what happens when a Pro Climber sign up for a beginner course

Before we start I just want to let you guys know that the Ragnar webshop is full of stuff like the harness pants. These are my favorite pants. I use them for everything from bouldering to fancy dinner parties. Not that I'm at a lot of fancy dinner parties. But we also have a lot of accessories like chalk bag, chalk and brushes and we even have limited edition t-shirts. So please check it out. The best way to support this channel is by wearing Ragnar. Now let's get to this video. I think it's the most fun video I've ever recorded. Okay so first I want to give you a little backstory. My name for this video is Bjorn and I'm from Iceland and I have never climbed before. The mustache is real but my English accent is definitely not. It's terrible. This is teamwork this. But since we're pretending to be from Iceland it doesn't really matter. The target's name is Tristan and he's a coach and has no idea who Magnus is. We told him we're making a documentary for Iceland Air about climbing and that we're heading to Yosemite after this but first we wanted to film a small segment where I try bouldering. A lot of planning went into this and a huge shout out to Alpine the climbing gym for helping us organize everything. How you doing man? Good morning. Alright this is Bjorn. Bjorn, nice to meet you. Richard, good morning. Good morning. What's up dude? How you doing? Can you guys hear everything alright? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 23, Rolling? Yep. 3, 2, 1. Alright Tristan it's really nice to meet you. Nice to meet you Bjorn. We're going to be climbing at the boulder walls right? Yes, yeah we'll be climbing on the boulders. Is that for kids or is it? Bouldering is for everybody. It is the most dangerous form of climbing that you'll find indoors and outdoors. Today we're going to kind of go over ways to make that a little bit less scary and also how to deal with falls but how to not fall as much as well. Yeah, yeah. We'll just start. I need some shoes right? Yeah, let's go get you some climbing shoes. And I've seen you use that powder on your fingers. Yeah, we're going to grab some chalk up at the front too so, alright try these on. So you want your toes and your heels to be all the way against the inside of the shoe. It should not be painful but it's not going to be comfortable either so go ahead and try those on. Okay. Never seen anything like this before. Toes and heels all the way against it. It should be like a little bit bent but not. It's a little bit tight. Okay. If it starts getting painful we can go up a size but yeah go like this real quick. Oh yeah, perfect. It's good? Yeah. Okay. And then here's some chalk for you to hang on to. Okay. You want to wrap it around, throw it around your waist. Nice. You can slide it back if you want. Slide it back? Easy access. Okay. Alright. So your objective is to start at the tape, end at the tape and use the same color. Okay. You'll also notice these tags here on the wall have a grading scale. In the gym we use the V scale so V0 all the way up to V10 so V0 is going to be something like a ladder. Most people are not going to really have too much trouble going up one of those. V10 is the highest climb that we have here in the gym. But my biggest advice when you're climbing, don't let the numbers scare you. If something looks fun, try it out. That's the way you get better. Seems scary. Number one thing is when you are coming back down, do not do this. That is how you break your arms. So when you come back down, either lower yourself as best you can or if you're just going to drop, tuck your arms in, bend and roll back down to the ground. And what would you say is normal to climb on the first time you climb? I would get on some V0s and V1s even when I'm just climbing, I'll always warm up on the easier grades just to get my body moving and then as I'm feeling it, I'll just try out what looks fun. What do you climb? What's the hardest one you've climbed? I have climbed, I'll try out whatever looks fun. I'm working on like a V7 over here that I'm trying out. So that's almost the hardest then? In here, but outdoors it gets much harder and then this is all, I like to think of the great training for the people who are going up to Yosemite and climbing outside. So let's try out this purple one right over here. I'm just going to let you go at it and just feel it out first without any sort of advice and just sort of feel how it feels to get on the wall and then yeah, two pieces of tape are where your hands will start. There you go, perfect. Nice, Brianna, you got it. Good, keep working those feet up. Nice. Don't forget to breathe. Good. Nice. Yeah. Good. Breathe. Good. Keep breathing. Alright, both hands on the one with the tape and then you can come back down. Nice. You can drop back down or you can climb back down the same way. Nice. Awesome job. How did that feel? It felt alright, really. First time going up a wall, that was pretty great. Yeah. I see a little bit of nerves up there, but as we keep doing it more and more, you'll feel more and more comfortable. So these walls are not only for beginners and for kids? Oh yeah. This is for everybody. I would say that climbing is a great workout regardless of body size because it's also like a mental puzzle as well as a physical challenge. A couple different things that you'll