Interviu to Jakob Shubert

1. Since when are you part of the Mammut Pro Team? How well do you know your colleagues in the team and what are you doing when you meet?
This year is my 5th Year in the Mammut Pro Team! The team is really great, I am with all my colleagues friends and it makes me proud to be part of such a strong team. Many of my colleagues I meet in competitions, especially World Cup, where we are pushing each other for top positions. Of course, I meet some of my teammates for climbing trips, for example, I was 2 weeks in December with Magnus Midtboe in Spain on the road.

 
2. What do you like more: the rope climbing, bouldering, or?
I can not answer that question. It makes both a lot of fun, the variety makes it perfect!

3. How does it feel to have already become world champion in the World Cup 2011?
It's a great feeling! Even at that young age it is one of the biggest dreams, of course, this success I can take very long time with me and I'm very proud!

4. What skills do you train in what order (endurance, strength and continuity) to prepare for a competition?
When I prepare for the lead-season I'll start in January with the strength training, at the end of February begins the maximal strength training, endurance then from April until shortly before the season starts, there I train race-specific.

5. At what point do you start you preparation for the competitions?
This is of course a matter of when the first contests are. Normally, the lead-season starts in July, then I'll start as early as January with the training.

6. In what time frame you drive down your workouts before a contest, or do you train with maximum intensity until the last moment?
One week before the race I do a little less of training in order to participate in a tournament then recovered completely with you 100%. But even in tough times sometimes I have to reduce the training exercise, it is one of the most important skills to learn on his own body to hear and to know  when he needs a break and when not.

7. Are you training specific methods, such as campus, Pull-up, lifting weights, TRX, etc?
In the gym I do not do anything, now I'm training just climbing specific. Of course Non-Foot-Boulder and campus shoud not miss during strength training.

8. What kind of grips you prefer to train blocks, organic, industrial or natural forms?
To train in the hall, I prefer very normlae Plsatik grips.

And in competitions big volumes, ect. and what manufacturer do you prefer?
Volumes are great, they should not be missing in any competition, because they make a boulder  route simply more attractive. I find great Squadra and HRT!

9. What was the hardest for you which you had to overcome during your climbing career? (Daily training sessions, competitions, fears and feelings, injuries, ect.)
In the training sessions you have to bite through sometimes, but  for me the hardest is to deal with defeats. Once I had a period when I was tremendously fit in the training sessions, but in the finals of the competitions ever happened to me a stupid mistake and I could not exhaust my performance fully. It was very difficult to get out of this deep hole again.

10. What will have priority for you this year: the world championships in Boulder, or the World Cup?
The most important competition for me is definitely the World Cup in Paris!

11. How do you feel after your first win in the "Chongqing BWC"?
This win was unbelievable. It came as a surprise, which makes it even nicer. I am very proud to be one of the few who were allowed to lead in Boulder and celebrate a World Cup victory.

12. What are your three favorite climbing areas in Spain and when do you plan to come to Mallorca?
The problem is that the best time for climbing in Mallorca is located precisely in the middle of the lead season. Therefore, it will certainly take a while to climb up there for the first time. But I can assure you that I will come! I especially like in Spain Oliana, Siurana is extremly well, and also  Margalef – it´s great!

13. Since when do you climb and how did it happen?
I climb since November 2002. My godfather once took me into the climbing gym and I was immediately asked if I wanted to get a taste of pure climbing in the climbing team in Innsbruck. That's what I did and because I liked it so much I could not stop with it!  :-)

14. Are there any idols (historical or current) that inspire you in your climbing passion?
 I have for a lot climbers enormously respect, but I never had a real role model

Thanks a lot for this interview, Jacob, and whenever you want you're welcome here in Mallorca to do Psicoblock, or whatever you prefer to climb. Many greedings Toni.