Climbing has a problem! Real talk with Prof. Dr. med. Volker Schöffl

[@eljanrimsa5843]

Thanks for speaking out. Janja Garnbret has talked about this before this season, and said that she wants us not to raise "another generation of skeletons". She advocates for bans for athletes who repeatedly measure below the BMI threshold. Caroline Treadway has done a powerful documentary about the "normality" of eating disorders in climbing. Stasa Gejo has opened up that she had her own battle with eating disorder a couple of years ago, the injuries she had, and that she feels much healthier and stronger at her higher weight now. And if you want an inside look from another sport: American long-distance runner Allie Ostrander speaks in her KZbin posts about her battle with eating disorder.

[@MSHNKTRL]

Janja is proper jacked, I hope more women follow hers and Alex Puccio's example

[@lucyreed4452]

also Alannah Yip calling out the IFSC

[@neoshark01]

Janja wouldn't pass the "normal" BMI threshold either. BMI is outdated and can't be a measure of health. Some people have a natural lower or higher BMI and it's not an indication of an eating disorder

[@malindarayallen]

Magnus Midtbo has opened up about his struggles too.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

@@neoshark01 That's the nothing-is-perfect-let's-not-do-anything argument with which people excuse the problem away for themselves. Watch the video! He explains what they use BMI resp. MI for. The BMI resp. MI measurement is a last stop sign something is wrong. The physiological problem that occurs in climbing and some other sports is called RED-S, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports - When an athlete provides less energy than his or her body needs, the body slows down or shuts off non-immediately essential functions like hormone production, if this goes on too long, bone density will drop, injuries and all sorts of health issues will develop. To address the bigger problem, the idea is to have regular RED-S exams once at the start of the season. The BMI resp. MI threshold would be to take away the incentive for dropping weight to a dangerously low level when performing in a comp, because BMI resp. MI is easy to measure, similar to what ski jumping did.

[@arrrriba]

Great video, thanks to Prof. Schöffl for taking the time to educate us more on this very important topic!

[@FooDawg]

You are one of only a few athletes that even broach this subject, let alone delve deep into it... Good on you Alex. The community appreciates you and your approach to the sport!!!

[@4D_SpaceTime]

uploading videos even when participating to a world cup. what a champ ! keep up the great work

[@JoMahr]

I really appreciate how you use your platform to draw attention to issues like these, Alex. Cudos!

[@ericr3581]

Really great video. I didn't realize it was this bad. It's unthinkable that the doctors cannot do anything about it when an athlete is sick. I understand Dr. Schöffl's resignation, and it's a shame that it had to come to that.

[@bluemeaford]

This is absolutely fantastic. Thank you Alex and Dr. for bringing increased awareness to this extremely important topic. I work in mental health and many people do not realize how dangerous eating disorders and that mindset can be. “Anorexia that has the highest mortality of any psychiatric diagnosis other than opioid use disorder”. (source APA).

[@gutparra]

Great video, very importante topic. Norwegian former pro climber @Magnus Midtbø has talked about some of these issues, from the perspective of an athlete. I'd suggest Megos and dr. Schöffl to talk to him to make some kind of partnership to disseminate the content of this video to a broader audience. Increased awareness in the climbing community can help to convince IFSC to start acting responsibly

[@4Burcu4]

Thank you so much for speaking up about this guys! As a climbing coach, this is one thing I am super worried about for my young climbers. It is not enough for coaches to be aware of this and have a talk with their athletes. They are so passionate about the sport and they idolize the top competition athletes. Whatever they do, whatever they wear, wherever they go and also whatever they eat is being mocked by these kids who are trying to be like them… So it is not just about their own health at that level of competition, it is also about setting example for the direction we want our beloved sport to take. We owe that to our next generation.

[@julen2380]

Such an important topic and definitely not only in climbing. I actually don't climb but do cycling (not competitvely) and if you watch professional cycling...it might be worse than climbing. I guess the same is true for many endurance sports. So thank you for using your platform to talk about this!

[@Kat-j9s]

As a huge comp climber fan who typically doesn't participate in any online activities, you've convinced me to make a youtube account so I can comment on all the ifsc videos to please address this topic. I will also be figuring out a way to email or call the IFSC. I care about the athletes deeply and would rather see them go on to live happy lives after their competitive careers than to just have 1-2 good seasons. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@kristenb9703]

Thank you for continuing to put pressure on the IFSC! This is so important not just for the current climbers, but for the future of the sport! Of course the athletes are so motivated to perform, but 15 years of your life shouldn’t take away from the other 70+ years you have!

