Ep 37: Chaz Misuraca - What it's like climbing BLIND
Chaz is a blind paraclimber from team Canada and is in the B3 category, meaning he has about 10% of his sight left. What’s crazy is that he didn’t start climbing until after he lost his vision! In this episode, we’ll learn about his rocky journey losing his vision at 32 years old and struggling with alcoholism, how to lead belay blind, and hear some surprising stories about run-ins with famous climbers that he doesn’t know because he can’t “watch” climbing content.Guest links:Chaz’s InstagramReference links:Thank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.comFollow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastJoin the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zpJoin Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastTimestamps of discussion topics0:00 - Intro1:58 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!2;27 - Intro/healing from surgery7:49 - Chaz's impairment and how he started climbing13:16 - Losing sight later in life26:16 - Lead belaying blind36:21 - Visually impaired climbing without a caller38:07 - First time competition climbing...getting dumped...bro code broken?!43:25 - Climbing + calling with Alannah Yip46:37 - Accidental run-ins with the most famous comp climbers52:38 - Lack of accessibility with climbing content57:17 - Feeling unsafe on the wall1:03:24 - Hiding his disability1:07:37 - 2028 Paralympics1:14:54 - Climbing blindfolded1:18:02 - Me complaining about outdoor climbing + why he loves outdoor climbing1:23:42 - Playing blind hockey1:25:59 - More of me complaining about outdoor climbing + what is real climbing1:28:57 - Blind ice climbing1:31:12 - Being an inspiration for his son1:33:47 - Blind hockey show and tell1:41:46 - IG Q: How long does it take to get in sync with your caller?1:42:54 - IG Q: Does speed climbing work well for blind people?1:49:26 - DISCORD Q: Would paraclimbers want to compete in bouldering?1:55:25 - Words of wisdom + where to find Chaz
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Ep 37: Tijl Smitz - POLITICS in the IFSC
Tijl is currently the IFSC Europe president but he is now running for the president of IFSC with elections taking place in April. In this episode, we’ll learn about how IFSC politics works, hear about the changes he wants to make within the IFSC, and get his take on some hot topic issues like national federation quotas, RED-S testing, and the NEOM games.Guest links:Tijl’s InstagramReference links:Info on elections and candidatesThank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.comFollow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastJoin the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zpJoin Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastTimestamps of discussion topics0:00 - Intro1:27 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!2:16 - Climbing, coaching, and IFSC history5:50 - Coaching the Belgian team10:56 - How IFSC Presidency works 15:11 - Moving on from the Olympics18:53 - Changes Tijl wants to see in the IFSC24:43 - Increasing funding through Eurosport and routesetter education33:25 - HOT TOPIC: Big names taking a break from world cups38:38 - HOT TOPIC: New national federation quotas for world cups41:38 - HOT TOPIC: RED-S Policy Implementation48:20 - HOT TOPIC: NEOM Games50:15 - DISCORD Q: What changes do you think we'll see to the World Cup format?56:40 - DISCORD Q: Plastic vs rock preference?1:00:47 - Words of wisdom + where to find Tijl
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Ep 36: Gregor Vezonik - RETIRING From Comp Climbing
Gregor was a boulder & lead climber from team Slovenia but he recently retired a few months ago from competitions. In this episode, we’ll get insight into the powerful Slovenian team, how he made the decision to retire and all the planning around it, what it’s like climbing with Janja, and we get to hear him geek out about holds and hold shaping.Guest links:Gregor’s InstagramReference links:Gregor’s hold brandThank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.comFollow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastJoin the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zpJoin Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastTimestamps of discussion topics0:00 - Intro1:21 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!2:08 - Spray wall noob questions5:34 - Feeling competitive against his brother10:45 - Why Slovenia is so dominant at climbing17:13 - Slovenian team training and funding19:36 - Slovenian young guns to watch out for21:21 - Career highlights and traveling25:35 - Being a picky eater on the road27:57 - Competing with migraines30:55 - Making the decision to retire37:52 - How to be okay with "getting weaker"42:14 - Setting vs competing45:43 - IFSC setting aspirations47:55 - What is hold shaping52:52 - Do we really need more holds?55:40 - IG Q: what's your creative process for designing a new hold?1:02:23 - Hot takes on hold shaping and no tex1:06:30 - Discord Q: How do you see World Cup routesetting changing in the next 10 years?1:10:18 - DISCORD Q: Does hold shaping inspire your setting more or vice versa?1:11:41 - DISCORD Q: What's it like climbing with Janja?1:19:09 - Matt Groom trolling1:20:44 - Final thoughts and where to find Gregor
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Ep 35: Anna Apel - PRESSURE and Expectations as a Young Climber
Anna is a boulder & lead climber from team Germany and one of the younger athletes I’ve interviewed so far as she still competed in youth world champs last year. In this episode, we’ll talk about the differences between the youth and senior circuit, the pressure of expectations after FLASHING all qualis boulders in Innsbruck, and we get some insight into team Germany.Guest links:Anna’s InstagramReference links:Thank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.comFollow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastJoin the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zpJoin Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastTimestamps of discussion topics0:00 - Intro1:24 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!3:50 - Starting climbing at 3!8:18 - Competing in youth and Senior Circuit at the same time12:27 - Youth setting vs senior setting14:42 - Big performance boost in 202417:23 - Flashing all Innsbruck quails boulders22:22 - Why younger climbers dominate the WC circuit25:09 - German national team30:04 - German military sponsorship34:04 - 2025 season36:19 - Finding out if the combined format will be in LA 202839:05 - Non-climbing hobbies + sewing!42:23 - Outdoor projects43:28 - IG Q: What is the hardest part of being an athlete?49:06 - IG Q: Tips on improving arm strength50:27 - IG Q: Where can I buy the Germany down jacket?51:12 - IG Q: Non-climbing related goal52:58 - IG Q: Thoughts on the minimum BMI requirement57:29 - Outro and where to find Anna
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Ep 34: Rodrigo Hanada - From CHUBBY to World Cup Climber?!
Rodrigo is a boulder & lead climber from team Brazil. He actually started climbing fairly recently in 2018, but since then has been a 2x south american cup winner and is working his way up the ranks on the world cup circuit! In this episode, we talk about what makes training and climbing in Brazil difficult, how he feels like a “weaker” climber due to starting out as a chubbier kid, and mindset tips he uses while competing.Guest links:Rodrigo’s InstagramReference links:Brazilian Hold Brand - CruxNight Moves - Outdoor Brazilian ClimbingThank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.comFollow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastJoin the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zpJoin Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastTimestamps of discussion topics0:00 - Intro1:28 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!2:29 - Starting climbing only 8 years ago!7:24 - How to mentally recover from knee injury10:38 - The importance of hold and movement exposure13:57 - Living in Australia16:38 - Competing in Prague with a knee brace21:45 - The difficulties of climbing hard in South America25:31 - Brazil climber funding30:19 - Climbing scene in Brazil36:15 - Thoughts on the upcoming 2025 Brazil WC39:27 - Mindset and overcoming being a "weaker" climber48:43 - Once a fat kid, always a fat kid51:47 - Discord Q: Top 3 slab tips56:13 - Discord Q: Thoughts on limiting country participation? Does it actually help smaller nations?1:02:20 - Discord Q: Outdoor climbing projects in Brazil?1:05:19 - S/O to South American climbers and where to find Rodrigo
A glimpse into everything behind world of competition climbing.Hear from setters, organizers, athletes, and everyone in between to learn about this fast-growing sport!For further discussion, check out the comp climbing Discord at https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zp.
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