Ep 1: Niklas Wiechmann - What is REAL climbing? Setting for world cup level climbers

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Thanks for tuning into the inaugural episode of the podcast! Niki is a routesetter with over 20 years of experience, setting for both commercial gyms and competitions. He’s known for setting “parkour-style” boulders that require creative movement rather than raw power. We’ll hear from him about what it’s like setting for world cup level climbers, how the IFSC chooses holds and setters, different competition formats, and how to improve the future of competition climbing. You can find the links below to follow along on his journey with BetaRoutesetting on Youtube or Instagram.
Guest links:
instagram.com/schniklas
youtube.com/@BetaRoutesetting
Reference links:
The only climbing movie to watch: Stone Monkey (mntnfilm.com/en/film/stone-monkey-1988)
Q&A video about world cup setters: Q&A (youtube.com/watch?v=cWjcycL-Ea8)
Interview with IFSC President: Marco Scolaris
Timestamps of discussion topics
0:00 - introduction
2:25 - how he got into routesetting
4:24 - what it was like growing up within the climbing community
7:10 - learning to love climbing again
9:19 - tricky niki, the birth of parkour style climbing
11:15 - my embarrassing lack of climbing knowledge, Johnny Dawes
14:39 - response to routesetter criticism, he’s willing to fight
17:26 - how to set for an elite level climber
20:05 - are climbing moves getting too repetitive?
21:40 - existential crisis, why are people interested in watching comp climbing
25:58 - are there any unforgettable climbing moments?
29:16 - how the IFSC chooses world cup setters
35:47 - what’s missing from world cup coverage
37:38 - IFSC holds
39:00 - networking his way into the world cup
41:39 - will we see the infamous spinning wheel climbing hold in a world cup?
42:52 - setting rules that shouldn’t exist
44:44 - how setters set for climbers who can climb harder than them
51:40 - how to set for a broad skill differential, the Janja problem
55:56 - future of routesetting trends
1:02:27 - a unique team-based competition climbing format
1:05:56 - what competition climbing needs in order to grow in popularity
1:07:30 - IFSC was founded with the intention of bringing climbing to the Olympics
1:11:45 - a new world cup idea
1:14:57 - how to bring more money into climbing?
1:18:05 - the takeaway, climbing is not set in stone
1:19:55 - where to follow Niki’s journey!
1:20:55 - outro