10 strange Climbing Myths

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Edited by Magnus Midtbø - 10 strange Climbing myths
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[@magmidt]

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[@MIonut-ee2xw]

A program to do 20 rep pull in one set? I can do only 15 max.

[@WaechterDerNacht]

There is also a myth that a VPN adds security... Sorry Magnus, sure it pays your wage, but what these VPN-Providers say is mostly bs. If you would want what they say, use a browser like e.g. thor. Don't forget a good firewall/antivirus though. In most cases of VPN's you might not get exactly tracked by the website you're visiting, but the provider of the VPN mostly saves the data too and probably sells it aswell...

[@Jooolse]

11th myth: that VPNs actually add security for the random internet users. They don't. But they can help to watch Netflix programs only available in others countries though... :)

[@karigisla]

what do you do for grip strength? potential video? as response)

[@esgee3829]

if #10 is true, i would like to go into a car dealership and rip my shirt off, right down to my bra, and negotiate 4000€ discount. would this work? please advise. i would like to go in on Sunday.

[@UnkleMonkey18]

It's been said before, but it's worth saying again: The collabs with Pete are just so natural and fun. More Pete = more better!

[@richardbradley1532]

I think it is because they are different but compatible athletes and of course, the obvious mutual respect.

[@nickdovgi]

@@richardbradley1532 The mutual respect is such a huge part of it imo, now a days thats the first thing I look for when I meet someone. I live by the rule that if there is no mutual respect there will be no relationship because of how important it is. It makes any relationship so much better wether thats a friendship, buisness relations or romantic relationship.

[@tacitus5665]

I don't there's much to be analyzed here, they just get along well and have a compatible sense of humour.

[@EkaterinaStupinaRU]

Yes!! I was smiling the whole video. So much fun

[@galenmorse294]

This is actually the first video of theirs I've seen and it felt so natural that I didn't realize it was a collab

[@martonkortesi7739]

I think the arm strength myth is only partially busted with the straight arm challenge. That was a very clever way to eliminate upper arm pull strength, but forearm grip strength still played a huge role in Pete's ability to hang onto those slopers for two minutes while he figured out the straight arm techinque.

[@chrisogrady28]

Exactly, grip/forearm strength is vital for climbing, especially if you're heavy

[@mikejungle]

It really grinds my nuggets when strong climbers say that you don't need to be strong to climb well, and that technique is the lion's share of good climbing. A base level of fitness is absolutely necessary. Even things like twisting in or flagging, you can coach someone through the entire beta of a climb, and they won't be able to execute on the coaching.

[@laurenb3269]

I agree that you do need at least some arm strength - before I started climbing I couldn't even take my full body weight on my arms on a bar or on jugs. I still have a very weak upper body and back which frustrates me when I can't make certain moves but because I had to learn to be very good at twisting and pivoting with straight arms I find I'm better at this technique now. It helps that I didn't have the option to bend my arms/pull in because I literally couldn't 😅

[@KoinzellGaming]

Exactly what I was thinking - you need enough grip strength to carry your weight when climbing. You will need around 40kg of grip strength as a minimum (maybe if you're 50kg or 60kgs, then 30kg+ in each hand would be ok as well, and you need endurance as well. I guess if you have sufficient grip strength and you aren't too heavy, then you could climb, though leg strength will also be crazy relevant (Because it seemed like when they were trying it out, he compensated for the lack of arm strength with legs). I'm planning to climb in the future, but first I gotta shed weight and diet sufficiently (at 95kg with grip strength of 50 in each hand the last time I tested it, for climbing I need to reach at least 80kg I think.)

[@Zanajk]

@@KoinzellGaming Man if you want to climb just go climb and dont' make excuses. You are heavy and weak go for V0 or V1 on boulder or 5, 5+ on lead and 6a on good day when you are fresh. Figure out good diet and see how you progress with technic. Your power weaknes gives you force to learn proper technic as you can't compensate with pure power to pass the crux on a route - this actualy helps you to get better fundamentals of climbing :D . I know what I am saying becuase I was there :D. Don't over do it and don't go to fast to strong - tendoes don't heal that well either - sadly been there as well. Just avoide two finger / one finger pockets :D

[@jackduffy8286]

Might be overlooked but from a graphic standpoint those bars being filled up to show how long you’re spending on each myth is so smart and cool

[@Drag0nvil]

It's brilliant editing, I love it!

[@hunterkoch7508]

Its just a way to boost engagement

[@Drewzler]

Anybody else think it would be funny to have a "rental shoes only" pro competition? Like we just take a bunch of professional climbers and a normal bouldering comp but they can only wear rental shoes.

