The Testpiece Podcast

Chris Schulte has been there and FA’d that. You may know of Chris, but you probably haven’t met him because Chris likes to stay off the beaten path. Way off the beaten path!  In this episode Chris drops so much knowledge and history about climbing that no matter who you are you’ll enjoy some new stories that you haven’t heard before. SHOW NOTES: Chris Schulte’s Instagram Chris Schulte’s Black Diam...

Simon Lorenzi has done more V17’s on the planet than anyone other than Will Bosi (3 vs 4). And by the time you read this, there’s a good chance Simon has another one or two under his belt! That’s because we chatted with Simon during his trip to Red Rocks where he is working on Return Of The Sleepwalker and Shaolin, the two V17’s there. This was an INCREDIBLE conversation with one of the best bould...

Tyler Nelson is back on the podcast and this time he brought a friend, Rob Hunter ! Rob and Tyler are both seasoned experts in training high level athletes in their businesses, My Therapy Physio and Performance and Camp 4 Human Performance . This chat came about because Tyler worked with Rob to help him prepare for a V14/15 project and in doing so Rob nearly doubled his finger strength on an overc...

This is the behind the scenes discussion right after Episode #140 was finished. Austin Hoyt shares his thoughts on the Lucid Dreaming, The Process, Devilution, The ‘Earvo’ Project, and how they all compare to one another. Austin and Josh talk about why those grades settled the way they did and if that will change in the future. Austin also talks about a well known project that seems to go and be V...

Austin Hoyt is one of the young guns out of the North East crew that has been absolutely crushing lately. Austin recently FA’d the North East’s first V15, Big Bad Wolf , as well as sent Lucid Dreaming [V15+] using a new ‘double-clutch’ beta for the iconic crux move. Austin shares a ton about what makes the North East special and why it’s been producing some of the strongest climbers, such as his c...

This episode is brought to you by Mad Rock ! Mad Rock is run by REAL climbers, and that’s why they supported Ross Fulkerson and Testpiece to go on an awesome trip to Mallorca where they filmed “Between The Tides ft. Ross Fulkerson” . Between the Tides is a deep-water-soloing film that follows Mad Rock athlete Ross Fulkerson as he climbs above the Mediterranean on some of  Mallorca's newest li...

This is the behind the scenes discussion right after Episode #137 was finished. Kai Whaley shares a bit more about some of the projects left in Red Rocks, his favorite place to climb in the world, his ticklist for some upcoming trips, and the differences between being a ‘good ‘climber and a ‘strong’ climber. We hope you enjoy this peek into what happens right after episodes are “finished”! Don’t m...

“What up gangstas and shorties, it’s your boy, Kai." Kai Whaley is best known for his amazing YouTube Channel where he has been vlogging his sessions on Return Of The Sleepwalker (V17) and Shaolin (V17). He is close on both of them, especially ROTSW, and it wouldn’t be surprising if by the time you read this he’s sent! Kai is currently 18 and is unofficially the youngest person to ever climb...

Tim Kang (my dude) is back on Testpiece to discuss the incredible sending spree the youth have gone on these past few months. V17 is just the norm now, and V15's are just for fun and flash attempts. Tim and Josh also discuss what the future may hold in terms of grading, whether 15d is harder or easier than V17, and Tim shares what he things is the best highball in the world as well as what hi...

This is the behind the scenes discussion right after Episode #134 was finished. Zach Galla shares a bit more about some 9A’s / V17’s he’s tried, the project he’s currently most psyched on it, how he used simulators to train for The Process (V16) , and who he thinks will get the third ascent of it. We hope you enjoy this peak into what happens right after episodes are “finished”! Don’t miss Episode...

Zach Galla is back after an insanely amazing year. Catch Zach's first Testpiece Episode, #77, here . Since we last chatted he’s been traveling the world with the goal of climbing the best hard boulders in the world. And boy did he achieve that goal… Get the blow by blow breakdown of Zach’s second ascent of the iconic “The Process”, V16 , one of the proudest and most beautiful V16’s in the wor...

A couple of Island Boys just trying to make it to the top! We’ve got Ross Fulkerson , Marco Giacomangeli , and Bryce Belshin with your normal host, Josh Horsley . These boys recently got back from a trip to Mallorca that involved tons of amazing deep water soloing and some world class sport climbing as well. Each of these athletes are  active coaches or professional climbers. Hear from them about...