[@Sinus2016]

This is a very important topic in our sport, thank you for using your platform and your contacts to give awareness to the health related problems in professional climbing ✨ Also thank you to the doctor for putting in all this afford into making climbing a safer sport and the competitors healthier 😊

[@svenbreitkopf]

Wow Alex! Thumbs up for beeing bold enough to upload this while beeing heavily dependent on the IFSC and DAV.

[@sqealerr]

What a legend. I only knew him from his publications on fingers injuries. Impressive to hear what he did and is doing for the sport. Raising this topic is also good for the semi professionals and local gym crushers, as they often mimic their idols that they see on social media and have to deal with similar health consequences when they start following their nutritional habits.

[@peaceorperil]

incredibly cool to lend your platform to someone with the expertise to talk frankly about this subject. it's only a matter of time until an athlete on the circuit dies from anorexia unless something changes, the only way something will happen is if people keep the pressure up. hope to see more athletes speaking out.

[@victorkolouch1718]

Outstanding video. As an avid senior climber, I love watching the world cup comps. You see competitors who are just rails, and you wonder if they are ok. There is so much at stake for them, that short term rewards can swamp out long term thinking. I'm certainly not an elite athlete, so it's not my place to pass judgement. But, it's great to know that people in the sport are trying to raise the alarm. And Alex can be pretty funny.

[@billking8843]

Fantastic that leading climbers are going out on a limb and speaking out about this. I'm not a serious climber but have seen enough serious climbers. I started in the 90s when trad ruled here and bouldering was only really done as training by top end sport climbers. At that stage weight lifting was totally frowned upon and obsessed sport climbers were into as losing as much weight as they could. Many got caught in a vicious cycle of failing to meet their performance targets and redoubling their efforts to lose weight, which led to weakness and depression.

[@soggie-u5g]

Thank you so much for speaking up, Alex. I actually was struggling with this topic for quite a while which led me to stop climbing and focus on my health. I think more conversation and discussion will bring back climbers, like myself, to the sport. Videos like these embraces the challenges and downsides of the sport, which I think is a better alternative than straight ignorance.

[@msig206]

Thank you for recognizing that other nations don't have the same medical facilities as the big ones. Most athletes are struggling with with low income and may have to pay out-of-pocket to get additional health check ups (that may be required by IFSC). The upfront cost may be too big for them to even be able to compete. So thank you for recognizing this!

[@AidanXavier1]

I'm glad to see more and more athletes discussing this issue. Hopefully IFSC addresses this soon.

[@Nyitemare]

I love this guy, he's so passionate and knowledgeable. Really great to see the topic is being tackled head on with intensity. It has the chance to really be so damaging to so many. Great video Alex!

[@janzapal6238]

Respect & thanks, to both of you: Volker for great work and Alex for participating/uploading.

[@GourmetBurrito]

Thanks for sharing (and in English too so I could learn more about RED-S). Love that end bit about how the Federation works for the athletes and climbers should make them take their service role seriously. Must have been crazy frustrating to not see change taking shape. Hopefully as more athletes speak out against it, the pressure mounts and we do see that change.

[@cicicamino7379]

Thank you so much for speaking out about this, it is such an important issue. The IFSC has an opportunity here to show leadership in the sporting community by addressing this head on with the hard work already been done by the medical teams. Maybe there is fear to implement changes in the lead up to the Olympics given IOC politics, but this is the perfect opportunity for the community to come together and let the IFSC and the IOC know this is about leadership in sports medicine and competition and the community and viewers fully support this.

[@MicahBuller]

Seriously Alex! Thank you so much for putting this on your platform. I really hope more climbers start talking about this.

[@SteveTownshend]

Great Video!! Very informative! And Volker is amazing! Really great guy and fantastic climber, I’m honored I’ve got to know him through climbing over the years. It’s pretty disappointing that the IFSC didn’t work with him and he felt the need to resign. That’s a big loss for the IFSC and the climbing community. Thanks for this video.

[@simonksos7671]

Thank you Alex for spreading the word. I don’t know which athletes are suffering from red s but I really hope they all get some medical assistance before it’s too late for them.

[@aidanoc19]

Thanks for such an informative video! I actually heard of this recently in a local distance runner, a young man called Jake Smith. He gained prominence a couple of years ago, breaking into world class by running an Olympic marathon standard as a pacer. I think he was too late for Team GB to pick him. Anyway he got signed by Nike, went to East Africa and just broke down. Every comeback after that resulted in a stress fracture. This year he got diagnosed with REDS, rebuilt his body and now looks a little bulkier but is running quick and healthy for the first time in a couple of years. Sounds like he's one of the lucky ones.