need to know as you start climbing is the different types of holds. Easiest one is what you're already familiar with, right here on the wall. Something that is super easy to get your whole hand around, that's a jug. So if you were to think about a milk jug, the best place to grab that milk jug would be right on the handle. Most of the stuff on the wall is not going to be like that. It's going to be smaller. I'll just think of jugs. Yes, just something easy to grab onto. So the plan is to struggle in the beginning, but then move up the grades quickly. I want to see how far I can push it before Tristan realizes that it's not actually my first time climbing. So, pinches you use your thumb on, but you'll notice that these ones are also very rounded. Grab onto them, feel where the best place you want to hold onto it is, and then sink into it until you get your body underneath the moves that you want to make. There you go. Feel out. Good. Straighten out your limbs. Nice. You got it. Nice. Keep working those feet up. There you go. You got that blue right up there. Nice. There you are. Visualize your climb before you even get on the wall. Okay. So part of that is also knowing the types of holds. Like we went over, we got slopers, jugs, pinches. Another type that you'll see, especially on the climbs as they go up in difficulty, is something like this, where you can only just get the tips of your fingers around that. That is a crimp. I want my entire body weight to be going perpendicular to that. What that allows is when you're climbing, you're using your skeletal structure more than your muscles to try and just pull yourself up the wall. This yellow one has got another type of hold that you'll encounter, which are pockets. But on this one, I want you to try it out by looking at the direction of each hold before you go to it, and then leaning in the opposite direction. I've got to say, you're a very good coach. I try. You're picking everything up pretty quickly. Nice. Sink into your shoulders. Nice, nice. Keep going. Stay with it. Yeah, there you go. A couple more moves. Nice, nice. Keep your feet on. There you go. Nice. Cool. And then you want to drop back down. Nice. I mean, your body movement was looking great there. Okay. Okay, so you're getting pretty good with your hands and reading the types of holds. Right. Another thing is your footwork. Okay. So, good climbing. A lot of people, when people think about climbing, they think about pulling as much as possible. You know, pull-ups, just being able to pull themselves up with one arm. But actually, good climbing. Can you do that? I am. I don't. I cannot do a one-arm pull-up every single time. Good climbing is actually using your feet just as much, if not more, than your arms. Okay. So, getting our feet underneath us is like the foundation of climbing. So, the best advice when I first started climbing was to use the very tip of your toes. Okay. So, if we go over, let's get you on this blue one right over here. Before I even start moving, let's think about what our next feet are going to be. Yes. Maybe this one, and then put the foot up. Yeah. And then what you just did there, too, is a great example of what we're looking for in climbing. Okay. It's combining our arms and our legs. These holds are not very good. These ones are going to be a little bit smaller than the ones we've done before. There you go. Straight arms. Nice. Keep working your hands and your feet up. Nice. One more. Bring your hips close to the wall. There you go. Nice. Now, climb on back down. Use those white ones. And then, whenever you're ready. Perfect. Awesome job. Thank you. So, that was a V1. That was a V1. Let's come on over here. This is our arch, and this type of climbing is going to require a little bit more body tension, where you're going to be hanging with nothing underneath you. Before we get over here, let's go over falling a bit more, because you are going to come and be hitting down to the ground at a different angle. Make sure to tuck in. Roll to your back. So, you want to try out this purple one here? I'm just going to let you go for that. Nice. Straighten out those limbs. Sink it. Yeah. There you go. Good. Keep breathing. Yeah. You got it. Get those feet back on. Nice. Come on. Get your hips up. Hips up. Nice. There you go. Keep breathing. A couple more. One more. The last one is going to be over here. Going to do a little monkey bar at the end. Good fall. I would say that counts. Okay. How is that one feeling? So tiring. That one, yeah. So, as you'll notice, anytime we're going upside down, that is putting a lot more effort back on our arms. So, wait. I'll let you catch your breath here for a second. What are you feeling like trying out? You got your eye on anything else? You want to climb a little bit more? So, this one is a B4 right here. Okay. So, you got a foot down here, and your next move is this one right here. So, this is introducing. I want to try it. Yeah. I won't let you go for it completely, and then we can talk about technique when you get back down or when you come back from the top. Yeah. Nice. That's what you think. Yeah. That was the move. Over here on this wall, like on this blue one that we did earlier, your movement was very controlled. You were really planning out the moves as you did them. That is a little bit more what we call like static climbing. Static climbing is really good