Becoming an IFSC routesetter

20:09 - Setting for boulder vs lead

21:57 - Dealing with the boulder setting guidelines

26:06 - Trying to balance boulder vs lead difficulty at the Olympics

35:36 - Height and route setting - The Ai Mori problem

39:38 - Setting for men vs women

42:30 - Setting for future Olympics?

46:54 - Raising 2 little climbers

48:26 - Competing again after giving birth

53:21 - Hospitalizations in Budapest and Paris

55:54 - Balancing training, traveling, motherhood

57:47 - Non-climbing activities and snowboarding

1:02:08 - Discord Q: How do you deal with negative setting comments?

1:07:31 - Discord Q: Should the 2 zone format stay or go?

1:10:15 - Discord Q: How do you improve your route setting skills?

1:12:59 - Discord Q: Unique challenges you face being a setter and mother

1:15:55 - Where to find Olga

I know Allen from our climbing training class in San Diego, but he is also a boulderer for a brand new IFSC federation, Team Guam. In this episode, we'll learn about what it’s like competing on the world cup circuit as an “average” climber who only started climbing at 23 years old and works a full time engineering job. We’ll also hear about what it’s like as a NEW competitor competing in Innsbruck including the afterparties, and all about the Guam climbing scene.

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

Guest links:

Instagram

Reference links:

Climbing Gems Bag

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

Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Our climbing sesh

2:57 - Starting climbing at 23 years old

6:59 - Why he started comp climbing at 29 years old

11:15 - Wanting to bring climbing back to Guam

19:01 - Being a weekend warrior

24:14 - Current training + work balance

29:43 - Never having a personal coach

32:27 - First World Cup experience in Innsbruck

38:31 - The difficulty going to a WC alone

45:23 - What people do in ISO for 8 hours

51:09 - Thoughts while taking on his first WC Boulder

54:07 - Least favorite comp moment

57:02 - Innsbruck afterparty

59:37 - Favorite comp moment

1:05:40 - Climbing Gems chalk bag

1:10:13 - Where is Guam

1:13:02 - Guam climbing scene

1:23:53 - Discord Q: What made you decide to participate in world cups as an average climber?

1:30:15 - Discord Q: Are you going to all future bouldering WCs?

1:35:24 - Final thoughts/where to find Allen

Madison is a boulderer for Team Canada and you may have seen her Youtube videos with her husband Zach on their channel, Richardsons Climbing. In this episode, we'll learn about the issues the Canadian climbing team faces such as not having a head coach, her “lose” streak when it comes to Canadian nationals, Youtube and deleting social media, and we’ll get her take on getting married young and relationships among climbers.

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

Guest links:

Instagram

Youtube

Reference links:

Ditching Social Media Blog Post

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

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Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - The never-ending 2024 season

6:11 - Climbing + competing start

7:53 - Losing interest in lead climbing

16:37 - Current training program

19:43 - Moving to Germany and then back to Canada

26:42 - Canada's funding struggle/lack of coaching

33:31 - Canadian geographical difficulties

37:26 - Discord Q: What obstacles will Canadian climbers need to overcome with Alannah and Sean retiring?

39:32 - Comparison, competitive mindset, and the nationals curse

44:00 - Deleting all social media

49:31 - Social media and sponsorships

55:11 - Making the exception for Youtube

1:02:26 - Getting married young to another climber

1:08:06 - Siblings or dating?!

1:10:30 - Take on relationships between World Cup climbers

1:14:39 - Competitiveness within the relationship

1:21:40 - Relationship with Alannah Yip

1:24:36 - Discord Q: Thoughts on the current field of comp climbing women compared to other nations?

1:27:28 - Discord Q: Would there be a benefit to a more dedicated training center in Canada?

1:30:09 - Final thoughts + where to find Madison