That's Not Real Climbing

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

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 - 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

Sebastian is a German paraclimber. He is also the chair of the paraclimbing commission, and he worked on filing the application to get climbing into the Paralympics for LA 2028, which only recently got approved! In this episode, we'll learn about his journey accepting that his disease would affect his body and climbing forever, what the process was like for getting climbing into the Paralympics, the drama behind the paraclimbing classification process, and we talk about his harrowing 1000km journey to the Innsbruck world cup on just a solar hand bike.

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

Guest links:

Instagram

Youtube

Reference links:

IFSC Classification Information

FAQ Video on the bike

Short teaser about the handbike

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 into climbing/paraclimbing

9:43 - Learning to live with ankylosing spondylitis

23:58 - Applying for paraclimbing to become a Paralympic sport

35:25 - Onsighting the Paralympic application and beating out surfing

39:53 - What sport classes will be in the Paralympics

44:51 - Requirements paraclimbing must fulfill to participate in the Olympics

49:55 - Classification drama

58:07 - How classification works

1:05:15 - The difficult job of classifiers: fluctuating impairments

1:09:25 - Funding his climbing

1:13:07 - And the solar hand bike was born

1:28:50 - Proudest outdoor climbing achievement

1:33:00 - Closing thoughts/where to find Sebastian

Noah is the Assistant National Belay Coordinator of USA Climbing and has volunteer belayed at events nationally and internationally at IFSC youth worlds in 2022. In this episode, we'll learn about how to get into volunteer belaying, some interesting tidbits on belay devices and catching falls that you may not have thought about before, what the differences are belaying different paraclimbers, and some bad falls that he has had to witness.

NEW PATREON: www.patreon.com/CompetitionClimbing

Guest links:

Instagram

USA Belay Instagram

Reference links:

First draw falls at USA Team Trails

Belay shoe clip incident mentioned from Discord

Leg caught in rope Youth Worlds

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

To help support the podcast, you can become a Patreon member: patreon.com/CompetitionClimbing Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Getting into climbing and belaying

8:43 - Any certifications needed to volunteer belay?

14:53 - Belay devices

21:01 - Climbers falling + getting lowered at the same time

23:34 - Do you get paid to belay?

25:58 - Belayer prep for a comp

37:03 - Do athletes ever get to choose their belayer?

48:29 - NO belay glasses?!

51:49 - Differences between youth, elite, para

1:00:28 - Tandem belaying in paraclimbing

1:03:01 - Nervousness while belaying

59:22 - Team boulder arena com

1:08:46 - Climber interactions

1:11:11 - Bad falls during comps

1:17:06 - How to become an IFSC belayer

1:21:13 - Discord Q: Common bad practices belayers need to stop doing

1:26:52 - Discord Q: Have you ever had to remove a volunteer belayer?

1:29:54 - Discord Q: Have peopled ever submitted appeals for being shortroped?

1:31:27 - Discord Q: Thoughts on the double Fisherman or Yosemite tuck?

1:33:20 - Closing thoughts/where to find Noah

Ross is a boulder and lead climber on Team USA and you may be familiar with his Youtube channel where he documents his climbing adventures and shares coaching tips. In this episode, we'll learn about his bikepacking adventure that he skipped the first half of the 2024 world cup season for, hear about his struggle trying to balance competitions with his desire to travel and all his other hobbies, the importance of mindset and meditation, and if you're a USA bay area gym climber, maybe close your ears when he starts trashing the bay area gym scene. This episode is full of training and mindset tips!

NEW PATREON: www.patreon.com/CompetitionClimbing

Guest links:

Instagram

Youtube

Mind to Motion Clinics

Reference links:

How to Train/Stay Fit While Traveling

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

To help support the podcast, you can become a Patreon member: patreon.com/CompetitionClimbing Or, for a one time donation, buy me a "chalk bag": www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro/Going over my experience competing in Vail

3:35 - Absolutely TRASHING California Bay Area gyms

11:38 - Why Ross didn't attend the first few 2024 world cups

13:15 - Insane bikepacking adventure

20:16 - What makes going to a World Cup worth it

25:10 - How Ross got into climbing

34:52 - Class5 Climbing Team

42:58 - The importance of who you climb with

44:58 - Struggle balancing travel desires + competition

49:16 - Hometown advantage makes a BIG difference

55:12 - Climbing training tip: strength training staircase

59:22 - Team boulder arena comp

1:04:48 - Mindset: How to turn around negative thoughts

1:08:51 - Fixing his SLC finals mindset

1:15:39 - Meditation for climbing

1:22:43 - "Being comfortable with the uncomfortable"

1:29:40 - Balancing other sports with climbing

1:40:16 - Using your non-dominant hand

1:45:17 - Making time for Youtube

1:50:05 - Proudest moment as a coach

1:55:42 - Discord Q: How to use skincare products for comp climbing?

2:00:27 - Discord Q: How to incorporate outdoor climbing into training? Any projects?

