You likely know Emil from being one of the OG climbing Youtubers who has also competed in a few world cups for Sweden. With his brother, Felix, they have started a new Fantasy Climbing League platform! In this episode, we’ll learn about how the Fantasy Climbing League works, how they feel about sports gambling in climbing, who their top picks are for their teams, and their predictions for all things competition.

Guest links:

Fantasy Climbing League Site

Emil’s Youtube

Felix’s Instagram

Emil’s Instagram

Reference links:

Boardclimbs App

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.com

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Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:21 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

2:01 - Living in Arco

5:22 - Starting climbing and competing

14:26 - Existential AI talk

17:14 - Fantasy Climbing League overview

21:10 - They've never played fantasy sports before!!

22:47 - Drafting strategy

25:37 - Are fantasy leagues gambling-adjacent??

33:36 - Top picks of the season

42:07 - Are injury comebacks good picks?

45:13 - Janja vs Ai debate

52:26 - Will Tomoa have a downfall?!

1:00:03 - Tomoa v Meichi?

1:02:37 - AUDIENCE Q: What style of comp climbing would change the results the most?

1:10:21 - AUDIENCE Q: What will the future of comp climbing look like?

1:13:38 - AUDIENCE Q: What expectations should a comp beginner have?

1:18:04 - AUDIENCE Q: What's your favorite WoW dungeon?

1:19:05 - Join Fantasy Climbing League ASAP!!!

Sam is a French boulder and lead climber who has medals from several world cups and competed alongside his sister, Zelia at the Paris Olympics! In this episode, we’ll learn more about what it’s like growing up in a climbing family, tips for climbing as a short king, why he struggled in the 2025 season, and how he self-coaches.

Guest links:

Sam’s Instagram

Guitar Instagram

Reference 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.com

Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Join the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zp

Join Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:24 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

2:34 - His mother still competing at 42 years old

7:45 - Getting into climbing and competing

9:31 - AUDIENCE Q: Did growing up in a climbing family add pressure?

12:52 - Struggling between youth and senior circuits

16:51 - Rough 2025 season

22:53 - 2028 Olympics strategy

26:37 - Being a short king

31:34 - AUDIENCE Q: Tips for short kings?

35:41 - Training with the French team

37:51 - AUDIENCE Q: how do you self coach?

41:21 - Training only with climbing

45:21 - Gyms worth visiting in Paris

47:05 - Secrets to French slab

51:37 - AUDIENCE Q: What are you thinking about when climbing?

56:06 - Mental game

58:41 - 2026 goals

1:01:22 - AUDIENCE Q: Playing guitar?

1:04:58 - AUDIENCE Q: Can you make a living climbing?

1:08:40 - AUDIENCE Q: How to gain finger strength?

1:12:23 - AUDIENCE Q: Recovery routine?

1:15:56 - Where to find Sam

Jackie was the routesetting director at the Pro Climbing League (PCL) comp and is also the co-founder of Kilter! In this episode, we’ll learn more about the unique challenges that came with setting for PCL, why she thinks it’s important to have more women setting for women’s comps, and how YOU could maybe try climbing the same exact boulders set at PCL.

Guest links:

Kiter’s Website

Jackie’s Instagram

Pro Climbing League Website

Kilter Youtube

Reference links:

Underrated hold

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.com

Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Join the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zp

Join Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:20 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

2:00 - Still cleaning up from PCL

5:42 - Interesting Kilter free-standing option

7:34 - Getting into climbing, setting, and Kilter

13:38 - The political path to becoming an IFSC setter

15:34 - Starting the Woman Up Comps

20:00 - What grade do you need to climb to be a route setter?

22:31 - AUDIENCE Q: How did you build the PCL routesetting team?

28:46 - What made setting different for PCL

32:09 - How to get separation

36:30 - AUDIENCE Q: Was this speed bouldering, was women's setting too easy?

41:57 - Is sanding down holds fair?!

43:47 - Why it's hard to calibrate for female competitors

51:16 - How boulder changeover worked

55:37 - The slab that didn't get shown

58:24 - Different competition strategies

1:03:27 - AUDIENCE Q: Harder to gauge setting than World Cup?

1:04:18 - AUDIENCE Q: Did the setting matter more than a World Cup?

1:07:04 - AUDIENCE Q: Mixed gender events in the future?

1:09:13 - AUDIENCE Q: idea - 2 betas per boulder?

1:11:12 - AUDIENCE Q: Are setters more impressed or annoyed by beta breaks?

1:17:23 - AUDIENCE Q: What makes Kilter stand out?

1:22:30 - Underrated hold?

1:25:02 - Shoutouts and long work hours

1:26:51 - YOU can reset the PCL climbs and experience them!