[@marcbecker1431]

I vote barefoot instead. :-D

[@thebacon8or99]

@@marcbecker1431 feet guy spotted 👀

[@madiis18account]

@@marcbecker1431 Barefoot would be easier than rentals, rental shoes are a damn slip and slide

[@letsgocamping88]

Magnus would just campus everything

[@Zraknul]

Rental shoes, using feet required.

[@WideBoyz]

"That's like taking a big shit on the myth" had me laughing again 😂 Luckily no dump placed. Cheers for having me on again Magnus, that vid had me chuckling

[@hanswoast7]

Props for trying to sandbag anyway xD

[@alexenders6839]

Was laughing alot along you two! Super nice vibes😊

[@jimwernersson7520]

Super nice video, i was laughing all the way through the whole thing!

[@grahamemacmullen7731]

I think the top off for extra power might depend on the top. Doesn’t a Wide Boys t-shirt come with extra power anyway?

[@bennordstrom]

That was the best moment of the video haha!

[@Michael_Schmatzberger]

About the Figure 4: In your video you chose holds that are matchable which makes campusing a lot easier. When i climb explicitly set Figer 4's they are almost always cross-over moves on unmatchable two-fingerpockets. On top of that, the next hold might be in a weird angle and you need to get there statically. But it's not easy to find a place where F-4 is easier when it isn't actually intended, and i think you did a good job at trying to find such a spot.

[@abelboronkai448]

Yeah i was just going to say that its better only in very specific situations or on a long ass problem wher you know youll get tired but in these situations it can be a lot better.

[@suckieduckie]

I do remember a couple of routes where there were fingerpockets where I simply grabbed my own hand or wrist to do the campus move. Any thoughts on that versus F-4?

[@clemclcl]

The figure four is also better when you need to be precise when going for tiny holds far away

[@tylerhampton8307]

I agree. I also think that moves in a cave with an extended roof the figure 4 at least helps make the climbing more efficient because you don't have to hold an L sit for a long period.

[@Manikator]

You gain a lot more reach if you put your back of the knee as high up as possible. Not just into the height of the ellbow as showed.

[@laufsteakmodel]

honestly the "brushing holds is pointless one" surprised me that people even think that. Brushing makes such an incredibly huge difference on so many climbs its not even funny. Holds get greasy so fast. The "pores" of slopers get filled up with chalk. A good brush makes so many boulders that much easier.

[@totalmetaljacket789]

Those people don't even climb.

[@marco_dl]

Even crimps, in the end it's always about friction. I can really feel the difference if a move is at my limit

[@cedric7049]

Yeah, never heard that before either. It's strange as you can really feel the difference if you actually brush the holds when you climb. Especially on slopers.

[@sinister_lefty]

I never thought it was pointless, but I definitely didn't realize just how much of a difference it made. It was when I stopped to actually think about what the brushing was doing (clearing the "pores") that it really clicked.

[@cloclo14]

If you climb V0-V1 it’s useless, so only people who are realy bad at climbing can think this way..

[@trashcant69]

As someone with absolute noodle arms who has also tried bouldering before: you can get away with having barely any arm strength, but if there's an overhang it's game over for me. I can do pretty much everything else out of my shoulders and legs. Another thing I've noticed is grip strength. I was able to easily complete some courses that some much stronger friends of mine couldn't do, I guess because I gripped onto these ledges like a monkey afraid of falling to it's death ((:

[@ShiningDarknes]

you don't need arm strength... until you need arm strength lol

[@emissarygw2264]

I find overhangs have even a much stronger emphasis on straight arms, however because you're hanging much more weight on the arms, it increases the strength requirement of even your grip and the bigger muscles that you use when climbing with straight arms. It also introduces a huge requirement of foot technique and core strength.

[@suchasreallife]

So I’d say you don’t need it to start climbing but it helps

[@NomSauce]

​@@ShiningDarknes Magnus' arm strength has been measured before, he can barely pull 10kg on a preacher curl with his dominant arm. 10kg is a weight someone can curl after ~1-2months of gym training if they keep a proper schedule, honestly it might even be faster than that, I just don't train biceps that much. Needless to say, Magnus arm strength as in tricep and bicep, is not remotely above average. His crazy strength basically comes from almost the entire upper body except for the bicep and tricep lol. Pulling strength comes from the back muscles, not the arm.

[@ShiningDarknes]

@@NomSauce grip strength is almost entirely forearm muscles ergo "arm strength." Grip strength unequivocally is needed for high-level climbing, ergo arm strength is needed. I never said biceps are needed or that his biceps/triceps are particularly impressive, most climbers don't have strong biceps or triceps, no stronger than average or slightly above average at least but the forearms are where most of your grip power comes from and last I checked they are part of the arms.

[@smprather]

Guys with ripped arms talking about how strength doesn't matter.

