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.)
The Red Bull Dual Ascent final happened today at the Verzasca Dam in Switzerland. Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker Wide Boyz behind the mics on the YouTube stream. We had a pair of collaboration drops from the Richardsons and Hannah Morris. Hamish McArthur talked with Testpiece Climbing about his Olympic experience, and Pierre Broyer talked about routesetting in Paris.
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Watch
- What are the differences between intermediate and elite boulderers? Richardsons Climbing and Hannah Morris collaborate on movement comparisons. Zach compares Hannah and Nathan's climbing with that of a World Cup climber and his wife, Madison Richardson.
- Ultimate Guide to BPUMP TOKYO (By an Employee) | Crispy Crimps. Get an in-depth guide to B-Pump Tokyo from someone who works there.
- Comparing climbers with completely different styles | Emil Abrahamsson. Emil, Matilda, and Vivi each set a climb in their preferred style, which will challenge the others.
- First Look: New Climbing Shoes for 2025 | UKClimbing. Rob Greenwood previews some of the newest climbing shoes coming out in 2025, including the Scarpa Instinct VSR LV and the La Sportiva Ondra Comp.
Read
- À froid, Pierre Broyer, ouvreur aux JO, témoigne. Grimper talked with Pierre Broyer, one of the French national routesetters at the Paris Olympics about his experiences at the Games. [Interview in French]
Listen
- Hamish McArthur — His Surprising Path To Olympic Success | Testpiece Climbing. Josh talks with Hamish McArthur about how a finger injury helped him treat climbing with more lightness, learn how to climb for himself and how these helped him enjoy climbing at the Olympics.
- Sofya Yokoyama, Switzerland Boulderer & OG Youtuber | That’s Not Real Climbing Podcast. Sofya talks with Jinni about competing as a Swiss professional athlete, recovering from disordered eating and being born in the 1900s.
2024 International Climbing Competition Tickets
The World Cup season has wrapped up, but we do have the Asian and Pan American continental championships and a couple of Winter Bouldering Comps.
Here is a rundown of climbing competitions to watch out for the rest of the year.
- Oceania Championship in Perth (Australia) November 16 – 17. Boulder only.
- 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!
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