May 13, 2026

The Future of Indoor Climbing

51 minutes

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In this live podcast from the CWA, we have Dylan Barks, Jamey Sproull, and Brendan Scorpio joining to discuss the future of indoor climbing, including:

Are old school climbers stronger than modern climbers?

What has contributed most to the progression of hard climbing?

What will the ‘board generation’ mean for outdoor climbs?

The future of board technology and specificity

Will there be highball gyms?

The future of ultra-adjustable walls

How high can grades go?

What is the ideal board angle?

What will be the evolution of climbing comps?

Two things gyms are sleeping on right now

Shout out to the CWA for hosting a great event! If you'd like to get involved with their important work or attend a future CWA conference: https://www.cwapro.org/

BIG THANKS TO THE AMAZING SPONSORS OF THE STRUGGLE WHO LOVE ROCK CLIMBING AS MUCH AS YOU DO:

Kilter: Award winning, adjustable, light-up boards. I’m training on the Homewall Full Ride, and if you’re psyched to join me then use code STRUGGLE at checkout when you build your board, and you’ll score up to $1000 off plus a free gift pack let’s goooo!

Asana: Whether you're looking to deck inside or out, Asana has got your landing. Incredible pad systems and crash pads, made by climbers who love what they do, and do it really friggin well. Use code STRUGGLE to score 15% off crash pads and 5% off your pad system!

And check out ALL the show’s awesome sponsors and exclusive deals at thestruggleclimbingshow.com/deals

Shoutout to Aiden Schlatter, Michael Martin, and Kent Olmstead for supporting at the Hero level on Patreon. So mega!

Here are some AI generated show notes (hopefully the robots got it right)

00:00 Modular Wall Teaser

00:26 CWA Live Podcast Intro

03:48 Panel Setup and Goals

04:19 Ryan Training Breakthrough

06:07 Panelist Origin Stories

10:15 Are Climbers Stronger Now

13:26 Tools Driving Progress

15:50 Future of Training Boards

19:42 Gyms in 10 to 50 Years

23:33 Futuristic Walls and Replicas

24:01 Modular Holds Vision

24:42 Adjustable Walls Future

25:45 AI Route Setting Fears

26:18 Making Climbing Accessible

28:14 Pro Grades Next Decade

29:27 Dylan On Grade Progression

31:08 Boards Getting Steeper

32:16 Pro Climbing League Hype

33:59 Skys The Limit

35:08 Host Outro And Cyborg Aid

37:58 Treadwalls For Endurance

40:56 Adult Classes And Leagues

49:58 Intentional Climber Updates

51:22 Final Send Off

Follow along on Instagram @thestruggleclimbingshow and YouTube /@thestruggleclimbingshow

The Struggle is carbon-neutral in partnership with The Honnold Foundation, whose mission is to promote solar energy for a more equitable world.

This show is produced and hosted by Ryan Devlin, and edited by Glen Walker. The Struggle is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective, a diverse group of the best, most impactful podcasts in the outdoor industry.

The struggle makes us stronger! I hope your training and climbing are going great.

And now here are some buzzwords to help the almighty algorithm get this show in front of people who love to climb: rock climbing, rock climber, climbing, climber, bouldering, sport climbing, gym climbing, how to rock climb, donuts are amazing. Okay, whew, that’s done. But hey, if you’re a human that’s actually reading this, and if you love this show (and love to climb) would you think about sharing this episode with a climber friend of yours? And shout it out on your socials? I’ll send you a sticker for doing it. Just shoot me a message on IG – thanks so much!

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By Ryan Devlin

4.7

174174 ratings