[@manuelc5592]

I think the main differences between soft and stiff shoes for tiny edges is the force transfer. With soft shoes you have to spend strength to keep the whole foot engaged on the hold, while with stiff shoes, the rubber itself helps staying engaged on the toe. That, plus sensitivity: as Magnus pointed out, it was painful. ^^ More sensitivity means you can feel the better placement of the foot, but you also fell the pain. So I guess in the end it comes down to whether you prefer to feel the hold, or save strength from the calf, and on what the overall style of the climb is.

[@TheValinov]

the small foothold wasnt even that small AND it had a quite nice edge. compared to some stuff in our gym.... slopy lil chips with a lot of rubber on it. soft shoes have no chance on this! on slopy volumes its quite the opposite of course.

[@AIQHUB]

It depends on the rubber compound just like car tires. Thats why u drive yoour car with another rubber compound in colder temperatures. It would make sense to have shoes with different rubber compound for different temperatures.

[@TheUnknownFactor]

For the figure 4 move, you should've gone to a very high precision move. Maybe a hand jam or a single/double finger pocket. Can you campus into that? With enough attempts maybe. But you can reliably take your time and figure-4 it.

[@jeanf6295]

If you look closely at ice climbers doing figure four, they dont put their knee in their elbow, but close to the wrist. I think you lose quite a lot of reach when you do it wrong as it puts you further away from the wall and lower from the hold. Also, a figure four has the advantage of being a static move, and you could try to match a feet with the previous hand to avoid cutting lose.

[@Fallenangel_85]

It's proven to conserve strength. If the task is to hang on one arm for a long period of time it doesn't matter how strong you are, figure 4 will always win the race.

[@danpartain6873]

Magnus:: I'm not that strong... Pete: Whoa whoa whoa whoa!

[@jackwiegers6245]

i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again. You are by far the most comfortable with pete and it makes the videos so much better

[@clowdy8014]

Stop copying comments dude, I see you do this on every magnus vid smh

[@MrVannspreder]

@@clowdy8014 It might be a bit disingenuous, but commenting is better than not commenting for the algorithm. So I am not complaining.

I was also one of those people that didn't understand brushing, but then I was climbing in a gym that has a lot of visitors and many holds were really slippery from all the chalk and sweat. Brushing them made a huge difference and I went from totally desperate and slipping off to holding on just fine. Like you described - when hold is used often it doesn't have the original texture and traction available.

[@kavali6320]

Contagious laughs for 28 minutes straight ;) Team Magnus / Pete is the best! Pete jumping down with his arms strapped looked sketchy.

[@Prince_Luci]

“Vaguely busted” is a concept i think Adam Savage would be delighted by.

[@connortremblay1259]

I know for myself, when I brush a hold, it's not just chalk on the hold. The surface also has skin oils and skin itself packed in there, and without even measuring how long you can hold on, you can feel the difference just by touching it. Brushing a hold, for me, has taken some routes from near impossible to fairly easy.

[@bram4808]

I feel like a figure 4 is especially easier when you can't match the first hold. So it's either doing a one arm pull up campus, holding the wrist technique OR figure 4. In that scenario a figure 4 can definitely feel better + when the hold you are going for is a slot that needs precision which is easier when you can go slowly to it with a figure 4

[@rasenmaher9629]

Also good in roof boulders close to the ground when you can't cut loose.

[@josefanon8504]

you can also pull on your arm to help a little

[@davidwright7193]

A fig 4 is really an ice/mixed technique to create a foothold where one doesn’t exist.

[@AndrewTheTransformer]

What would be the benefit of using figure 4. It looks like the leg is hooking across the forearm making that arm work harder?

[@avenger3163]

@@AndrewTheTransformer getting your body higher so that you have more reach.

[@TheBlackDeathBeast]

It would be awesome for newer climbers like me, if you could quickly explain certain climbing terms like "sandbagging" in your videos. Besides that I really love your content, please keep up the great work, you're really motivating me to climb more.

[@jonathanrossddsmhs1271]

Sandbagging is giving a lower grade on a climb than other comparable routes.

[@Paragonofcynicism]

Sandbagging isn't a climbing term, it's just an English slang term. Means to deliberately underperform to deceive someone about how good you are. It doesn't really apply perfectly to the concept of grading climbs. If I had to guess what they mean about sandbagging their grading I would guess they mean that you are grading a climb lower than it's actual difficulty.

[@noodles9236]

@@Paragonofcynicism I mean, this is just anecdotal, but here in Canada I've heard this term very widely used in the climbing community. At least where I live, given the frequency and common understanding, I would absolutely call sandbagging a climbing term.

[@talkingfish6340]

it's all very searchable no?

