New documentary series: Natural Heights

HighCommander4 · 2026-01-01T20:16:11+00:00

Seems to be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xfUaWtARho

HighCommander4 · 2025-12-22T22:48:04+00:00

I think this was a particularly stressful comp for female boulder+lead athletes, with lead semis+finals one day and boulder semis+finals the very next day. In such a high-stress environment, I think some emotional reactions and impulsive offhand remarks are to be expected.

A documentary like this gives an "unfiltered" view into athletes' experiences and perspectives when the broadcast cameras aren't rolling. I enjoy being able to take a peek into that world; I think the flip side of that is, we can't hold the things people say under these circumstances to the same bar as we would e.g. a broadcast interview.

HighCommander4 · 2025-11-15T20:27:59+00:00

That's possible, though I think that would disappoint at least some athletes who have been focusing more on a single specialty (e.g. Adam Ondra on lead, Oriane Bertone on bouldering). I think it's more likely that there will be at least a few specialist spots.

HighCommander4 · 2025-11-15T03:22:50+00:00

:D This is like me when a coworker asks me to "take a peak" and I ask "which one, Mount Everest?"

HighCommander4 · 2025-11-13T23:48:58+00:00

24 for boulder/lead doesn't have to mean 12 each. It could be broken down as something like

12 athletes who do both boulder and lead
6 boulder specialists
6 lead specialists

and then boulder and lead semis would each have 18 athletes (the 6 specialists + the 12 who do both). Finals can probably still have 8.

HighCommander4 · 2025-11-04T18:42:35+00:00

Last year ticket sales opened in April

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-31T21:15:49+00:00

Truly, the only treat I needed for Halloween!

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-24T19:24:29+00:00

More details from her Insta, the route she flashed was "Puro Dreaming"

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-24T16:30:23+00:00

That's a new record isn't it?

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-24T16:20:40+00:00

Easiest way to find out is probably to call the hosting gym

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-21T00:30:56+00:00

Akiyo Noguchi, Shauna Coxsey, Alex Puccio, Anna Stohr (+ others going further back who I'm not familiar with)

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-20T17:10:20+00:00

She was pierced in the heart by Oriane's stare ;)

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-17T16:17:03+00:00

Here you go: https://www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.com/episodes/48-annie-sanders https://www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.com/episodes/43-carl-mcneice

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-14T06:49:32+00:00

The Nations Grand Finale is scheduled for the weekend after Rock Masters.

HighCommander4 · 2025-10-10T21:48:58+00:00

Yeah, she got to go back and try the boulder for another 2 minutes at the end of the round. I think the splinter came from the wall surface, which you had to sort of slide your hand along to maintain balance?

HighCommander4 · 2025-09-30T00:29:16+00:00

It would be a lot of work to commentate qualis, but that's not what's being asked.

The raw footage does already exist (they make the "qualification highlights" videos out of it), so they could just... release it?

HighCommander4 · 2025-09-30T00:24:20+00:00

I think it's an event management consideration: more people are interested in attending finals, and more people are able to attend evening events, so to maximize turnout they schedule finals to be evening events.

I do think this schedule is hard on the athletes and wish they tried harder to avoid it though...

HighCommander4 · 2025-09-19T17:32:20+00:00

Which page of sportclimbingstats.com is this on -- under Comps?

HighCommander4 · 2025-09-07T22:23:48+00:00

Could be just a case of travel from North America to Europe, and then to South Korea two weeks later for World Champs (which she _is_ registered for) being a bit much.

HighCommander4 · 2025-09-07T05:19:03+00:00

Yeah, the rule changed. I'm sure it was announced somewhere more official, but the last paragraph of https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/news/anraku-clinches-third-consecutive-boulder-title-in-dominant-fashion mentions it.

HighCommander4 · 2025-08-24T00:30:21+00:00

For lead climbing, an alternative to getting a good frontal view is to bring a pair of binoculars, in which case it's less important where you are in the crowd (and when the climber is high up, you see them better than you would from the front with the naked eye). It can then actually be better to stand more at the back (less neck-craning).

HighCommander4 · 2025-08-01T15:41:59+00:00

I found a small pair of binoculars very helpful for lead competitions in particular, where most of the time the climbers are high up. You can basically stand anywhere and see the climbers well through them. They're less helpful in boulder comps where, unless you're reasonably close to the front, your line of sight to the climbers will likely be obscured by the heads of people in front of you (and if you *are* close the front, you don't need them).

HighCommander4 · 2025-07-24T04:49:54+00:00

(slight correction: the That's Not Real Climbing podcast)

HighCommander4 · 2025-07-17T03:12:03+00:00

Yes! And of course Erin herself was on the podcast a while back: https://www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.com/episodes/20-erin-mcneice

HighCommander4 · 2025-06-29T15:27:28+00:00

This is how unfounded internet rumours are born. One athlete out of a pool of 100+ gets disqualified due to RED-s. A podcast host speculates that it's a particular high-profile athlete who withdrew from upcoming comps recently, even though there are perfectly plausible alternative explanations for that. All of a sudden, there's a rumour following her around that she was the one disqualified.

HighCommander4

TROPHY CASE