Magnus Midtbø

Magnus Rognan Midtbø (born 18 September 1988) is a Norwegian rock climber, competition climber, and YouTube video blogger. He was born in Bergen, Norway. He retired from competition climbing in 2017.

Climbing career

Rock climbing

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) sport climbing route Øgletryne at the Sageveggen rock wall, near Bergen.

In August 2010, he completed the route Ali Hulk sit start extension in Rodellar, Spain. The first ascent was made by Daniel Andrada in 2007. The grade was initially proposed at 9b (5.15b), but was later downgraded to 9a+/b, and then further to 9a (5.14d) in 2023.

In May 2013, Midtbø returned to Rodellar to on-sight the sport climbing route, Cosi fan tutte, which is graded at 8c+ (5.14c). As of April 2013, the highest-ever climbing grade to be onsighted is just one notch higher at 9a (5.14d).

In March 2015, he redpointed Papichulo at Oliana at 9a+ (5.15a).

Competition climbing

In 2005, Midtbø won the World Youth Championships in Beijing, China. After graduating from high school in 2007, Midtbø moved to Innsbruck, Austria where he trained with other leading competition climbers including David Lama, Jakob Schubert, and Anna Stöhr. Midtbø was particularly impressed by Lama.

Midtbø retired from competitive climbing in May 2017, saying: "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."

Media career

Midtbø runs an eponymous YouTube channel, which had over two million subscribers as of November 2023.

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.

In 2016, Midtbø was criticized for publishing a picture of himself hanging off the Trolltunga rock formation in Norway. He was wearing a safety harness but local police officers were concerned the stunt might inspire others to replicate it without taking proper safety precautions.

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

In 2022, Magnus uploaded one of his most viral videos where he documented his experience free solo climbing with Alex Honnold.

Personal life

His sister, Hannah Midtbø (born 1990), is also a professional climber. She won the Nordic Championships (NM) in the lead climbing discipline in 2006 and has been a bouldering competitor at various IFSC World Cups and European Championships.

Rankings

World Games

World Games record:

Number of medals in the IFSC Climbing World Cup

IFSC Climbing World Cup

Lead

USA Climbing

USA Climbing

IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships

IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships

Number of medals in the Climbing European Youth Cup / Series

Lead

European Youth Cup Winner: 2005, 2006, 2007

Scandinavia

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

References

External links

• IFSC Profile (2012 Archive)
• 8a.nu Profile
• YouTube Channel
• Instagram profile