[@Sylvaantye]

@@Paragonofcynicism but then again, no gym/boulder follows the exact same grading. Maybe (British) people are used to harder routes being graded lower🙃?

[@melaniedei8196]

I guess the first myth really depends on the style of boulder. I'm pretty weak, like I can maybe do 1 proper pull up and 2 push ups. I can still climb quite hard on technical boulders, but there are certain moves, which are just impossible. Like campus moves, locking off, mantles...

[@mathmusicandlooks]

Even mantles are (usually) quite doable when favoring technique over strength. I’m not a very strong climber, but mantles are one of my favorite things to do. 👍🏼

[@linkinlinkinlinkin654]

there are very few problems which can only be solved with mantle though

[@jacobfunnell65]

The straight arms bit with Pete really made the "straight arms" technique thing click like no other video I've ever watched. I've just imagined I have splints on my arms like Pete and it totally works. I am climbing way more efficiently now. So crazy really, I've known this technique for years but somehow seeing someone being physically unable to bend their arms has made it all fall into place! :D

[@ripapa6355]

I learned to climb (mid 90's) in a bit of a sandbag culture and it was great. It think it comes from long history of climbing at our local crag and humility by the FA'ers who put the routes up in the 60's/70's/80's.. The reason it was great was that most crags I went to on road trips (with a few exceptions, talking to you Gunks) seemed soft. I onsighted 12a at Red Rocks on lead before I could redpoint the 12a on top rope at my local crag. I like my gym and my local crag to be a little sandbagged. Keeps you humble and allows extra psych and joy when you crush it on your road trips.

[@iandonnelly6684]

My gym sandbags but that's because the Dacks are the closest to us

[@malcopops4]

I've always wondered if it's humility or whether it's being afraid of the scorn/viciousness which comes from accidentally overgrading it... if the objective is to grade things accurately then downgrading should be as common as upgrading because climbs are just different for different people.

[@scherelp7480]

that moment when magnus said 6c was kinda hard, i made an imaginary happienes jump, and was like "i can climb something kinda hard"

[@andreaslodoen]

I like that MMA and climbing both have figure fours and kneebars

[@cbrowne1283]

"I'm not super strong" Bit of a head scratcher there

[@MotivationByte]

I would love to see an episode of you and Pete climbing then guessing what the grade of the climb is .

[@CalHamandi]

I’m so glad Pete has become a consistent face in your videos. Your collabs with him always feel upbeat and natural. I also love seeing how much your climbing styles differ, even though you’re both world class climbers

[@AntonFomenko]

MythBusters vibes! 🔥

[@JaketheMotorhead]

Love your vids anton!

[@flubberamoebes]

MythBrushers

[@samevans4525]

Warming up the shoes is definitely a thing. In the winter I always put my shoes under the heater otw to the gym and I’ve noticed a deference not in my climbing ability but more the way my feet feel. It’s a lot less fatiguing when they are warm. Could be the grip

[@marktate2683]

Honestly love seeing how modest you are in your climbing. When you said you weren't the strongest I believe you, but you are definitely one of the most versatile and well rounded climbers I've watched imo

[@birtekristiansen8624]

You should try the ‘climbing when it’s cold makes the route easier’ myth! That one has been crammed into my head for a while and I’ve just accepted it. Curious to see if it’s actually true or not

[@emissarygw2264]

More o2, but overall physical performance goes down when you're "cold". I guess if you can keep your muscles warm still it would probably be a benefit.

[@danielshapiro4798]

its been true for me, i think it could also be because i get less sweaty and my hands stay drier

[@SnailHatan]

Depends entirely on what you mean by cold. -40 C is a lot different from 0 C, which is very different from 10 C.

[@SnailHatan]

@@emissarygw2264 The O2 difference in temperatures that humans are actually climbing at is pretty negligible. It goes from 21% total oxygen in the air at 0 Celsius to 18.5% at 50 Celsius-which is a 5-6% reduction.

[@emissarygw2264]

@@SnailHatan any effect from overall air density?

[@meganwong9508]

Great (super scientific) video! Always love to see Pete on :) Would you ever consider doing an ice climbing vid? If I heard correctly you mentioned you haven't tried it. I think it'd be really interesting to see! Also thought the story about your outdoor route climb was really cool cause it's nice to hear a little bit of that thought process behind those big projects. Thanks as always for the awesome videos!

[@Rondoteh]

15:43 Pete is trying to find the grip from somewhere, he looks so confused there :D

[@JumperTheHunter]

Fig 4 is way more static. While climbing with Ice Tools you don't want them to pop off the hold. While climbing with your hands you can adjust the grip while doing it with a dynamic movement.

[@startfromend]

True, they miscalculated the wall.

