This Undercover Crusher Believes Climbing Is a Spectator Sport

Who is the young lad with bloody knuckles and a flair for working the crowd who crushed the first-ever Pro Climbing League face-off? This dark horse beat out seven of the world’s greatest boulderers—and put on a show, too, interacting with the 2,500 spectators and taking the win with creative hand and feet jams.

It turns out that for Max Milne, climbing didn’t begin as an avenue for competition, athleticism, or even fun—it originally served as a coping mechanism. When he was just 11 years old, Milne lost his mother to cancer. “My dad wanted me and my twin sister to get into sports or do something to take our mind off it and channel the grief and energy we had pent up,” Milne tells Climbing. “I found climbing … and I loved it.”

Every week, Milne visited an “old school” gym in Aberdeen, Scotland. He entered his first local comp just a few weeks later. When he was 14 years old, the Scot made the GB team for both Lead and Boulder. But his dad couldn’t afford to shuttle him from Aberdeen to Sheffield for all the training sessions, so he had to commit to one discipline. “At the time, I was just vibing with bouldering a bit more so I picked that,” Milne says.

Milne chose well. While many climbers attempt to straddle outdoor ascents and indoor competitions, or to excel at multiple disciplines, Milne hones his bouldering wizardry in the gym, sharing entertaining reels of himself twirling, leaping, and finessing his way up problems in bold hues, from his baggy shorts to his hair (inspired by personal hero, Dennis Rodman).

We caught up with Max Milne to learn more about his “jumpy” bouldering style, what’s on his 2026 bingo card of goals, and the next big dream in his climbing career.

Our interview with Max Milne

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and concision. 

Climbing: What about climbing helped you cope with the loss of your mother? Is it still something that helps you get through hard times?

Max Milne: Yeah, for sure. There’s a lot of problem solving in it. It works your brain a lot, which for me was good. So I think it took my mind off it. Maybe I took my mind off it for too long and I had to deal with it later on in life.

In that sense, it’s really good, but also just the people as well. I feel like climbing is very inclusive—very friendly—and the people in it are just lovely. I met my girlfriend, my best friends and my manager, my coach—everyone. It’s like a big family sport.

Climbing: Before you moved to Leeds, did you climb outside in Scotland?

Milne: I climbed outside a bit. I was always pretty psyched. When I was maybe 18, 17, all the rock developers were like, “Okay, I have these hard projects, which I’m too old for now. So here you go.” They just would give me a boulder and then I would work it and send it. Every time I would send a different boulder, they’d give me the next project.

Climbing: Why did you move to Leeds? Was it to be better positioned for competition climbing?

Milne: Yeah, to pursue my dream of competing at the World Cups. The gym I trained at in Aberdeen was just so old school. They had like six panels of bouldering. So it was good for making me creative and making me train hard because you had to train hard. Then I hit a ceiling. I was like, “Okay, I need to move and see what else I can improve at.”

Climbing: How often are you bouldering outside versus inside these days?

Milne: This year, I haven’t climbed outside yet. Last year, I only climbed outside two or three times, which is crazy. One [of those times], I didn’t even climb, I just campused outside. I had a broken foot, and I needed to use some energy. I was missing world champs because of an injury, so I wanted to do some fun stuff outside.

Climbing: You’re so fun to watch on the wall. Do you have a background in parkour or gymnastics that influences your style?

Milne: I went to gymnastics a little bit and I did some parkour outside. I had a lot of energy as a kid. When it was winter time and it would be dark at five, my mum and dad would send me to do different sports. I’d use all my energy so I didn’t drive them crazy. And I think I got a lot of my jumpy skills from stuff like that.

Climbing: Is climbing your full-time job? Or do you have a side hustle or day job?

Milne: Nah, it’s my full-time job. I only climb and I love it. I very much wanna just do one thing. My housemate, Hamish [McArthur], wants to use his mental energy not just for climbing, so he’s always doing artistic stuff and side hobbies. But I’m just like, “Nah, I just want to climb and do that and nothing else.” If I’m not climbing, I’m probably playing video games and chilling.

Climbing: Let’s talk about the Pro Climbing League. What do you think about the style of that competition led you to the top?

Milne: Setting wise, it’s pretty basic—not like big jumps. It was more just how strong your hands are and how good you are at executing the first go. The head-to-head competition format was a bit more stressful and made the athletes go against each other, which I quite enjoyed. I was very much in it for the show, getting the crowd hyped up, and trying to create a storyline on the stage, as well as trying to win.

Climbing: Do you perform better in front of a crowd?

Milne: A lot of my training with my coaches is like, “Sometimes we need to perform when it’s not as big of a crowd, when it’s just about executing.” Sometimes that’s harder for me, because I prefer to show off when everyone’s watching, not when it’s just me.

I do it for me as well. But it’s more fun when your friends or families are in the crowd and there’s big energy, isn’t it? [Pro Climbing League] showed me that I’m very comfortable in the spotlight.

Climbing: The jamming was really fun to watch as well. Do you crack climb a lot outside?

Milne: I think I was just so focused on winning. I was trying to do whatever I could to win. I’ve done a fair bit of crack climbing. When I was like 14, my first coach was Tom Randall. So he taught me how to crack climb in the cellar. You’ve got to have all the skills. So I just thought I wasn’t going to do the dyno. And I was like, “Well, how am I going to win?” And that was my option. Tom loved it. He thought it was really funny. He was proud and happy I did it in that fashion.

