The Testpiece Podcast
Testpiece
A podcast about high level climbing. How to go from Good to Great.Hosted by Joshua Horsley.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 15, 2024 • 2h 16min
#81 Carlo Traversi — The Dark Side V16 FA, Using Wet Chalk, Pushing Not Pulling, The Grade Debate, and What He Learned From Yosemite Testpiece’s
Carlo Traversi is back to tell us about his recent FA of The Dark Side V16 (suggested grade) in Yosemite. Josh thinks this FA will go down in the history books as THE testpiece of our generation in Yosemite bouldering. Tune in and see what you think.Carlo explains the incredible tactics he had to employ to get this FA done. It was absolutely mindblowing how detailed he got to make this send happen. A true example of Mastery.SHOW NOTES:The Dark Side Instagram PostValley UprisingYabo RoofJoin Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Jan 8, 2024 • 1h 40min
#80: T&J — Always Be Hungry, Good Sessions Only, Stop Lying, You Suck, Fueled by Failure, and Tim Joins A Normie Gym
Happy New Year, my dude.Tim and Josh get meta about how to have the best 2024 possible by asking the question — why can’t all sessions be good ones?SHOW NOTES:Mastery by Robert GreeneAtomic Habits by James ClearJoin Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Jan 1, 2024 • 2h 8min
#79: West Coast Pimps — Jeremy Meigs and Joel Ruscher, Sharma’s Mentor, The Origin’s of Try Hard, Early Days in Hueco and Bishop, and Lessons From Decades of High Level Bouldering
Jeremy Meigs and Joel Ruscher are West Coast bouldering OG’s. They started climbing 3 decades ago and were part of the birth of modern HARD bouldering. Tune in to hear about the early days of bouldering and how it set the tone for what’s going on today. There’s tons of can’t miss stories about young Chris Sharma and what Hueco, Bishop, and Font were like in the 90’s. We are so grateful to get to share their stories and not have them lost to history! SHOW NOTES: West Coast Pimp by Steve MontesantoStone Crusade by John ShermanRevelations by Jerry Moffat Join Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Dec 25, 2023 • 2h 3min
#78: T&J — Baby Rattlesnakes, F*CK! Tim Got Injured, The Demonstration of Strength, Kids Vs Adults, and Boarding As A Minor
F*CK! Tim busted his knee. Not the best way to spend the holidays...The main topic for this episode is what Kids do better than Adults, and what Adults do better than Kids.Tim and Josh also talk about the latest ascents of two previous Testpiece Guests -- Defying Gravity by Nathaniel Coleman, and Sleepwalker by Zach Galla. This leads into a discussion about the demonstration of strength while climbing and how it has or hasn't evolved over the years.SHOW NOTES:Nathaniel Coleman, Defying Gravity (V15)Noah Wheeler, 3rd Ascent of Defying GravityNOTE: This video had not been released when podcast was recorded.Join Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Dec 18, 2023 • 1h 52min
#77: Zach Galla — Raw Power, The Truth Behind WC Comps, The Olympic Grind, Leaving a Legacy, and The Role of Boards
Zach Galla has been ticking off some of the hardest boulders in America while simultaneously competing at the highest level. He’s always vying for the podium in any US competition and has spent time on the World Cup circuit as well.Zach goes deep on this podcast about what it’s really like to compete at these high level comps. What the setting is like, how the scoring works, and why it can be frustrating but rewarding too. We also talk about his love of outdoor climbing and how he balances this with competitions.Zach is one of the physically strongest climbers in the game right now, as determined by the scientific method of Josh watching him climb and being amazed. But this is balanced by his technical training and he shares how different types of climbing ask different things from you.SHOW NOTES:Board LordsSpyro Gyro, V7Castaway, V7Half Moon, V14Wild Boyz, Episode 1ConfluenceTestpiece Podcast Reviewing ConfluenceJared Roth Testpiece PodcastJoin Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Dec 11, 2023 • 2h 13min
#76: T&J — How Technical is Board Climbing? Committing vs Learning, Being the Conductor, Lead Domino, and One Arm Pull-Ups