[@benchris4990]

The thing about the first myth is that Pete may have taken away most of his arm strength, but he still has insane grip strength from being a god climber. You would need to do this myth with someone actually weak

[@nuclearpistachio]

that’s why he was told to do a difficult one

[@joshuawhinery208]

"Shirt off gives YOU extra power" - False "Shirt off gives Magnus extra power" - True all DAY

[@tobiasleitner4594]

New year new challenge. In germany bodybuilder and fitness influencer make a challenges we're they try as many as pull ups in 1 hour. For every pull up the make they also donate 1€ for a charity organisation. As we all know, is magnus extremely strong at pull ups and i am very interested how many he can make. Maybe he reads this comment and also try the challenge by his own. When you like to see him doing this challenge give this comment a like.

[@jacobstangier7528]

I think it was started by Kai Pflaume and Sascha Huber if you want to look for the videos

[@IHNIWMANI]

Wow, I love the dynamic between you guys. Every one of your collabs is so fun to watch!

[@aronds1241]

Really love these sort of classic climbing gym video's (with a twist that is)! Also love how you put a lot of focus on the background music, it really puts in an extra dimension xD. Hope you had/have fun with the ice climbing as well, i'm looking forward to that video! Keep it up!

[@1lomi901]

About myth : When I was young, I loved sprinting and I was confident that I was 10 or 15% faster when running in the night So I do believe 'top off' is a true strategy

[@thedyingmongooselol2253]

I Love the way you've done the timer for the segments in this video, Love It. It's a creative way of indicating it, and I didn't notice until part way through the first myth that it was an active timer. Love the videos as a whole, all of 'em. You make really great content man. Very nice, Magnus.

[@jeremyh9033]

Brushing was the one thing I was 100% sure of. There have been many times where I've been climbing on a crappy sloper that I can't get a grip on either with my shoes or my hands, brushed it real good and took it from impossible to feeling very solid.

[@user-yz9iu3lz9o]

Ha, when I started the video I went “Oh, almost half an hour, I probably will watch just a few minutes and get on with my stuff”. Half an hour later here I am! Amazing video, I enjoyed it a lot. Good job on the collab, guys.

[@nicolaserafin]

Magnus, you’ve the best climbing channel on KZbin and my favorite channel overall! Love from Italy

[@elooouan]

this is so wholesome, love from France & Canada! love to see such a nice community

[@Mike-oz4cv]

Regarding strong arms: In this case you just compensated with strong shoulders.

[@impendingblessing2616]

Magnus: I'm definitely not the strongest. Pete and the viewers: Woah woah woah.

[@MrSmileyFella2]

We need more of these. Super entertaining and informative. Id definitely show this to my climbing friends

[@matthiaskinateder3725]

About the Chalk: From my experience it depends heavyly on the brand. Reasons for a chalk to be good or bad are amount of additives/production quality and amount of MgCO3 compared to the amount of MG-Hydrate. Liquid vs powder is more a question of where u want to use it in my opinion. Liquid chalk gets more between the ripples on the fingertips, that makes friction on slippery slopers worse (e.g. wooden hangbouardsloper :D ) but (maybe for the same reason) stays longer on the hands, which is why I like it for hard climbs where I can´t really spent time chalking due to being pumped.

[@bobdrooples]

Liquid chalk essentially being a non Newtonian fluid shears and displaces under compression.

[@colorona8456]

@@bobdrooples not it doesn't. The Mg is suspended in alcohol which evaporates, your hands are dry within a few seconds and then it is just a thin layer of Mg on your hands - nothing to do with non Newtonian fluids.

[@bobdrooples]

@@colorona8456 boop

[@georgestone8099]

I'd like to see socks vs no socks. I am convinced it makes no difference whatsoever as long as the shoes fit.

[@madiis18account]

some of the best guys at my gym wear socks, I'm inclined to agree

[@Nico42ke]

Specially appreciated the straight arms experiment, I started just a few months ago and many times rely too much on arm strength and get tired quickly.

[@MrYport]

tbh the setup scared me. Like what if you fall wrong!

[@BouchyBoy]

It's definitely a good experiment, but it doesn't really account for forearm/grip strength, which is certainly pretty important when pulling hard on certain holds, especially smaller ones. The experiment really only accounted for bicep-engaging arm strength. I know it's all in good fun though, and I really enjoyed the video!

[@GamingVids1984]

Don't take anything you saw here seriously.

[@chloewilliams1702]

@@BouchyBoy well yes, but if you’re trying to keep your arms straight/relay more on your legs, you would still be using that grip strength to stay on the wall.

[@BouchyBoy]

@@chloewilliams1702 That's exactly my point! Pete undoubtedly has more forearm/grip strength that 99% of the people watching these videos, so he is able to stay on the wall more easily while relying more on his legs and less on his bicep strength. So to say "strength isn't needed" isn't really accurate, since Pete still has MUCH more forearm grip strength than the average climber, and many people wouldn't even be able to grip those holds he's climbing, arms straight or not.