Climbing: What did you like about the Pro Climbing League (PCL) format and what would you change?

Milne: I enjoyed that they really looked after the athletes. I felt really comfortable in that space and before the event, going down, staying with the team as well in the hotel. It was just such a good environment. We were all warming up together, with the girls as well. Whereas at the World Cups, it’s like men, women—we’re on different schedules. So I enjoyed that it was at the same time.

I don’t know what I’d change. From viewing, maybe they’d have a better turnover of boulders. The only feedback I heard from spectators was it was maybe a bit long and slow. It’d be sick if they had huge turning boulders. They could have boulders on both sides and they’d be setting on each at the same time, then they’d turn and compete on the next one. But I thought it was well run and the crowd was awesome.

Climbing: If you could invent a different competition format, what would it look like?

Milne: Having more interaction with the crowd. It’s very much: You come out, you do the boulder, you walk back in. It’d be cool if you had to walk through the crowd to get to the boulder, having a walkway from isolation through the crowd.

The storytelling in climbing could get better as well. PCL did it well. We did a lot of media and stuff like that. But at the World Cups, the athletes don’t have their story told as much. So it’s harder for the fans to get behind everyone.

Climbing: You came really close to qualifying for the 2024 Games. Do you have your eye on 2028?

Milne: For sure, that’s a massive goal. It’s gonna be hard because there’s only 12 spots, so maybe there’s less spots than last time. And then the guys in GB—everyone’s so good. But yeah, the main focus is winning a World Cup this year, then being in good standing for LA. That’s the big dream.

Climbing: What’s one prediction you have about climbing for the next 10, 20 years?

Milne: Maybe everyone’s gonna be six foot tall and all the boulders are gonna be huge; the style is just gonna be like NBA instead of climbing. You’re gonna have to be a proper athlete, not just a little five foot guy like myself.

Editor’s note: Milne stands five feet and five inches tall.

Climbing: That’s a pretty unhinged prediction. So how many pairs of leopard print shorts do you own?

Milne: I’ve got maybe six pairs, but I’m trying to downsize my wardrobe at the moment. My girlfriend keeps throwing out pairs and giving them to the charity shop. Heaps of people in Hunslet [where Milne lives] are just going around in my gear at the moment.

Climbing: Is your training playlist as vivacious as your climbing wardrobe?

Milne: It changes a lot. For most comps, I have a different vibe or story I tell myself. At the moment, Dave Graham sent me his Spotify playlist. So I’ve just been listening to that every comp and I’m discovering new songs. My playlist isn’t as good as Dave’s. One of my favorites is Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” That gives me chill. If I’m stressed or need some more energy, that gets me in the zone.

My song for Pro Climbing League actually was “you and i – sped up” by lucidbeatz and some other guy [Emilia Ali]. But that’s something I discovered from Dave Graham as well. It’s absolutely fire. One of the lyrics is like, “You’re not cut from the same cloth.” So listening to that, thinking about going head-to-head against other competitors, helped.

Climbing: Do you like reading? And if so, what’s the last book you read?

Milne: I’m really not good at reading. It’s on my bingo card for the year. My friends and I have set a bingo card with 20 goals we have to try and achieve. One of them is to read three books this year. I haven’t started yet. I listen to a lot of audible books and stuff. The last thing I listened to is The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford. It’s on meditation and sports psych.

It’s easier for me to read something I’m getting facts out of. I read a lot of sports psych or [books about] Buddhism because it takes me so long to read, I need to get knowledge from it. I can’t read fiction—I can’t understand it. So I have to read some facts, basically.

Climbing: What’s the weirdest thing you do before or during your climb? Do you have any rituals or lucky objects?

Milne: I meditate every day and try to be a bit cool and calm. I always try to take myself down a notch—I’m maybe too psyched. When I flashed Bewilderness (8B+/V14), I did have “lock in” on my Hiangles. I like to write little things on my shoes. But it changes all the time. And I got a padlock tattooed on me as well. But now I feel like the way I compete is being unlocked—not locked in—so I might have to get a different tattoo for that.

My trigger word at the moment is dattebayo, which is Naruto’s catchphrase from this manga. That just means “believe it” basically. So that’s my mantra I’ve been saying before I climb. I got that tattooed as well.

Climbing: Do you fuel with haggis and black pudding? What’s your approach to nutrition?

Milne: Yes, black pudding sausages I had the other day actually. But I think the Scots’ diet is not so healthy. When I was at school, I used to have deep-fried Mars bars for lunch. I had really bad acne … I wonder why. My diet has gotten better since leaving Scotland. Every time I go back, I have to have fish and chips. There are some staples I still miss.

I try with nutrition. I had a salad for lunch, man! Before that, I had some Skyr yogurt and I scooped it out with a Squares Bar.

Climbing: What about after climbing? Do you drink Scotch to celebrate sending?

Milne: I’ve been sober for 80 days. But I do drink Buckfast [a caffeinated tonic fortified wine].

Climbing: If you could climb with any famous person dead or alive, who would it be?

Milne: Dennis Rodman. And the queen.

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