The Testpiece Podcast

Testpiece

Climbing

Bouldering

Board Climbing

Climbing Community

Competition Climbing

Climbing Competitions

Outdoor Climbing

Route Setting

Climbing Techniques

Climbing Technique

Training

Training Techniques

Fontainebleau

Moonboard

V17

High-Level Climbing

V15

Climbing Grades

Olympics

Karma

A podcast about high level climbing. How to go from Good to Great.Hosted by Joshua Horsley.

493 ratings

Publishes	Weekly	Episodes	235	Founded	5 years ago
Number of Listeners		Category	Sports

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Latest Episodes

#201 Ethan Pringle — The Level Of Difficulty In Pro Climbing, Why Beta Refinement Never Ends, and What Holds Back Most Climbers?

Ethan Pringle needs no introduction. He’s been a pro climber for decades, sent some of the world’s most iconic highballs and routes, and — most importantly — appeared on episode 19 of The Testpiece Podcast.

Today, in his long awaited return to the p... more

26 Oct 2026 • 1 hr 39 min

YouTube

Board Talk #17 with Matthew Mendes — The World’s Strongest Fingers, The Death Of Spray Walls, and Climbing V11 In Under A Year

Boards have become a unique discipline and culture within climbing, so we created a recurring podcast focused on the latest things happening in board climbing and what it means for our sport from industry veterans and board lovers: Matt Mendes, and J... more

19 Oct 2026 • 1 hr 12 min

YouTube

#200 Gio Placci — How To Never Stop Improving, The Problem With Onsights, and Training With The World’s Strongest Climbers

Giovanni Placci keeps getting better. Despite a relatively late start to his climbing career, he’s managed to flash 9a, compete in world cups, and become a regular training partner of Adam Ondra and Jakob Schubert.

Today, he and Josh sit down to dis... more

12 Oct 2026 • 1 hr 17 min • Most popular

YouTube

Good Temps #18 — Climbing In Baseball Stadiums, Ondra On Exodia V18, and The Flatanger Double Clutch

This week’s episode ran a bit shorter than usual. To make it up to you, we’re including the Patreon bonus section for free!

This is a recurring podcast focused on the latest things happening in climbing and what it means for our sport from industry ... more

5 Oct 2026 • 54 min

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Ethan Pringle

Professional climber known for highballs, first ascents, and climbing across disciplines.

Episode: #201 Ethan Pringle — The Level Of Difficulty In Pro Climbing, Why Beta Refinement Never Ends, and What Holds Back Most Climbers?

Matthew Mendes

Climber and university student studying theoretical physics

Episode: Board Talk #17 with Matthew Mendes — The World’s Strongest Fingers, The Death Of Spray Walls, and Climbing V11 In Under A Year

Giovanni Placci

Italian competition climber and outdoor climber who has flashed 9a

Episode: #200 Gio Placci — How To Never Stop Improving, The Problem With Onsights, and Training With The World’s Strongest Climbers

Elias Iagnemma

Climber known for proposing 9A+ for Exodia

Professional climber

Episode: #199 Elias Iagnemma — The World's Hardest Boulder, Proposing A New Grade, and What Comes After Sending V18?

Matt Fultz

Board climber discussing projects and the board scene

self

Episode: Board Talk #16 with Matt Fultz — The Benchmarking Process, The Brand New Core Board, and The “Harder” Version Of Hypnotized Minds

Austin Hoyt

Climber and guest on the episode

Northeast climbing community

Episode: #198 Austin Hoyt — Maintaining Progression At Your Limit, The Northeast’s V18, and What Separates The Younger Generation Of Climbers

Carlo Traversi

High-level climber and route setter, guest host on this episode

Episode: #197 WC Routesetter’s Roundtable — The Future of Routesetting, How Hard Are World Cups, and Fixing The Scoring System

James Pearson

Climber with a background in gritstone, trad, and sport; world-class lead in multiple disciplines

Climber (The North Face team member in earlier years)

Episode: #196 James Pearson — Climbing For Yourself, Expanding Your Skillset, and Why You Should Start Trad Climbing

Si Moore

Founder of Vertical Ascents and climbing coach

Vertical Ascents

Episode: #195 Si Moore — Building Better Sessions, How To Send Boulders, and Why You Shouldn’t Fall In Your Training