[@flood8158]

Magnus: "I'm definitely not super strong" Pete: "Woah woah woah woah woah" Magnus can only be so humble for so long until someone has to call him out for a straight up lie 🤣

[@TheGalansboard]

I think Pete has never seen mythbusters 😂

[@bontrom8]

For the Myth of brushing the holds I felt a visceral understanding that the scrubbing motion scours off oil by much more contact with more particles of chalk, removing the oil layer. The pressure and abrasion seem to effectively sequester oil and water. This was an effective video! Thanks for making it.

[@8thlvlMage]

The chalk and sweat fill in the surface texture of the holds, eventually making it smooth and harder to grip. You're basically filling in the surface with an oily "mud" that builds over time. Scrubbing gets the chalk out of the surface so you can grip the texture again.

[@TheDroneOperator.]

I didn’t understand if any of the myths were busted or not but I enjoyed the confusion on Magnus’ face throughout the whole video hahaha

[@Brunnen_Gee]

Even as a layman who knows nothing about rock climbing (and only started watching videos on it yesterday) I could have told you that brushing would increase the grip. Chalk particles are very fine, the more you add to the surface you're trying to grip, the more it's filling in all the imperfections and smooths it out. It's like prepping a surface for painting, you want to lightly sand it to roughen it, increase the surface area, so that the paint can stick better.

[@amirhosseini6231]

Pete is the nicest guy and you two together are like two kids are playing in the backyard and enjoying their time.

[@thomasbigt]

I've only used the figure 4 move once on a climb. It is hard to set because strong guys simply campus. However, I liked how at the end of that segment they mention being tired makes a difference. You need to set a figure 4 move at the end of the route when your arms are pumped and you don't have the strength to campus. Then the figure 4 becomes useful. The one time I used it was near the end of the route when I had little strength left.

[@leaksfoos]

Great vid, very entertaining! Took me a while to notice the progress bars behind the myth titles, they were appreciated :)

[@alixvolte]

Thanks for cool video (always enjoying the collabs with Pete ^^) ! Regarding the figure 4, a really nice example can be found on 'Délire Onirique' in Fontainebleau by Nico Pelorson: this move allowed him to stay closer to the rock, more easily than throwing his hand (on a vertical wall).

[@xCorvus7x]

Regarding the first one: You seem to forget that heavily using your arms while extended also requires them to be strong.

[@ryangendron214]

I just started climbing “bouldering” this year thanks to you. Always been scared of heights and this is helping me get over that. And btw I just bought my first pair of shoes scarpa dragos so much of a improvement over rentals.

[@oystercatcher943]

That was a fun video. Love that not all myths were busted. I think I've been buying climbing shoes that might have been too tight for a long time. Its obviously especially important to have 'comfy' shoes on a multi-pitch route (unless you can take them off perhaps). I had tight indoor shoes and more comfortable outdoor shoes, but now I'm suspicious as to whether my tight shoes were really better

[@adamurquhart407]

I would love to see one of these (maybe a yt short) confirming if expensive (say friction lab) chalk is better than run of the mill chalk. Then also tested against cheap chalk

[@Jack-zf2hj]

Maybe I fell for marketing but I honestly feel that friction labs is LEAGUES better than any other chalk I’ve used

[@JibblyandCheese]

Always love the collabs between you and Pete / the Wide Boyz!

[@noahthompson9878]

Magnus I love you’re videos, you are such a big inspiration

[@ed-ey1yb]

Couple of buds giggling madly about everything. It's precious!

[@kathymurphy7217]

Love when you collab with Pete, such good vibes, fun and great projects/experiments. More please. 😀🤞

[@giavannipicarelli]

awesome video Magnus! youre the reason i started climbing!!! thanks for the entertainment and for being such a huge inspiration!!!!

[@indigowolf288]

So entertaining and an insightful vid! Thank you for this. As I have suspected for a while ... slightly comfortable shoes are no hindrance in reality. Laughed more than many of the other vids. Great job.

[@wimair_at]

I love your connection, guys. nerding out about that suff in a fun way, great content!

[@badbunnyTUBE]

Would really love to see a outdoortrip with Pete and Magnus. Seperate days for bouldering and crack climbing

[@AmirNickname]

Pete, great job demonstrating good falling techniques!!

[@mls01981]

I wanted them to test another bit of climbing wisdom I've heard: if you're pumped, it's better to "shake it out" than "stretch it out." I'd also be curious if the theragun releases the pump faster.

[@mikew.6897]

I think at least one of you guys should have grown such a badass walrus mustache as Jamie Hyneman.

