Great Expectations
The weight of expectations is real. Today, Olympians Natalia Grossman and Jesse Grupper share their journey through the highs and lows of winning and losing. Even when you're winning, the road to Paris is a difficult path.
Image: Lena Drapella
The Knife’s Edge
These are the things in the shadows that no one wants to talk about. The open secrets elite athletes carry. The behaviors coaches would prefer not to see. The hard realities fans tend to ignore about the sport playing out in front of them. Today, Kai Lightner and Beth Rodden help us shine a light on disordered eating in climbing.
Image: Julyanna Carvalho
Show Me The Money
As climbing grows and enters into mainstream consciousness, we’d be naive to think that money won’t play a role. What does it take to “go pro” in climbing? How does the business of climbing evolve so that it doesn't fall into the same pitfalls that plague other sports? We dive into these questions with Rick Burton, a professor at Syracuse University Professor and Jonathan Retseck, founder of RXR Sports.
The Competitor’s Mind
What goes through a climber’s brain when the lights shine and the cameras go live at a world cup stop? Ashima Shiraishi takes us on a journey into the heart and mind of a true competitor.
Image: Jimmy Chin
Risk, Intensity, Complexity
To move a sport forward, you have to take it apart and put it back together again. Today, we talk with two thought leaders in climbing’s next chapter -- routesetters Tondé Katiyo and Adam Pustelnik -- about the craft of creating movement and we introduce a concept every climber should know about.
Image: Alvi Pakarinen
Forerunner
Right now, the spotlight shines brightly on the newest generation of competition climbers, but the path they’re following was blazed by those before them. Today, we talk with Alex Johnson, or AJ, who has ridden the highs and lows of professional climbing over the last 20 years. She won her first bouldering national competition at age 12 before going on to win two golds at Bouldering World Cups. Her career charts a fascinating shift in climbing culture, the comp circuit and the hurdles to being a professional climber.
Image: Susanica Tam
Olympics Viewing Guide
Alex and producer John Burgman walk us through the upcoming competition, make their picks for the gold and explain why the world’s best climber is probably the underdog.
Image: Bree Robles
Chapter 03: This Is How You Spell Climbing
Climbing’s first bonafide phenom, Chris Sharma ushered in a new chapter of athleticism.
Image: Boone Speed