because it conserves energy, and it allows us to plan out our moves and keep our heart rate down as we're moving up the wall. Climbing does not always allow us to be static, though. Sometimes, it will force the opposite of static climbing, which is dynamic movement, where you have to generate a lot more power quickly. So, and then it's a little bit- More power. More power, explosive movement, a lot of jumping, that sort of thing. You might want to go for it with your hands like that. Nice. Good fall. Now, when you came down, you landed a little bit horizontal. So, the reason was that is just because all your momentum was still coming this way. So, as soon as you got it, you're making that hold. Yeah. You've touched it. Yeah. First time. You grabbed it a second time. So, now that you know you've already got it, I would say focus on keeping your core in a little bit more. Okay. And as soon as you get it, get your feet and aim them somewhere back over here. We'll talk about reading the wall a bit more when you come back. Nice. There you go. Nice. Keep breathing. Good. Keep your feet on. Nice. You got it. There you go. Nice. Get that left foot underneath you. Finish it off. Nice. There you go. Okay. Good. You got those dino climb jokes down right next to you. Excellent job. There you go. Thank you. Before, I think we can move on to some other stuff too. You want to try out a different angle? You want to go to something over on this side? Maybe try something on the easier wall. Okay. So, slab climbing can sometimes be easier. I really like slab climbing, but it requires a lot more balance. Main thing, just like we were talking about over there, using your feet. Getting your feet underneath you as possible and trusting your toes. Trusting your foot placement. Keep those hips close to the wall. Good move. Nice work. That was awesome. Thank you. How's that feeling? That one was harder than the other one, I think. Let's get you climbing some more. What else do you want to get on? Maybe try a V5. Yeah. Let's go for a V5. Did you like that purple one that we did? I think the overhang suits me better than the slabs. Okay. This V5 has maybe an interesting dyno that you would like. Is this something people try first time climbing? Doing a V5? Yes. If you are up for it, I would never stop you. Most climbers find themselves working through the grades a bit more, but if you're feeling comfortable with it, everybody moves through the grades at a different pace. If it's something that looks fun to you, I would want you to climb on it. Okay. It looks fun to me. Oh, it looks like we're missing a little piece of tape right there. Put both hands right on that one. There you go. Nice. This one is very bad. That one might be a little bad. That further move might be a bit easier. There you go. Nice. Cool. Black piece of tape. There you are. Awesome. I would say that is what we call a flash. Climbing flashing is when you do a first try. That was excellent. V5 flash. If this is your first time climbing, that is quite an accomplishment. Yeah. That's awesome. Forearms starting to pump out a bit. I feel like I'm picking it up pretty quickly. I think you're a very good coach. I appreciate that. You'll notice a lot of times, too, boulders are a little bit open right now. There aren't too many people, but when you're climbing, you will see boulders just sitting down on the ground, resting for minutes at a time. Every time you feel pumped, take as much time as you recover. I would much rather have you fresh when you're going up the wall than pumped and maybe coming down and having a riskier fall. It looks like you're doing great. Now, one other just recommendation that I would give. Get a little bit more flowing. Relax your lower body a bit so that as you're using your feet, you're just placing them as delicately as possible. I did a little bit of gymnastics when I was a kid. You look like you've got good body awareness and good control and good perception. I would say you look like a climber for sure. You look like you've got the type of frame, body control, and awareness of your body. Wow. If I had known, I would say you've climbed before. Really? Yeah, you're doing a great job. I've never climbed before in my life. Maybe here on the roof, climbing upside down. Also for the cameras, it looks very cool if I climb upside down. It does look cool. So more relaxed, you said, right? More relaxed. Sink into your limbs. Get your toes as precise as you can. Try and keep the energy in your core rather than in your arms and legs. Okay. So what's your plan so far before you get on the wall? What's your idea? Maybe right hand, Luis. Left hand here. Possible. Now, one thing that you'll notice in climbing too is the movement is not always as straightforward as it looks. So you could try right hand, and that move would be called something like a Gaston, where you're applying force in the opposite direction. Plan it out, see what you're feeling, and then give it a shot. This one is very bad. Nice. You got this. Cool. One last move. There it is. Nice. Nice. Go ahead and use those down climbing jobs. That was awesome. Thank you. So now I think we got a V5 and V6 flash for your first day of climbing. Wow. I think you're doing pretty great. What else do you want to try today? You want to keep going up the grades or you want to try some more problems? I'm all about numbers. Okay. Now, one