10 climbing podcasts you need to listen to

I love listening to climbing podcasts while driving, when getting ready for an evening out with friends or when reading doesn’t feel so appealing after spending 8 hours in front of the computer. But sometimes finding a good one seems as difficult as finding a good movie on Netflix on a Saturday evening.

What is a podcast?

A podcast is an audio series distributed via RSS (really simple syndication). More simple, a sort of radio except for the fact you can get an idea of the subject and choose which episodes you want to listen to first.

Podcasting is huge at the moment and even though it existed before, its popularity took off only after 2014.

The term “podcast” comes from two words: iPod and broadcast.

The most famous podcasting platforms, depending on which corner of the world you find yourself, are Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and of course YouTube.

Here are the best climbing podcasts right now

Since its debut in the Olympic Games, it’s clear that climbing has truly made its mark and drew even more attention to it.

In today’s world, people seek inspiration from both success and tales of failure, perseverance, and determination more than ever before.

Therefore here are 10 climbing podcast recommendations at hand for when you want to listen to good and inspiring content.

1. Lattice Training for Climbing

Training, projecting, mind game, and inspiration – Lattice Training for Climbing is my absolute favourite UK podcast.

It is well structured and often focused on training and tips for improving your climbing.

That being said, subjects can vary from mountaineering, and trad climbing to indoor competition climbing, bouldering, and sport climbing.

Their content is really precious to any climber who wants a more effective climbing approach but also wishes to have insight into the climbing community, training, psychological, and historical aspects.

Not to mention it keeps the guest list interesting.

Do you know how competitors often emphasise the significance of staying in their bubble before a competition?

This is a recurrent theme in the podcast hosted by Lattice’s Training.

Their episodes really helped me stay on track and maintain my focus on my goal last Spring while projecting my first 8a+.

Amongst many other episodes I enjoyed, there is one that stuck with me and found really useful and that is Randall’s top 10 projecting strategies for beginners and intermediate.

But go ahead and give it a listen. There is so much more you’ll find!

2. The Enormocast

Climbing never gets old, does it? Well, this podcast doesn’t for sure!

I told myself this wouldn’t be a complete list without including The Enormocast.

Hosted by Chris Kalous this one is ALL about climbing and its perks.

It first aired back in 2011 when podcasts weren’t even in fashion and has since become a timeless classic.

From big wall and alpine climbing to bouldering, and projecting sports routes, Chris’s guestlist includes a wide range of international climbers. In-depth interviews and life-inspiring stories from an elite’s perspective to one of every day’s enthusiasts.

The Ernomocast always comes up with super-inspired titles and is a must-listen if you love the climbing lifestyle and often get curious about how other people “do it”.

3. The Struggle Climbing

As Ryan Devlin says, the Struggle Climbing podcast is about elite climbers, their struggles and breakthroughs, training, nutrition, tactics, and mental games.

It brings value through a very relatable and down-to-earth feel and is a space where athletes bring their personal experience with climbing to the table.

Here, athletes talk about their journey to achieve success, as well as learning from failure and finding humor in uncomfortable experiences.

This podcast will inspire you to train and eat well and give you an insight into climbing strategies.

Plus, with empathy as a central theme, it will bring attention to the fact that everyone is struggling – even pro climbers!

4. Training beta

The Training Beta is clearly a podcast with a full beta on how to get better at climbing and it sometimes tackles even spicier themes such as weight. The more you go through episodes the more you’ll notice Nelly Quinn’s passion for climbing coming through. She covers topics such as nutrition and training, the psychology of climbing, personal experiences, and tips for climbing trips.

Her guests are both insightful people from the climbing community such as Anna Hazelnutt, as well as experts and professionals who work behind the scenes, such as coaches and researchers.

I find the podcast to be incredibly enriching on a personal level. It feels very human and informative and brings up about various subjects that interest me in climbing.

If you’re interested in coaching and training tactics, the episodes with Steve Bechtel are simply amazing and a must-listen!

5. Climbing Gold

Relatively new, but already super famous in the climbing world Climbing Gold is hosted by Alex Honnold and co-host Fitz Cahalland.

I’d describe it best as a climbing podcast that focuses on climbing culture, modern climbing, and the evolution of climbing in the US.

In the intro, Alex Honnold says “Powerful stories are more important than ever”. And we agree!

Climbing Gold features life stories of climbers, touching on topics like work-climb-life balance, and much more.

You also find good updates on current happenings in the climbing scene, including the Olympics.