[@AB-fh9zh]

Thanks for giving this issue the attention it clearly needs.

[@lolapiereuse8799]

Thank you for that video and thanks for talking about it. As a climber who recovered from anorexia, it is always so hard for me to see competition and competitors who are so skinny. It must change and those kinds of videos help a lot !

[@JadeEliot]

Thank you for sharing this video. Of course RED-S is not a new issue, but having these conversations and educating the community about its severity goes a long way towards putting pressure on organizations and systems of power to change. I don't intend to undermine the importance of prevention and early intervention, but I want to say as well that healing is ALWAYS possible, even if someone has been struggling for more than 2 years. The risk of long term health impacts may be higher, but there are so many reasons to recover regardless of these effects. I have had the privilege of witnessing hundreds of people's journeys through eating disorders, from my own experience in anorexia treatment for 6 years, to working with clients at an eating disorder treatment center, to my current eating disorder research as a Psychology Ph.D. student. Although there are inevitably tragedies, I have seen just as many stories of hope and healing.

[@altcineva4188]

Well done, Alex for bringing into light this sensitive topic.

[@markwang9640]

Thank you Alex and Chris and Max and Dr. Schoffl for doing this!!!

[@jackdavidson8708]

Thank you for continuing to bring awareness about this issue! We can only hope more external pressure will bring the IFSC to act on all of the data we have.

[@awkwardturtle77]

I'm glad this topic is being brought up. I wish this topic would be addressed more (in a positive-oriented way) by the climbing community (as a whole) in the US.

[@as3fawf]

Somehow it seems like it's all the time Alex Megos talking about things that need to be talked about. I'm not really into that climbing fandom stuff but Alex you do great things that are even greater than the grades you climb. You use your publicity for good and i'm always happy to see/hear/read things about you. Thanks!

[@goodbae5596]

Hard video to watch but as a climber I do think it is very important to talk about. Thank you both for taking the time to talk about such a serious subject.

[@danobable]

very interesting video, thank you, and amazing that people like Volker are looking out for athletes in this way

[@lll000lllx3]

Thank you for the great video. If top athletes began to speak so often about it (like you're doing), I think that sooner or later something will happen. And Alex, you have a talent as a presenter! Really good questions and top comments!

[@i0am0hamm]

This was very eye opening. I’ve heard comments about this but it seems like no one else has opened up and tried to educate people. Also, please make more videos with Dr. Volker!

[@JanNowak-ss1fq]

Great interview, important voice in the climbing community. Hope your effort will make the change you want to see in this great sport of ours. Thank you!

[@Ayoutubehandleishere]

Thanks for using your platform Alex!

[@promarch2]

Die Beschreibung liest sich wie eine HR Beschreibung von dem neuesten Trend, aber das Video ist brutal gut, danke dafür!

[@UnicycleSoul]

Damn Alex, this channel of yours just keeps on giving and getting better. This is awesome content and topics that should definitely be discussed more. Good job lads

[@roapcoaching917]

Great video/conversation. Thanks all!

[@paulgennaro2001]

I'm glad this channel is growing! There should be a return to the old school style in bouldering gyms and competitions. There's something weird about how climbers like Magnus think they're too big for modern competitions. Back in the day, Sharma's size was normal. This has been discussed in length by Magnus as well. Also, there's even a climbing KZbin channel that highlighted the fact that climbers are no longer Sharma's size. I can't remember the video though. The Parkour big hold power-style has actually caused more problems than the actual problem it was intended to solve. You have to wonder if Ondra's criticism of today's comp style was based on this very problem?

[@tind9908]

That’s very interesting. I’m some what of a noob so I assumed the new style would benefit bigger climbers with more power.

[@brendanmcconnell3626]

Great talk! It seems super important to have these discussions as climbing grows. Also, the variety of content on this channel is amazing. I hope you all keep it up!

[@epincion]

Thanks Alex and Chris and Dr. med. Volker Schöffl - I hope this excellent video is widely watched.

[@Nicoandthepage]

Thanks for speaking about it. It was at the forefront of my mind when watching the IFSC competitions lately. It is as you say sometimes hard to watch these people when they climb out on the stage. I just get a very bad feeling that in those exact moments someone young and skinny decides to lose even more weight because they see it on the big screen and they think it is okay.

