Welcome to Behind The Wall, a weekly newsletter published every Saturday.
Each week, I highlight the favourite things I’ve watched, read and listened to from the world of indoor and competition climbing. I also keep track of what climbing competitions are coming up and where you can buy tickets. (If you are new here, you can read old editions on the Behind the Wall homepage.)
This weekend, we have a test event for 4-lane speed climbing in Madrid, Spain, before the event at the World Games in China next year. Will the format feature in the 2028 or 2032 Olympics?
This week, we got an interview with Mori Ai and one with Jakob Schubert(both with English subtitles), alongside an in-depth interview with Toby Roberts from the CIA. We hear from Molly Thompson-Smith and Alex Megos on their retirement from competition bouldering. We learn more about judging IFSC competitions from the That’s Not Real Climbing Podcast and about coaching competition climbers from the Testpiece Podcast.
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Watch
- My 1st Lead World Cup after the Olympics | Toby Roberts. Toby Roberts reviews his performance and feelings at the Koper World Cup.
- Sport Climbing / Ai Mori’s Method | Method. Interview with Mori Ai with English subtitles. Mori talks about how she started climbing, the Paris Olympics and her future goals for the next 3 Olympics.
- Q&A with Jakob Schubert | Jakob Schubert. Jakob Schubert answers some questions about his climbing career so far, including what the most emotional moment of his career was and who he looks up to( with English subtitles).
- Molly Thompson-Smith, Olympic Climber, board session & talk part | Alex Megos. Molly joins Alex for some board climbing at the Climbing Works in Sheffield and discuss their retirement from International Boulder World Cups.
- Ludwig accidentally sets the Hardest Boulder in the gym! | Magnus Midtbø. Ludwig and Magnus set boulders for each other for Ludwig’s first-time routesetting.
Listen
- Stanley & Zulazfar, IFSC Event Delegate & Judge | That’s Not Real Climbing Podcast. Jini talks with Stanley and Zul about judging World Cups, including how they became judges, high-stakes decisions, and why they had to cancel the Boulder round in Keqiao.
- Alvaro Rangel — Coaching Team USA at the Olympics | Testpiece Podcast. Josh talked with USA Climbing Assitant Head Coach Alvaro Rangel about learning movement and what makes a good competition climber.
- Interrogation of Toby Roberts | CIA. Björn and Vladek interview Olympic champion Toby Roberts, asking how he felt at the Olympics, what competitions he will do next year, and how much does he bench.
2024 International Climbing Competition Tickets
The World Cup season has wrapped up, but we do have the Asian and Pan American continental championships, a 4-lane speed test event in Madrid, Spain, and a couple of Winter Bouldering Comps.
Here is a rundown of climbing competitions to watch out for the rest of the year.
- IFSC Madrid 4 Speed (Spain) October 19 – 20.
- Pan American Championship in Santiago (Chile) November 18 – 24. Tickets are yet to be announced.
- Master of Fire (Le camp de base, Belgium) December 6 – 7. While passes are sold out, individual tickets are still available.
- Les Grips (Montbéliard , France) December 14 – 15. A new competition in Montbéliard, France, with some of the best international athletes competing, including Toby Roberts, Mejdi Schalck, Tomoa Narasaki, Brooke Raboutou, Natalia Grossman and Camilla Moroni. Tickets are available.
That’s a Wrap
I hope you enjoyed this edition of Behind the Wall. Let me know what you think at behindthewall@insideclimbing.com or D.M. me on Instagram.
See you next week!
P.S. Please share with anyone you think would enjoy reading Behind The Wall.
