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 week, we got an epic hour-long Creator Cup episode from Hannah Morris Bouldering. We also had some YouTube collaborations. Catalyst Climbing visit Alex Megos and Chris Hanke’s new climbing gym in Germany. Emil Abrahamsson and Jonathan Sin had a fun vlog-style climbing session after a day of filming at the Climbing Hangar in Reading, UK.
Kyra and Allison talk about the difficulty of taking time off in a sport where you can climb year-round on the Circle Up podcast. Sam talks to Xian on the Careless Talk podcast about her new book Smooth, which breaks down climbing movement. Josh talks to Adam Shahar, who finished 7th at the Prague World Cup in his first season on the circuit.
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Watch 📺
- The Creator Cup: PRO Bouldering Competition ft. Toby Segar + Erin McNeice | Hannah Morris Bouldering. Hannah Morris hosts the first Creator Cup, where teams of professional climbers and creators compete together in the 2024 Olympic combined format boulder final.
- Rappers Try Bouldering ft. Kofi Stone | Rappers Try Things. Kofi Stone joins Barney Artist and Guvna B to try bouldering at the Font in Wandsworth.
- How to Climb V6: Analyzing essential V6 techniques | Richardsons Climbing. Zach Richardson talks about the many different techniques that will help you climb V6 boulders.
- Inside the Gym of the World’s Strongest Climber | Catalyst Climbing. Louis and Sam head to Germany for some shenanigans with Alex Megos and Chris Hanke while they add the finishing touches to their new gym, Frankenjura Academy. Watch for a bit of spray wall, kilter board and strength challenge madness.
- Can I keep up with a V15 Pro Climber? ft Emil Abrahamsson | Jonathan Sin Climbing. Emil and Jonathan have a session on the yellow and black boulders at the Climbing Hangar in Reading after a day of filming.
Listen 🎤
- Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop | Circle Up Podcast. Kyra and Allison lament the lack of an off-season for climbing and trying to rest.
- Xian Goh - How to get better without training! | Careless Talk Podcast. Sam interviews Xian Goh about her technique and movement-focused approach to climbing training and discusses her 5 principles of climbing movement from her new book Smooth: Movement Principles and Techniques for Climbing.
- Adam Shahar — The Best Training For Climbing, 1-Arm Pogo’s, IFSC Athlete of the Week, Ego Snacks, and Letting Go of Negative Thoughts | Testpiece Climbing Podcast. Josh talks with Adam Shahar, who won USA Bouldering nationals in 2023, climbed V15 and finished 7th at the Prague World Cup this year.
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 DM me on Instagram.
See you next week!
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