thing that I would say too, again, with climbing, don't let the numbers get in your way. Even in the same way, like when you're first starting off, try out the hard stuff. If you're a great climber, try some of the easy stuff too. Don't feel like a number will define you as a climber. The question is, how am I going to brag to my colleagues if I don't have a number? That is true. You always do want to be able to show your friends. So, yeah, this one. We can go here. A lot of different moves. And then we got a lot of chalk on these ones down over here. You'll notice that some of the holds are even in the way of each other, so kind of a little bit more accuracy required. Nice going. There you go. Great stuff. I think I might have to start taking some lessons from you. You're doing great. This is awesome. And you said Iceland? Yes, we're from Iceland. This is going to be on the Iceland air. Okay. The airline. That's awesome. We have a YouTube channel. It's 30,000 subscribers now. Awesome. So you're going to be famous. I don't know. Yeah. We'll see about that. But if you're ready to keep climbing. Okay, relax more, right? I think you've got very good tension. You're able to create tension on the wall really well, which is great, especially for overhanging climbing. So finding that, not so much relaxing more, but finding the balance between when you want to be loose and when you really want to lock into that tension. You're doing excellent. There you go. Finish off. There you go. That was awesome. Thank you. Do you mind if I do something crazy? Would you mind if I grab my shoes and climb with you a little bit? I don't mind. All right. I want to do that because you look like, I like climbing with people who like climbing. So it looks like you're having a great time. I'm going to go grab my shoes. I'll be back in just a minute. Okay, perfect. How am I doing so far? He has suspicion. So that was, I don't know. It's very hard for the fingers. I'll be sleeping well tonight. Yeah. So would you recommend me getting some better shoes? If I want to start doing this. Those rental shoes, they have been used quite a few times by many different feet. So I would say, yeah, as you get into climbing, you will develop a collection of shoes. And you'll notice too, they get different. Some of them are a little bit more comfortable for like all day climbing. If you're doing long routes, outside, out for hours at a time, you might want something like a little bit more comfortable. I am more of the opinion that good technique can be developed regardless of the types of tools that you have. And then those tools will only help you like as you continue to develop technique. Yes. It looks like you're moving along at a good pace. All right. So I've actually had my eye on this purple one recently, but I haven't had a chance to try it out. You want to work on this one with me? Sure. So what got you into climbing? Got me into climbing. Yeah. What got you into climbing? We just saw this on Google. Okay. Yes. Awesome. Yeah. And a lot of my colleagues do it. Okay. But they mostly do these boulder walls. More of the bouldering? Yes. Okay. You want to try it first then? Maybe show me the... Like I said, I haven't worked on this one and I don't know. Come on. Yes. Very good. Come on. Yes. Come on. Wow. Without warming up... Yeah, I should probably warm up next time. Yeah. Man, I think that would take me a few more sessions even as it is. I think you can try it out. I can try it out, yeah. There you go. Keep breathing. Sick. Nice job. Thank you. I'm very hot though right now, so I think I'm going to take off my clothes for the next one. Go for it. This one might be a step down in grades, but I really like the movement on this one. This pink six right over here. Very dynamic, long reaches. I think you'd have a lot of fun on that one. Come on. Nice. Nice work. I'm not really a beginner. I know. I've been a pro climber for 15 years. All right. Do you know Magnus? Magnus. That's what I thought. That's what I figured. It was hard in rental shoes. And the chalk ball and everything. I mean, what do you think of the climbs here? Really cool. I love them so far. I was flashing of all of them, so that was awesome. But I knew I wasn't working with a total beginner there. I was like, oh man, those feet are like... But yeah. But you didn't realize it was me though. I did not. I would say the disguise was pretty great. You played your part very well. Thanks. I hope it wasn't too much of an introduction. I mean, you obviously are experienced in climbing. No, no, it was great. I think a lot of people watching need that introduction. It was good. Awesome. Good coaching. I didn't lie about that part. I mean, you scared me a little bit with your falls. That was actually great actually. I was like, oh my goodness. Yeah, that was awesome. I was like, I can't just be talking about what a jug is. I need to switch into climbing shoes and actually climb. I looked over at you so many times and you were laughing every time I looked at your face. Well, and when I went to grab the shoes too, I was like, okay, I'm going to sneak back to see if they're letting the cameras in on any... And then you're like, oh, my wrist is... No, that was awesome though. Well, it was great having you on. That was awesome. And thank you to the gym, Alpine. Make sure to like and subscribe and I will see you next time.