Noah Charney: Hello, welcome and dobrodošli to Feel Slovenia, the podcast. In each episode, we will explore what I have called the world's best country. Meeting locals, traveling, eating and getting to know the very best of Slovenia. This podcast is written and hosted by me, Dr. Noah Charney and is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board.

There's dominance and then there's Jana Garnbret. By 20 she'd done what no climber man or woman had ever achieved, won every competition in a World Cup season. She's a two time Olympic champion, a six time world champion, and the only athlete in climbing history to rule lead, bouldering and combined at the highest level.

This very special episode of Feel Slovenia features an in-depth interview with Janja herself. We'll uncover a side of her that doesn't wear chalk on her hands or medals around her neck. We'll learn where she likes to take visitors to Slovenia, the climb that has alluded her, but which she dreams about, whether there will be a climbing wall in her newly built house and how her nutrition plan differs from fellow Slovenian Superstar Luka Dončić. All that and more as part of this special episode with Janja Garnbret, the Goat of Climbing.

And so to the defending champion, she needed 72 points to take gold, quietly controlled at the start. She showed all of her dynamism as she moved onto the upper part of the wall. Cheers from the crowd. It was more than enough for Olympic gold as she once again proved for the force she is in the sport.

In the world of sports, the term GOAT – greatest of all time – isn't handed out lightly. It's the label we reserve for the Michael Jordans, the Serena Williamses, the Usain Bolts. In climbing a sport with a long and storied history, it's hard to imagine anyone deserving that title more than Janja Garnbret. Born in 1999 in the small Slovenian village of Šmartno pri Slovenj Gradcu.

She ascended a climbing wall at age seven with no practice on her very first try. It was a promising start. Janja was still in her teens when she began rewriting the record books. By the age of 20, she had already achieved something no other climber male or female had done before. She swept every single competition in a single bouldering World Cup season, not a single misstep. Literally.

Her list of achievements reads like a checklist of things other climbers spend an entire career chasing: six world championship gold medals. More than any other competition climber in history. An Olympic gold in sport climbing's debut at Tokyo 2020. Another at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Multiple World Cup overall titles in both lead and bouldering prove her dominance across disciplines.

Now to put this in perspective, legendary climbers like Lynn Hill who made history in 1993 by free climbing the nose on El Capitan or Adam Ondra, who has pushed the limits of outdoor grades to 9C are undisputed icons. But their peaks have tended to be discipline specific, either outdoor first ascents or indoor competition dominance.

Janja has excelled at both with an unmatched level of consistency and versatility. Consider competition climbing’s history. Athletes like Kim Jain of South Korea dominated lead for years, while Anna Stöhr of Austria was nearly unbeatable in bouldering. Both had extraordinary careers, but neither was able to conquer every format the way Janja has.

She hasn't just mastered one arena. She's ruled them all. Often in the same season. And she's done it young. Many climbers reached their prime in their late twenties or even thirties, but Janja hit hers while still in her teens and early twenties, yet she chose no signs of slowing down. Her mix of raw strength, precise technique and mental composure under pressure is the kind of rare combination that comes along perhaps once in a generation.

She’s also redefining what’s possible for climbers on outdoor rock. Between competitions, she sent routes like La Fabela in Spain, graded 9a, proving that her indoor dominance translates seamlessly to some of the hardest climbs in the world. If the GOAT label is about sustained excellence, record-breaking achievements, and changing the sport itself, then Janja doesn’t just qualify – she sets the standard. In the next few minutes, we’ll explore her roots in Northern Slovenia, the landscapes that shaped her, and the climbing culture that continues to inspire her. But first, let’s take a moment to appreciate that we are watching history in real time. Janja Garnbret, the greatest competition climber the sport has ever seen. Full stop.

So, now you know the superlatives. But there's more. We're speaking with Janja now because of a special event that she's leading this August 22 and 23 in 2025. Together with Allianz, Janja will present an extraordinary sporting challenge, a 24-hour climbing marathon. Held in Slovenska Bistrica in support of Botrstvo v športu, Slovenia Charitable programme that connects donors with promising young athletes from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing financial support for their training equipment and competition expenses.

Janja will attempt something. Few could imagine climbing 100 roots in a single day while other enthusiasts can join in and climb as well. It's not just a test of endurance and skill, but a heartfelt mission to raise vital support for young athletes across the country. Every route she completes will help fund training equipment and opportunities for talented young people who dream of reaching the top in their own sports.

And you can join Janja as she leads the way – proving that with determination, passion and a little help from the community anything is possible. 

But what about Janja, the person? And Janja, the proud Slovenian. Let's get to know her better than ever before. 

Janja, thank you so much for taking some time to speak with us today. I'm a big fan. The entire country is the entire world. It's such a thrill to speak with someone who is the top of their sport the way you are. You have a really busy schedule, don't you? You’re zipping from one thing to the next? 

Janja Garnbret: First, hi. Thanks for having me. Of course my schedule is always busy with training and other obligations. But that's what keeps it interesting and keeps it fun. So yeah, I'm enjoying my busy lifestyle. 