[@Jorgerally35]

1.-Made a video with him, creating hardest route possible 2.-Made another video, playing create hardest move possible 3.-Do you like sandbagging? - No I try not to....

[@fredrichardson9761]

Main reason for liquid chalk in my home gym is to keep the dust down - otherwise I'd use the regular stuff. It's also not bad for travel - you can keep it with you and be a bit discreet at gyms that aren't into chalk in general.

[@GreMLinSLoveCoOkies]

Are you talking about climbing gyms that aren't into chalk in general or just normal gyms ? Can't imagine a climbing gym that takes itself seriously, not allowing chalk ^^

[@fredrichardson9761]

@@GreMLinSLoveCoOkies Yeah, sorry, I meant regular gym. I like to use chalk for deadlifts. I agree - hard to imagine a climbing gym that doesn't allow chalk!

[@alexenders6839]

So fun to watch you two have fun!! I've smiled so often with you two during this video because the positive atmosphere from the video is so authentic

[@carterhale4674]

I really like the bar that shows what they are talking about and is filling up. Great editorial addition

[@manuelirazabal1555]

Awesome video, keep it up magnus, been loving the content lately

[@TheAnthem88]

Figure four would be better from a good hold to a really bad hold because you could go static instead of dynamic. For a the tight shoe is always better question, not always, good for edges and maybe aggressive heelhooks etc. but definitely way worse on smearing and problems that need a bigger friction area like standing on volumes. Great video, much love

[@lolomat212]

I've never seen anyone climb shirtless in a gym here in germany. It feels so normal when i watch scandinavian climnbing youtubers like you, Emil or Eric, but i would never dare do it myself in my gym.

[@petrl9838]

Ich bin ein furchtbarer Kletterer und war erst 7-8 mal Bouldern und selbst ich hab schon ein paar mal Leute oben ohne gesehen.

[@lolomat212]

@@petrl9838 wo warst du denn so unterwegs? Ich bin regelmäßig in Niedersachsen in verschiedenen Hallen, da ist das auf jeden Fall nicht gängig.

[@petrl9838]

@@lolomat212 Es ist selten, aber ab und zu sieht man halt schon mal jemanden ohne Shirt.

[@holyknightthatpwns]

Where I climb in the US it's also not very common. It's probably a gym by gym, or at least regional thing.

[@adrianobermuhlner2525]

I absolutely love the bar in the top left which shows the progress of each part!!

[@Peter-fv9bj]

I love that Pete stuck to Magnus on the stiff shoe thing and how loose the test was.

[@ZeeLow_7]

Vidéo géniale, drôle et étonnamment instructive ! Merci Magnus et Pete pour votre humour et votre bonne humeur !

[@lightbrand_]

Ouah un commentaire en français et malgré tout magnus l’a like, surprenant

I agree that liquid chalk is not stickier, but its main benefit is that your hands stay dry longer. I had a project recently that had a really bad crux hold high up and when I used liquid chalk + regular chalk, my hands were nearly dry in the crux compared to just regular chalk = really sweaty hands in the crux. On routes I don't chalk up as much when I use liquid chalk prior to climbing. I dislike liquid chalk in general though, it doesn't feel as nice, needs to dry up and I get a ton of splits on my fingers as is, when I use liquid chalk I get much more. I have a nice sample as well, when climbing gyms opened again first after covid, liquid chalk was mandatory. Finger splits all day :D

[@tobiasrietveld3819]

Magnus: "Washed my hands, completely clean" (and then continues to wipe them on his chalk-rag of a shirt :P)

[@moonsent9526]

Love the videos with the wide boys. Thanks Magnus and Pete!

[@ianmcnulty5056]

I think slippy wooden holds for the stiff shoes miff would have been better. Personally I think a soft shoes requires really strong toes to stay on bad edges, where stiffer shoes give a little more help

[@TheRockerman33]

Great video! You should test if you can grip better with pruned skin. Apparently our skin prunes so we can grip better in the water, it would be interesting to see if that translates in climbing

[@magiclife1998]

Goodness, pruned skin and rough holds 😰

[@earlgrey2130]

That is just asking for tears in your skin :/

[@madiis18account]

skin only prunes up when its wet though, and the entire point of chalk is to dry out our hands, so it'd be had to test

[@nathanielvelasquez552]

i typically skip through sponsorship in videos but listening to magnus i watch every second of it, so he gets every single cent from youtube. thank you magnus for helping us all and bringing us amazing content and wholesome content at that. i speak for everyone on this you make us feel like we are there with you.