This is the behind the scenes discussion right after Episode #131 was finished. Nathaniel Coleman shares a bit more about his thoughts on V17 grades, training while he projected “No One Mourns The Wicked” , and what the name truly means. We hope you enjoy this peak into what happens right after episodes are “finished”! Don’t miss Episode #131 for context, and make sure you watch the “No One Mourns...

Special podcast!! Nathaniel Coleman just did a V17 FA, “No One Mourns The Wicked” ! This is the first ascent of the highly sought after low start to the iconic V15 testpiece, Defying Gravity. Nathaniel reached out to Testpiece and asked if we could do a podcast to give a behind the scenes story to accompany the video that dropped on Mellow TODAY. Watch the video and listen to the podcast so you ge...

This episode is a roundup of 5 climbs from Testpiece guests, some of the BEST climbers in the world, sharing what it takes to go from Good to Great. Josh also shares what’s in his personal note titled “What I’ve Learned From Talking To The Best Climbers In The World”. Join Patreon: HERE Follow us on Instagram: HERE Visit our podcast page: HERE

Austin Geiman recently made waves when he sent the iconic testpiece, Defying Gravity, V15 , after 11 years and 100+ sessions. Austin started trying this boulder while it was still a project and he was there when Daniel Woods and Jimmy Webb snagged the FA in 2013 in the film Huntsmen . He continued trying it through the years and then he also was there when the younger generation claimed the long a...

Anne-Worley Moelter is one of the most important people in climbing today because she is the CEO of Movement Climbing , the largest network of climbing gyms in the US with a portfolio of 30 gyms and another 3 coming soon. These gyms set the tone and craft the climbing experience for millions of climbers. Anne-Worley is a lifer who has done SO MUCH for our sport. She started her journey in the indu...

Timothy Kang, aka “Tim, My Dude” is back on the pod to talk about the latest climbing news, an update in his life going from a pro-climber to a weekend warrior, and hear about Josh’s recent trip to Mallorca. If you are new to the podcast you may not recognize why he is “Tim, My Dude” and that is because of the many many podcasts Josh and Tim recorded previously and how each podcast started. If you...

Natalia Grossman is one of the top female competitors of all time. She has won an astounding 11 World Cups and 4 World Cup seasons in a row! She also competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics for Team USA. Even though Natalia won the WC season in 2024, it was a tough year for her. She suffered a serious injury during the semi finals in the first World Cup competition of the year. Somehow she pushed thro...

This is a follow-up episode to the last Melina Costanza podcast, #119 . That episode was one of the fan favorites, josh favorites, and even favorites of other professional climbers. Go listen to that one first, because it was amazing and will set the stage for this follow-up episode. It’s only been a month since Melina last came on, but in that month she won US Nationals, both in Lead and Boulderi...

This episode is brought to you by Mad Rock ! Mad Rock is run by REAL climbers, and that’s why they supported Ross Fulkerson and Testpiece to go on an awesome trip to Mallorca where they recorded this podcast. Ross is back on the pod after a multi year hiatus. Ross was actually the very first guest back on episode #3 and #4!  Since then Ross has won tons of comps, competed in tons of world cups, cl...

Adam Shahar is the name that keeps coming up when I ask who is an up and coming star. At 18 he had a breakout year where he won bouldering nationals, climbed V15 in a few sessions while he was on the road doing WC’s, and then became IFSC’s Athlete of the Week when he narrowly missed finals with a 7th place finish at the Prague WC. He also had perhaps the most incredible board climbing session of a...

If you watched the Paris Olympics then you remember Hamish McArthur’s stand out performance to secure an incredible 5th place finish. Hamish had already stood atop World Cup podiums and won Youth Worlds, but his Olympic showing was a clear level up. In this episode Hamish shares what changed for him in the year leading up to the Olympics and how it ultimately led him to having one of the best comp...

You’ve heard of Matt Fultz , but you may not realize just how amazing Matt is. He’s climbed eight V16’s. 8. Eight!  By the way, two of them are rarely repeated and recognized as some of the hardest in the world (Hypnotized Minds and Big Z). He’s FA’d 7 climbs V15 and up, including 2 V15’s in one day!! We’re pretty sure that’s a world’s first, but who’s counting… Matt has also been coaching for wel...

Alvaro Rangel , Al, is back on the podcast after 2+ years! Al was one of the first guests and one of the best. The last podcast we did was incredible, but somehow Al managed to top it with today’s episode. He is the founder and head coach of Team Class 5 in San Diego, CA. Al is also part of the Team USA coaching staff and supports the team at World Cups as well as at the recent Paris Olympics. Al’...