EP 269: Sean Houchins-McCallum
Apr 21, 2025
Sean Houchins-McCallum is the top-ranked climber on the Tension Board 2. We talked about growing up in Iowa, his obsession with board climbing, his insane training schedule, his ultimate board project, why we haven’t seen V15+ on the boards, projecting tactics, how changing his diet allowed him to jump up two grades, his home made pre-workout, TB2 vs. outdoor bouldering, dream lines, and much more.
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Show Notes:
Related Podcast Episodes:
EP 181: Charlie Schreiber, Adam Shahar, Noah & Benn Wheeler
References:
TB2 Climbs Mentioned:
Kilter Board Climbs:
Sean’s Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:01:16 – Unsynthesized
00:04:50 – Sending every classic in 4 months
00:07:02 – Limit projects every day
00:09:31 – Sean vs. Noah Wheeler
00:11:36 – Is boarding its own sport?
00:16:04 – Becoming a board climber
00:17:30 – Sean’s ultimate board proj (You’ve Seen the Butcher at 65º)
00:19:10 – Board tactics
00:21:28 – Why aren’t there V15s or harder on boards?
00:26:14 – Getting outside
00:27:45 – Sean’s dimensions
00:29:24 – Sean’s warms up
00:34:07 – A typical week
00:36:52 – Sean’s projecting tactics
00:40:42 – 2 months on
00:46:52 – Does Sean train his strengths?
00:54:20 – Sean’s weaknesses
00:57:19 – The Spray layout
01:01:41 – TB1 vs. TB2
01:02:49 – Mirroring climbs & the leaderboard
01:07:05 – Intimidating holds on the TB2
01:10:19 – Go-to shoes
01:11:36 – Working & setting
01:17:11 – Outdoor goals
01:18:55 – Jumping up 2 grades after changing his diet
01:26:52 – TB2 vs. outside
01:31:57 – New board companies
01:34:59 – Sport climbing feature
01:38:59 – Dream lines
01:40:17 – Rapid fire questions
02:00:53 – How Low Can You Go?