[@shemshem9998]

for the sandbagging, it really just depends on what you grew up with, in ohter places that might have been a V3. for example in my main sports (mountainbiking and skiing) there tends to be a large amount of variation on which country grades what. with mountainbiking the french tend grade really light compared to others (grading light meaning they sandbagg it), the brits tend to make the grading harder than the scotts and the north americans grade techinical trails really harsh and jump trails really light. alpine regions also tend to grade lighter than the less mountainus regions too. simular with skiing, canadians tend to grade really dark while the swiss grade pretty light, the french are inbetween, germans a bit darker than the french and the rest i dont really know. i think it all mostly depends on the talent and what people are used to. i have seen quite a few ridiers who coould easely ride black trails in the cananda, then put them on a black run in the french alpes and they where done for. your gonna grade what you think is hard, and if your most easy trails are far harder than those of others your going ot grade up fast. for example if your trail is in the alpes where everything is steep, your most easty trail is going to be far more dificult than the easyest trail on a grassy hilside 100km away

[@imscheck]

I remember an indoor climb, where figure four really was the way to go. You came out of a roof with both hands on crimps, had to let go of your feet and reach for an angled crimp outside of the roof on an overhang. Campusing it would have blown you out of the crimp due to backwards momentum. You needed that one static.

[@kattassen]

“The difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.” - Adam Savage (Mythbusters)

[@mrgrinch835134]

Thoroughly enjoy all these videos! This one in particular is fantastic. Just enjoyable throughout. The liquid chalk myth is an interesting one, I think it often depends on the chalk you use. Locally (dunno how widespread it is) Gekco chalk popped up during Covid - it's super 'not sticky' and doesn't have any of the resin stuff in it. I find it works as well (better at times?) as the normal stuff.

[@MikkoRantalainen]

20:15 I think the difference between having chalk in your hands vs holds is that the chalk in your hands is supposed to be pretty thin and it's task is to keep your hands dry (avoid sweat and oil) and the best for the holds is to be as rought and porous as possible. I guess if your hands were oily and sweaty and you didn't use chalk, then it wouldn't matter or having chalk on the holds would actually improve things.

[@TinyLifeTAKEOVER]

Man I learned tons on this. Our gym just forced liquid chalk for Covid reasons and I'm hearing lots of complaints of drying hands and bad grip. I guess that makes it official!

[@hsonp_h]

Myth 11: Lowering your heels on a slab increases contact area, improving friction. Fact: Friction is independent of contact area. Lowering your heels slightly improves contact angle and lets you move off your foot more easily. Test this with an inclined plane and a mass with rubber feet of different areas.

[@wendywilson8488]

In theory the surface area increase lowers the pressure and thus the two effects cancel. However, because the rubber is soft, allowing it to conform to the irregularities of the rock, lowering your heals and increasing the contact area does in fact result in greater force due to contact area. The force is more of a mixture between the mechanical and the frictional types of forces. If the rock was more glassy or smooth, then the rubber wouldn't conform around the projecting bits of material and it would therefore conform to the high school physics model. I've often wondered about this question because I am a climber, but I have a physics degree as well. I've always noticed that the contact area does in fact increase my ability to stay on the rock, so I did some digging and realized why it isn't just a idealized coefficient of friction type problem.

[@hsonp_h]

@@wendywilson8488 Wouldn’t the rubber conform more to irregularities in the rock using smaller contact patch, not a larger patch? There’s also an issue of selection bias: With a wider contact patch, you are subjecting yourself to the “average” friction over that large area, whereas with a smaller contact patch, you might get unlucky and hit an area of low friction, causing you to fall. On the other hand, on a really bad surface, you might need to get lucky, so a smaller patch might land in a higher friction area. Of course, if you decrease size too much, you start destroying your rubber, so there must be a sweet spot… It’s definitely complicated, it’s not as simple as “more contact area=better friction” as many rock climbers believe.

[@bontonswanson8977]

@@hsonp_h agree

[@sheepborg]

@@hsonp_h as contact area gets smaller the softer rubber will deform to the point that it 'rolls' over the the features from which it was deriving the extra area from. I think a decent comparison think about kneading dough where the bottom has great friction on the work surface but through deformation your hands move more easily. Apparent surface stretching also occurs as you roll onto your toes because bending something inherently compresses the inside of the bend and stretches the outside of the bend which similarly pulls some of that good deformation out of where it has keyed into the hold. Given those factors the reality may be pretty close to more area = more friction except when there are features too large for the shoe to deform around such as you might have on granite. Since dropped heels will minimize sole bending stretch as you move and reduce the likelihood that the climber will unintentionally overload one part of the rubber it probably just works out to be better in a vast majority of gym cases. Worth noting that "more" has an upper boundary of "the area of two shoes" which may also keep conditions reasonably optimal for soft rubber.

[@markw1528]

a level physics xd

[@louieb1218]

Man I wish I had friends like you guys, so awesome and challenging, great collaboration!