Host

Joshua Horsley

Host of The Testpiece Podcast

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 493 ratings

I like it but
Host could fact check some lore before going live. Otw I don’t care about ums and such and let’s celebrate a podcast that feels more like a breakdown of the sport and less a platform for the host to spit conspiracies and personal bests.
Apple Podcasts
4
Bebooboppbop
United States8 months ago
The host
Sorry Josh but you come off uninformed but confident in nearly every episode. It got to the point that I let the podcast go. Any time the podcast goes into sport, gear, or comp climbing you’re making stuff up.
Access to rad people can only get you so far in a saturated podcasting space.
Apple Podcasts
2
Williams2727$
United States9 months ago
Unique Podcase in Climbing
I generally dont love bro-ey podcasts or ones where there’s a bunch of ppl overtalking each other. And this podcast fits my taste for in-depth tete-a-tete conversations with real depth. The content is additionally unconventional. Much more nuanced than the run of the mill climbing podcast. Previous topics have included taboos like the use of oral drugs like stimulants and injectables - which is neat if scary. Intermediate (v5-8) climbers are also looking for more nuanced talk about techniques wh... more
Apple Podcasts
5
sryitstrue
United Statesa year ago
Constant Improvements
This show is much better than it used to be. Josh is getting better at hosting and interviewing. Not going to lie, I think it has improved as Tim has become a guest rather than host. Partially because I think he is a good guest and due to lower doses of “unknown destination at takeoff” rants. I love some of the nuggets that arrive from this. Basically an American version of Careless Talk. Even down to the Moonboard.
I think in the future it may benefit from more editing, timestamps, and small ... more
Apple Podcasts
4
CharterSpatula
United States2 years ago
Good Stuff
My personal favorite climbing podcast! Full of content that I haven’t found anywhere else, it manages to be both very nuanced and wide ranging! Really appreciate the time, energy and unique perspectives put in by Josh and Tim.
Apple Podcasts
5
Snklfrtz8
United States2 years ago

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Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise deep, nuanced conversations and practical climbing insights.

Positive sentiment around content depth and guest quality, with some criticism of co-host dynamics.

Audience appreciates access to top climbers and industry perspectives.

Some feedback notes inconsistent facts or pacing, with calls for tighter editing and timestamps.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#143	Italy/Sports
Apple Podcasts	#182	India/Sports
Apple Podcasts	#230	Chile/Sports

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#201 Ethan Pringle — The Level Of Difficulty In Pro Climbing, Why Beta Refinement Never Ends, and What Holds Back Most Climbers?

Q: What are the most common mistakes you see in intermediate or advanced climbers?

Pringle says sport climbers are often held back by fear, while climbers generally underestimate their abilities and become constrained by stories about their grade, strength, or bravery. He recommends addressing those limits rather than focusing only on harder grades.

#201 Ethan Pringle — The Level Of Difficulty In Pro Climbing, Why Beta Refinement Never Ends, and What Holds Back Most Climbers?

Q: What has allowed climbing difficulty to keep increasing?

Pringle credits climbers' expanded understanding of what is possible, alongside genetics, access to facilities, and athletes pushing one another. Greater specialization and the visibility of high-level climbing also help raise expectations.

#200 Gio Placci — How To Never Stop Improving, The Problem With Onsights, and Training With The World’s Strongest Climbers

Q: What would you tell someone who wants to go from good to great?

Placci recommends comparing yourself with stronger climbers during training to reveal physical and mental weaknesses. He says this works best when people set aside ego and focus on learning, while staying secure in who they are.

#200 Gio Placci — How To Never Stop Improving, The Problem With Onsights, and Training With The World’s Strongest Climbers

Q: Why does La Rage D'Adam need to be fun for you to commit so much time to it?

Placci enjoys the route because it is entirely natural, has movement that suits him, and offers satisfying climbing without a single disproportionately difficult move. He says he would keep trying it even without recognition or a grade goal.

Board Talk #17 with Matthew Mendes — The World’s Strongest Fingers, The Death Of Spray Walls, and Climbing V11 In Under A Year

Q: What is your thought about the upper end of board grading and how it relates to equivalent grades outdoors?

Mendes considers high-end board grades substantially harder than equivalent outdoor grades. He says climbers are more willing to assign realistic grades outdoors, while board climbers tend to grade harshly and reserve the highest grades for exceptionally difficult problems.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Testpiece Podcast

What is The Testpiece Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep dive-focused climbing show that extracts practical, data-driven insights from high-level athletes, coaches, and industry insiders. Episodes frequently explore training methods, board climbing, grading debates, gear and gym design, and the evolving media landscape around the sport. Listeners likely include dedicated climbers, gym operators, trainers, and gear enthusiasts who crave nuanced discussions, behind-the-scenes context, and candid perspectives from top performers. A standout is the regular emphasis on training philosophy, performance psychology, and the balance between hard ascents and sustainable practice, with frequent guest appearances from elite climbers and industry voices.

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How many listeners does The Testpiece Podcast get?

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Which podcasts are similar to The Testpiece Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Testpiece Podcast:

1. The Careless Talk Climbing Podcast
2. The Struggle Climbing Show
3. The Nugget Climbing Podcast
4. The RunOut Podcast
5. Climbing Gold

How many episodes of The Testpiece Podcast are there?

The Testpiece Podcast launched 5 years ago and published 235 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Testpiece Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Testpiece Podcast?

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What guests have appeared on The Testpiece Podcast?

Recent guests on The Testpiece Podcast include:

1. Ethan Pringle
2. Matthew Mendes
3. Giovanni Placci
4. Elias Iagnemma
5. Matt Fultz
6. Austin Hoyt
7. Carlo Traversi
8. James Pearson

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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