[@annmaier7863]

Great topic, so necessary to make everybody aware of that problem. Hopefully the IFSC will do something about it. Thank you for this video.

[@Gludo666]

Greatly appreciated shoutout to a big topic with extremely interesting insights from Volker. This half an hour passed like nothing.

[@snefansson]

This is such an important subject to talk about. I see it so often and have myself fallen in to that pit. I was lucky enough to have a good friend that dragged me out of it, but as Volker said, sometimes it's there forever. I'm at a healthy weight now and treat myself better with food, but the little shit demon in my head calling me fat lives there permanently. I've needed to completely forbid myself from any form of calorie counting, it just always leads to my brain going in to hyper mode and trying for PERFECTION. And perfection doesn't exist nor does the hunt for it lead to anything healthy. Only thing I can do is add nutrition to my diet, I can never let myself take anything away. It will never go away, you'll just have to learn to live with it. Thanks for making this video Alex! This subject needs as a lot more attention than it's getting

[@hj40]

Really well said. Thank you so much for your work. I will be sharing this with my coaches and climbers

[@dnt4tw466]

Really improtant topic and I am glad you use your name and reach to increase the awareness!

[@traumtaenzer2212]

Danke für das Video. Ich bin ehrlich, ich dachte immer, dass es solche Vorgaben schon längst gibt. Ich kenne viele Menschen die leider an einer Essstörung leiden und das hat echt fiese Nachfolgen. Deshalb zählt das Argument des guten Vorbilds für mich sogar höher als dass der Athlet sich selbst zerstört. Ja, es gibt auch gesunde untergewichtige Menschen, aber das überhaupt nicht ein zu schränken ist in meiner Wahrnehmung schon fahrlässig. Den Athleten und allen, die zuschauen gegenüber. Denn wie ihr schon sagtet, wenn junge Leute mit dem Sport starten und nicht nur schlanke sondern (stark) untergewichtige Athleten sehen, die gewinnen, natürlich entsteht da ein bestimmtes Bild. Da kann sich weder jung noch alt vor schützen, nur ist bei den meisten älteren Sportlern der Zug zum Profisport eh schn abgefahren und die jungen, die in den Profisport kommen wollen, nehmen diese Vorbilder ernst. Da kann man nur hoffen, dass sich endlich etwas ändert...

[@coderedblack]

Fascinating and detailed conversation - I appreciate the mention too of the influence of routesetting on how strength vs weight is advantageous. Thank you for highlighting this on your channel, Alex!

[@luvamiart8567]

I had no idea about this. I started bouldering about 8 months ago, now I do it three times a week. I'm a woman and also vegan, and since I rised the days of acitvity my hunger went up too, so I'm eating more, taking care of protein and making sure all my nutrients are met because I want to be stronger since this sport is so fun and addictive. I just want to get better at it. Both my weight and my muscle mass went up, so for now I don't think I'm in danger of developing this problem, but I will have it mind, thank you.

[@willmurrin9344]

Thank you for sharing this conversation.

[@maciek_sca]

This is gold, thanks Alex! One of the best video I've seen on YT!

[@Caegofy]

Thanks for the video about this really important topic and to get more insights about the proposed approach.

[@jjimena263]

Real stuff!!! Thank you for uploading this, and spreading medical awareness

[@banksiaspinulosa7442]

Thank you for the education, I do hope climbing can lead the way for all sports.

[@danielkunkler7293]

Shoutout to all the athletes for actually talking about this.

[@ckgalore]

Thank you for raising the topic so forcefully. The long term effects of RED-S syndrome are pretty severe and should be known all over the (climbing) place. I learned quite a bit and will spread the knowledge. Cheers, cake

[@christianet1907]

Thank you for this video! That topic is so important!

[@j.j.2156]

One of the most informative Videos regarding Climbing diseases I have ever seen!👍🏼👍🏼

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Thank you for covering this. It matters! Kind regards, Daniel. 🙏🏼

[@theremycrocks6861]

Every climber should watch this video! Discussion of this topic is so so important in all sports really

[@dsmeier6270]

Thanks for speaking up about this!

[@Parmen128]

Thank you very much for bringing this very important topic...great interview, hope that things will change for better and the main interest will be the sportsman health....talking about problem and open the debate could be the great first step...👍👍👍

[@marcushill78]

Thanks for this video, I've seen eating disorders destroy lives. I see some of the current climbers on the WC circuit have problems. Speaking up is absolutely necessary.

