The Testpiece Podcast

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 CoachingSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

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.Support the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

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 AppSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

“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 ArcherySupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

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 CartiSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

 Roman Yalowitz is here and he’s going to break your projects and crush your dreams, just like he did to Josh 😭.  Actually… Roman has been doing the complete opposite in Tahoe for the last 10 years! He is a prolific developer that is leading the new “Golden Era” going on in Tahoe right now. Roman, Jimmy Webb, and a handful of other world class climbers (including past guest David Fitzgerald), have been putting up some of the hardest blocks in America. And they’re just getting started!  Hear more about: Tahoe’s latest Golden EraWhat makes Tahoe SpecialThe Reality behind Developing (“Crowbars and Glue”)Ethics in Developing and GluingWhat Roman learned from his World Class CrewHow Tahoe stacks up to SwitzerlandSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

The routesetting at your gym is the one of the main ingredients of getting you better at climbing.Does your gym have bad, good, or great routesetting? Do you even know the difference? What do you do if your gym’s setting sucks?!Tim and Josh also address some of the latest V16 downgrades as well as some controversy over a comment Josh made about “cheating”.Support the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

Andy Lamb has climbed multiple V16’s, flashed multiple V13’s, and placed as high as 3rd in Bouldering Nationals. But you’ve probably never heard of him because he’s not a professional climber, his Instagram is rarely updated, and his 8a scorecard is pseudonymous.And yes, Andy and Katie Lamb are brother and sister!Hear Andy’s unique path in climbing that is more relatable than other V16 climbers.SHOW NOTES:Paradox of Choice"Most people overestimate what they can do in 1 year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years." -- Bill Gates / Andy LambSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

First go best go!Tim and Josh talk about flashing as a specific form of climbing. What it shows about the grade of a climb, what it shows about the climber, how to get better at flashing, and also the ethics behind a legitimate flash.Listen in as Tim completely changes Josh’s mind on flashing and then find out Josh’s best tip for flashing hard that he got from past guest, Carlo Traversi.SHOW NOTES:Martin Keller sending V16 @ 45Shawn and Brooke Raboutou on the MoonboardShawn Raboutou Flashing SpectreSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

History has been made — Katie Lamb is officially the first woman in the world to climb V16, Box Therapy! Katie is an absolute master of the mental game for high level climbing. She treated us with a detailed breakdown of exactly what she does. How to approach projecting, how to make each try count, and the importance of persistence. The podcasts starts out with Katie sharing with us the vision of climbing that she loves. What has inspired her since she was young, and how she has chosen to pursue climbing now that she is the one doing the inspiring. Then we get to hear the details on her send of Box Therapy, V16. Then Katie shares about how she went from Good to Great. SHOW NOTES:First Ascent: The Movie (Trailer)Will Fraker: Spotify and InstagramSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE