Magnus Midtbø (climber)

Midtbø started climbing in 2000 at 11 years of age after his mother enrolled him in a class. After just one year of climbing, he won the Norwegian Youth Championship, and a year later, in 2002, he on-sight climbed his first 8a (5.13b) lead route Øgletryne at the Sageveggen rock wall, near Bergen.[6][7][8]

In 2005, he won the World Youth Championships in Beijing, China.[9][10]

After graduating from high school in 2007, Midtbø moved to Innsbruck, Austria. At the time, Innsbruck attracted many of the world's top climbers, including David Lama, Jakob Schubert, and Anna Stöhr, who trained together for competitions. In an interview, Midtbø described Lama as the most talented person he had ever climbed with as well as a personal inspiration during their tenure in Austria.[11]

In August 2010, he made his most challenging ascent to date, when he completed the route Ali Hulk sit start extension in Rodellar, Spain. The route is composed of a boulder (climbed without rope) and a sport climbing segment. The first ascent was made by Daniel Andrada in 2007. The grade was initially considered to be 9b (5.15b) but has been since downgraded to 9a+/b.[1] In an interview with UK Climbing, Midtbø stated that there were many challenges to this route, such as resting in the initial boulder section to work out the rest of the route and mustering sufficient core strength to overcome the overhang.[12]

In May 2013, Midtbø returned to Rodellar to on-sight Cosi fan tutte, graded 8c+ (5.14c). As of April 2013, only four other people had on-sighted routes graded 8c+ or higher: Patxi Usobiaga, Adam Ondra, Ramon Julian Puigblanque, and Alex Megos.[2]

Midtbø retired from competitive climbing in May 2017.[13] In the 95th vlog of Midtbø's YouTube channel, he described his decision to retire: "I still get motivated just by climbing. I think some people need a specific goal, but I’ve never felt like I needed one. It sounds really cheesy, I know. I just love climbing. I love being in the nature. I love the feeling of feeling free, but it is like that you know. I don’t know. I like the lifestyle, I like traveling, I like trying hard, and most of all, I like the feeling of feeling really fit, really strong, the feeling of being able to climb anything."[14]

Midtbø runs a successful eponymous YouTube channel, which has over one and a half million subscribers as of January 2023.[15] On his channel, Midtbø posts videos centered around climbing; he often offers training advice, collaborates with fellow climbers, and has made several videos that highlight his athletic prowess. Most of his YouTube content is dedicated to his vlog series, which he began producing in March 2017. He also posts climbing and fitness-related content to his Instagram account, where he has more than 430,000 followers.

In 2013, Magnus Midtbø participated in a German TV show Der Deutsche Meister (the German Champion) as the international contestant in the Reckstangenklettern (salmon ladder) challenge. Midtbø beat the German contestant.[16][17]

Midtbø received criticism in 2016 for publishing an Instagram picture of himself hanging off the Trolltunga rock formation, a popular tourist attraction in Norway. Wearing a safety harness, Midtbø suspended himself from the overhanging rock, but local police officers were concerned that the stunt might inspire others to replicate it without taking proper safety precautions.[18][19][20]

In January 2020, Magnus Midtbø represented Team Europe in American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World.[21]

World Games record:

IFSC Climbing World Cup

USA Climbing

IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships

European Youth Cup Winner: 2005,[29] 2006,[30] 2007[31]

• Nordic champion 7 years in a row (2005–2011)
• Norwegian champion 11 years in a row (2005–2015)[20][5]