[@petrosiliuszwackelmann1514]

Trank you for your huge effort so far. I think its really time for a general change in professional Sports. Not only in climbing as you Said but also in Running gymnastics etc. Because the negative and irreversible damage in the athlets Must stop 🙏🏽

[@TheUnknownFactor]

Really hope other climbing media picks this up also. This is really important.

[@simoppa195]

Fantastic video! Great to hear a Doctors view of this and he seems to be the perfect doctor to speak about it too!

[@ungabunga9135]

Dr. Volker Schoffl is awesome ! thanks for the great video.

[@pastrop2003]

Very important topic and a great video. Thank you Alex and Volker! The sad truth is the same problems spreads out to even serious weekend warriors...And than people are getting injured. Sure we are strength to weight ratio sport yet one can always increase strength as opposed to just losing weight. Yes it does take way more efforts but it is worth it...

[@annonymous305]

Thanks for bringing this up. Had my first contact with this topic in one of Hansjörg Auers books.

[@42ford42prefect]

Excellet video, super informative for climbing and all sport. Thanks for making this!

[@HoltSings]

So cool to see this content from a top name like Alex!

[@moritzra4214]

really appreciate this! great video, thanks for speaking out.

[@moving_particles]

Thanks for putting this out Alex. My youngest sister had anorexia and it was awful. She wasn't a climber, but she definitely went past the 2 year mark as Volker mentioned, and we lost her to suicide last year. The long term damage meant she couldn't get a foot up in life. I have since gotten into climbing and found it very therapeutic - so not only do I appreciate your climbing content but I have to say thank you very much for using your platform to share this information. Anorexia is very misunderstood in many different contexts and I can only hope information like this can steer people in a healthier direction and to help understand those with the disease.

[@aeon-adv]

Very important discussion and well explained by an expert, thanks! We all hope the @sportclimbing federation finally takes actions.

[@VelascoFlorencia]

Thank you for this video!

[@axeus2008]

thank you! I never realised that there were such extreme side effects for this and that It was such a common thing in climbers

[@colten909]

Great topic. I believe Alex could use his channel to be a positive influencer. Would love to see more videos from Alex and Chris about nutrition and okay being heavy to be strong!

[@Hopesfallout]

It's absolutely insane that we as a community have come far enough to consider Alex and Chris somewhat "heavier" climbers. Don't get me wrong, they both seem healthy and reflective of this issue, but goddamn how twisted are the standards? Imagine your kid enters the sport and it's either they perform at below 10% bodyweight all year round or go home.

[@La0bouchere]

@@Hopesfallout I don't think the OP is saying Alex is a heavy climber, just that they should do videos about heavier climbers. Alex is probably on the very edge of being so skinny he starts performing worse, and most people won't be able to maintain that level of bodyfat without trashing their mental health or doing PED's. Will Bosi is a pretty good example, the dude is less shredded than your random gym climber but is basically the best boulderer in the world right now. Staying in the 20-22 BMI range and getting good, consistent training will get pretty much everyone to a super high level.

[@jacktrussler20]

Great topic - props to all the athletes speaking up about it.

[@lekanteto]

Thank you for soaking up.

[@homemsapo]

Takes courage and integrity to criticize the IFSC. Thanks for being coherent Dr.!

[@GoodLuck-rh8tb]

Wow, great interview with an intresting person. Would love a part two sometime! He has something to tell, clearly knows his shit and is beyond passionate about climbing.

[@holstblock.web3]

Well done summarizing the discussion!

[@garronfish8227]

It would be good to see the green and orange lights implemented immediately. This would help with figuring out the practical aspects of the system. Then the red light could be phased in.

[@hugopeniche2276]

Congratulations for the courage to expose this. I think we can not be so naif thinking that IFSC can easily deal with this issue without the weight of commercial and economic interests. Now we start to get big money on the sport. Think about sponsors as Redbull for example. The only option is really to fight to have the climbing community united around what's right.💪

[@wsextreme]

Wow, good on both you for bringing it up and explaining the nuisance

[@mrlil5328]

Thanks!!!

[@laurentiuposarlie9503]

Props for you guys for talking about this !

[@grimpisme]

Thks Alex! Let's share it as much as possible to force them to change rules.

[@germanderspeedwell]

Super important video. Well done 👏

[@minkabuh]

Thanks! The more pressure via media there is, the better. Maybe Volker Schöffel can reach out for an episode or a comment via the "science of sport poadcast" too.

[@oliviabaklaton4552]

Well done Alex😊❤