Why do we call board climbing “not technical”? What does this really mean?Board climbing wasn’t the planned topic of the day, but once Tim and Josh get talking about boards they have a hard time stopping!Then Tim and Josh talk about being the Conductor of your climbing, and how/when to employ two major mindsets during your sessions.SHOW NOTES:Steve Rader doing AR Moonboard Masters 2019 The Conductor by The FaintNilo Batle’s CoachingJoin Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Dec 4, 2023 • 1h 50min
#75: Jesse Grupper — Neck Tats, Paris 2024, Big Goals Little Steps, Mega-Volume, Sport Climbing Tips, Cyborgs and Optimism as a Tool
Jesse Grupper recently punched his ticket to Paris 2024 as part of the men’s USA Olympic team!This is on top of his already incredible last few years with multiple gold medal wins at the WC, an incredible flash of Livin’ Astro (14c), AND his flash of Pure Imagination (14c) just the day before recording! Jesse is on a tear at comps, outdoors, on lead, on boulders… on everything!Jesse’s path to securing his spot in the Olympics was anything but straight forward and he shares how a painful failure at a WC bouldering was crucial to his success. He is a master at using goal setting and optimism as tools to achieve his dreams and he breaks down exactly how he does it.Jesse also tells us about his insane amount of training volume, his tips for success while sport climbing, and his enthusiasm for all things human performance and how he is helping people from every walk of life via soft robotics.We were so grateful to have Jesse on the pod! He is one of the nicest, strongest, and all around best people in the climbing world and we are grateful he is going to be the ones representing the USA at the Olympics.Join Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Nov 27, 2023 • 2h 24min
#74: T&J — Board Wars, Board Lords, Boards Adored, Spray vs Standardized, Wood vs Plastic, Bad Apps, Flo Flows Floatin, and If There Could Only Be ONE
Which board is best?! Tim and Josh disagree... but not for the reason you might expect.Spray Wall or Standardized Wall? Wood holds or plastic? What angle? Tim and Josh love board climbing and we know you do too. They dive into the nuances of what makes a board great, and maybe more importantly, who that board is great for.SHOW NOTES:Spraywall vs Standardized Wall Podcast with Will Anglin and Michael RosatoFlo does Floatin (V16)Stokt AppJoin Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Nov 20, 2023 • 2h 8min
#73: Ethan Salvo — Don’t Try Hard, What Makes Squamish Special, V15 in Squamish vs CO, What’s Next In Squamish Bouldering, and Being On Team ANTIGRAV
“Motherf*cking Squamish beta, don’t try hard!” — Nalle HukkataivalSquamish is having a renaissance and Ethan Salvo is part of the team of young guns making it happen. Him and his crew are repeating the hardest boulders Squamish has, and adding their new ones to the list. And that’s special, because these boulders just don’t get done very often. Not by locals. Not by pro’s. Not be anyone other than absolute technical masters.That’s because Squamish is different. The technical ability to climb hard here is unique and when you combine that ability with the strength this new age crew is bringing, lines are getting opened that are hard physically, technically, mentally, and condition wise. Sending hard in Squamish is something you earn. But when you do earn that ability, it seems to translate well to anywhere else. If you can climb V15 in Squamish, you can climb V15 in CO… But the reverse doesn’t seem to be true. So let’s find out — what makes Squamish special?SHOW NOTES:FLOAT - a squamish bouldering filmANTIGRAVRide The Lightning (josh)Cursed ClimbingAt Home in the Muddy WaterZen in the Art of ArcheryJoin Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
Nov 13, 2023 • 2h 5min
#72: T&J — Smoking Sharma's Joint, Outdoor Season Prep, Pro Problems, Small Holds Small Feet, Skin Smarts, Rituals and Music To Get You Psyched
How much would you pay to smoke a joint with Chris Sharma? What about have Daniel Woods be your sommelier for the night?Tim and Josh start off by talking about Sean Bailey’s viral post about his struggles making it as a Pro Climber.For the ‘Topic of the Day’, Tim and Josh share tips and tricks on how to shift into Outdoor climbing mode after a long hot summer spent in the gym.SHOW NOTES:Sean Bailey’s Instagram PostDave Graham’s (The Wizard) new V16Music Mentioned:Slipknot Raining Again, by Betoko Sky, by Playboi CartiJoin Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE
