Meagan + C Lad - SPONSORED belayers?!

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Meagan Knecht and C Lad are both level 5 belayers in the USA who are also helping out with belay training videos for World Climbing. In this episode, we’ll debunk the myth that women can’t belay men or heavier climbers, we’ll learn about the problems with Assisted Braking Device (ABD)requirements in gyms, and of course, we'll talk about how to get into high level belaying and how they became SPONSORED belayers thanks to Trango.

Guest links:
USA Belay Instagram (instagram.com/usabelay)
C Lad's Instagram (instagram.com/_c.lad_)
Meagan's Instagram (instagram.com/megsknecht)
USA Belay YouTube (youtube.com/@USABelay)

Reference links:
Wujiang 2025 Belayer Aiding Climber (youtube.com/live/MWIG2oPt6xA?si=AG1rS4uvxwyyg2…)

Thank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! madrock.com
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Timestamps of discussion topics
0:00 - Intro
1:29 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!
2:19 - Excitement for Pan-American series
4:21 - Getting into climbing and belaying
14:02 - AUDIENCE Q: Difference between an avg vs elite belayer?
20:26 - Work that allows the flexibility for travel
22:48 - How to get into belaying at a high level
27:43 - Setting the standard for World Climbing
34:36 - ATC vs ABDs in gyms
39:06 - The belayer's unique pivotal role
43:41 - Snugroping?
45:28 - Athlete interactions
48:00 - Dual-belay system
52:44 - Is it too late to become an Olympics belayer?
56:42 - Being sponsored as belayers
1:01:54 - Why is belaying para the best?
1:08:46 - Routesetting that makes belaying harder
1:14:25 - AUDIENCE Q: What's it like to walk up to an Olympian and belay them?
1:16:59 - AUDIENCE Q: Favorite venue to belay at?
1:18:33 - Where to find the beladies and words of wisdom