To keep it short, here you’ll listen about climbing evolution, powerful climbing stories and experiences, and outcomes from climbing projects.

I’ll let you discover the rest.

6. Training for Climbing by Eric Horst

This is a podcast by Eric Hörst, a well-known author, researcher, climbing coach, and climber with over 40 years of experience in both rock climbing and indoor training.

I heard some people say he talks about himself a lot.

And he does! But he also has a lot to say.

The man can easily be seen as one of the pioneer climbers to extensively study the training aspects of climbing.

With that in mind, I believe we can learn a thing or two from some of his podcasts.

Even though Eric isn’t a professional climber, his ability to maintain a high level of climbing skill and establish a reputation in the climbing community is truly inspiring.

Training for Climbing is mostly about the know-how in training, modern gear, and accessories to use, and personal climbing journeys as well as other pro climbers unlocking their hardest first-grade experiences.

In the end, as much as we can draw inspiration from pro athletes’s stories, I’m sure many of you also wonder how you can sneak climbing achievements through a full-time job.

Therefore some of his episodes, such as Performance Climbing Tips for Weekend Warriors cover important topics for individuals with full-time jobs who aim to become better climbers.

Other episodes focus on injury prevention, recovery, and how to make the most of their climbing experiences.

7. Strong Mind Climbing

Do you get the sense that your climbing performance could benefit more if you focused on aspects beyond just physical training? Or are you curious about what you could accomplish by unlocking your mental barriers?

Then listen to the Strong Mind Climbing.

This podcast is a badass, just like its host, Hazel Findlay – a world-class climber, and a mind coach!

The Strong Mind Climbing is a space where discussions on how coaching and psychology can apply to climbing and various topics linked to overcoming fear, stress management while climbing, setting goals, and mental strategies are tackled.

Through interviews on how other pro climbers and pro athletes overcome mental barriers, as well as talks with scientists, researchers, and achievers outside of the climbing world, Hazel manages to provide a unique perspective on the mental challenges of climbing.

If you are seriously curious about climbing outside training, and interested in the psychology behind high-performance sports, this podcast can give you valuable tools and insights to improve your overall experience.

8. The Nugget Climbing

The Nugget Climbing is hosted by Steven Dimmitt and explores stories, experiences, and insights of climbers and competitors from all over the world.

Discussions dive deep and vary: Sometimes I feel like I am listening to super interesting coffee talks between friends and other times I feel like I get valuable know-how on training methods, nutrition, mental strategies, and challenges.

Whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced climber you’ll definitely find stories that resonate with your own climbing experiences because Steven’s guest list doesn’t stop at elite climbers.

Instead, it extends to passionate hobbyists therefore he manages to provide a broad perspective on what it means to be part of this lovely climbing community.

After all, a climber’s life never ends.

9. The Sharp End

So, remember when your parents used to say that sometimes is best to learn from other people’s experiences?

This one is your ABC for it.

Ok, we are a website specialised in bouldering. However, we do believe that climbers are very curious by nature and will most definitely try venturing into the outdoors at least once.

So, I think The Sharp End comes in handy since its purpose is to inform you of possible risks you are taking when in the wild.

This podcast supported by the American Alpine Club and hosted by ​​Ashley Saupemainly focuses on lessons learned from real-life climbing and outdoor adventure accidents.

Here you’ll be able to find nterviews with climbers, mountaineers, skiers, and other outdoor lovers who have experienced close calls in the wilderness.

The discussions focus on what went wrong and what can be learned to prevent similar situations from happening.

10. Climbing on the Bookshelf

Not many climbing podcasts are dedicated to discussing books; So Stuard Rhodes, the host, felt like this had to change.

Climbing on the Bookshelf will help you discover a wide range of book titles, from autobiographies of famous climbers to fictional stories.

The host also dives into detailed reviews of each book by exploring both new and old climbing literature.

I must say: if you are interested in how climbing began, what used to be the motivation for the old generation, and what drives the new one, Climbing on the Booksheld will give you a unique and engaging way to explore this.

Why should one listen to climbing podcasts?

One idea would be that learning never stops. As humans, we experience the world differently, therefore, our preferences are shaped by our individual interests and experiences.

So deciding on which is the best podcast is like choosing someone else’s favourite ice cream flavour—it’s impossible!

Therefore, I encourage you to figure out on your own which ones resonate with you more.

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Do you have a favourite podcast in mind that we’ve not mentioned?

Please let us know in the comments below.

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