2:07:51 - Discord Q: Favorite non-US teams to train with

2:11:30 - Discord Q: Is the USA team dynamic more competitive or supportive?

2:15:07 - Leave a comment with more questions if you want a pt 2/Where to find Ross

Erin is a boulder and lead climber from team GB who has been having a stellar 2024 season so far, making finals for boulder in Keqiao, lead in Wujiang, and getting bronze in Shanghai OQS! In this episode, we’ll get some insight into how she seemed to rise out of nowhere, her brutal off-season training, we’ll learn a bit about team GB, and stay for the end to hear about where the Erin McBeast nickname came from.

Guest links:

Instagram

Reference links:

Keqiao Boulder Finals Difficult Paddle

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

If you're able to help support the podcast, you can "buy me a chalk refill" :) current proceeds are going toward a webcam! www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro/Rest after Shanghai OQS

2:52 - Starting climbing + skateboarding

9;12 - Her dad’s gymnastics/climbing background

11:29 - Jumping without bending your knees

13:26 - Climbing preferences, strengths, weaknesses

15:53 - Traveling for climbing experience

17:36 - Team GB training process

21:48 - Finding incredible form this season

26:25 - Taking on a less serious mindset

34:06 - Training goal setting

35:41 - Difficulty maintaining friendships through training

39:45 - Competing against your idols

42:43 - GB Climbing Funding

44:59 - Need for sponsorship

46:33 - Handling the quick OQS -> Olympics turnaround time

49:28 - Future climbing goals

50:55 - Planetology interests

53:20 - Living in Malaysia

56:11 - Erin McBeast origin story

57:29 - ISO activities

59:28 - Discord Q: Did you ever had doubts in wanting to become a pro climber?

1:02:30 - Discord Q: Training at home vs abroad

1:03:59 - Discord Q: Do you do any other sports? Is cross-training beneficial?

1:06:03 - Where to find Erin

Eddie is an ex-IFSC photographer, who worked with them from 2014-2020. In this episode, we’ll get his thoughts on the ethics and purpose of photojournalism, hear about the chaos behind the scenes traveling around for world cups, and discuss ideas on how to get athletes better paid.

Guest links:

Instagram

Reference links:

Vail triangle pose

Mia Krampl Koper incident

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

If you're able to help support the podcast, you can "buy me a chalk refill" :) current proceeds are going toward a webcam! www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro/The great photographer race

13:31 - Comp background + injury

16:29 - Starting photography

24:53 - Becoming a professional photographer

31:36 - IFSC freelance employment only

34:23 - Photography itself is a competitive sport

38:46 - Azerbaijan comp disaster

46:45 - Strange historical US comp scoring

50:30 - IFSC scoring, bringing back 4+ min

57:47 - The importance + difficulty of commentary

1:05:49 - Are there too many photographers?

1:15:20 - Demeaning athlete posing

1:17:55 - Behind the scenes portrait chaos

1:20:48 - Youth climber dating distractions...

1:23:34 - Climbers under RED-S pressure

1:32:19 - Photographing athletes in vulnerable moments

1:39:25 - Photojournalism + variety

1:41:55 - Mia Krampl Koper Incident

1:43:32 - “Losers” in sport

1:51:10 - Pro comp climbers after retirement

1:55:23 - Comparing climbing to disc golf

1:59:03 - Ways to fix athlete funding

2:06:22 - The fall of comp climbing?

2:21:35 - Discord Q: Could/should there be an alternative to IFSC?

2:23:36 - Olympics hatred

2:33:21 - Discord Q: Differences between comp climbing vs outdoor climbing photography

2:39:19 - Being more famous than Will Bosi

2:43:48 - Where to find Eddie

Chloé is a boulder and lead climber competing in the world cup circuit for the Belgian team! This is my first time talking to a Belgian climber, so in this episode we’ll learn a lot about their fairly newly established national team and how funding works, and we also talk about body image with being a more muscular climber, as well as the difficulties that come with being a female climber.

Guest links:

Instagram

Reference links:

Master of Fire Competition

Team Boulder Arena (Competition w/ Stasa)

Charlotte de Witte

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

If you're able to help support the podcast, you can "buy me a chalk refill" :) current proceeds are going toward a webcam! www.buymeacoffee.com/compclimbing

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Introduction/China stress

3:35 - Going into simulation

6:50 - Climbing beginnings

10:39 - Transitioning from youth to senior circuit

12:31 - Favorite discipline

17:44 - Training with dad vs. with the Belgian team

23:05 - Training with male athletes

27:31 - Does the Belgian team train together?

31:36 - Belgian athlete funding

34:01 - Gaining strength too easily

40:03 - Body image

44:27 - Being the only woman on the Belgian team

49:32 - Training with Stasa

58:06 - Machismo in the climbing gym

1:03:02 - 2024 goals

1:04:32 - Discord Q: Are there any language difficulties within team Belgium?

1:06:16 - Discord Q: What do you do in isolation?

1:07:28 - Discord Q: What kind of music do you listen to?

1:09:32 - Where to find Chloé