Noah Charney: I have a very important question to start with. What do you like to eat before a competition or during a competition? 

Janja Garnbret: Usually before a competition, I like to eat a lot of like carbs. So, pasta is probably my go-to meal before a competition. And also after. In between it's usually more like energy bars, energy gels or just some fruit. 

Noah Charney: I'm curious, is there any mental ritual that you never skip before you're about to start a competition?

Janja Garnbret: I wouldn't say for myself that I have one ritual that I always do because I do believe that in a competition there's always a different kind of situation. Different situations require different mindset or different rituals. So I wouldn't say for myself that I have one. But usually it's a lot of visualization, a lot of like positive self-talk. I like to remember the good training days where I felt really good or I like to remember the moves that I felt strong. So, usually it's just some empowering words to myself.

Noah Charney: I'm curious when we're watching you compete, it looks like you have a plan, but then there's a lot of impro that goes on. How much of your route is pre-planned and how much of it requires you to decide on the go?

Janja Garnbret: I would say that it's about maybe even like 50 : 50%. Sometimes when you look at the route, you know exactly what you're gonna do. Everything is basically plant all the handholds or the footholds. You know exactly what you are gonna do and what you want to do. But sometimes, I also look at the root and and I honestly have no idea what I'm gonna do. So that's where your instinct comes in play. You need to improvise a bit. So, usually I like to have a rough idea. So usually I have a plan A sometimes, or let's say I have a plan A and plan B and sometimes even plan C. And then I decide basically on the go what I'm gonna do. But even if I have a very strict idea, I still want to keep my way open. I'm always open-minded, so I try to go with instinct and with the flow most of the time. 

Noah Charney: So you've done so many different climbs over your career already, but I'm wondering if there's one climb that you feel taught you more about life than about sport. That's a sort of new agey question, but do you know what I mean by it?

Janja Garnbret: There is one climb I have, and it’s still a project in France. It’s graded 9B+ and it’s called Bibliographie. It’s my dream route, my dream project and I really want to do it. I came super close two weeks ago and I feel I’m just about to send it. But it actually teaches me a lot. It teaches me that you cannot force anything, that you need to go with the flow. You have to be patient and wait for the right moment. And it’s the same in life: you need to be patient, humble and remember that nothing is guaranteed. You have to work for every single move, enjoy the process, and have fun. So it’s teaching me not only about climbing, but also about life.

Noah Charney: That's a great answer. What great words to live by. Because this is a touristic podcast, we're wanting to encourage as many people as possible to get to know Slovenia and come visit, I'm gonna ask you some questions about your homeland. 

Janja Garnbret:  When I'm abroad and I think about home, I always think about Slovenia. Slovenia is my home. That's where my friends live. My parents live, my family lives and it is just, that's my home. Slovenia is my home. I really enjoy being here and living here, and honestly, right now I cannot imagine living anywhere else. I'm also building a house here and I want to have a life here as well, after my competition career and I want to stay here. But it is just so beautiful, the nature. You have everything you need. You have a beach, you have mountains, you have a city which is not too small and it's not too big as well. So, you basically have everything you need, and I just really enjoy being in Slovenia.

Noah Charney: This is very exciting. Congratulations on building a house. Now, you, you made me curious to ask the question, will the house have a climbing wall in it? And if so, are you gonna design it yourself or would you rather be at home and not think about climbing at all? 

Janja Garnbret: Yes. That's, the case for me. The house will not have a climbing wall, at least not at the beginning, because I kind of wanna keep professional life and private life a bit separate. So, when I'm at home, I do not want to think about climbing. And that's why I decided not to have a climbing wall at home. Also, because I like to go out, I like to socialize. Cause I think if I had a climbing wall at home, I would never leave my house again. 

Noah Charney: When you do come back home, let's say you've been abroad for a while, is there a favourite place in Slovenia you like to visit. A landmark or a restaurant where you're looking forward to most when you first come back after a period abroad?

Janja Garnbret: When I first come back, for sure, I would visit my parents, especially if I haven't seen them for a long period of time. So, I go back to my hometown. Cause now I'm living in Ljubljana. I moved here three years ago because of training, and my parents still live at my childhood house. So it's an hour and a half from Ljubljana. The first thing is probably I go visit them. I go visit my hometown because, even though I'm building a house, I'm building my new home, I still feel at home in my hometown. And the second thing is I always go to Ljubljana City Centre, so to the center and, um, it's really beautiful with a river and, uh, with all the colorful buildings and there are plenty, plenty of good restaurants, so I cannot choose one, but definitely I go to the centre and have a good meal there.

Noah Charney: So let's pretend that we are part of the tourist board for your hometown. Because they're gonna be delighted with this. Can you tell us what there is that you would recommend for tourists to do if they're gonna visit your hometown, and what do you like particularly about it? 

Janja Garnbret: My hometown, it's basically a village and it's like very, very small. I come from a village of maybe like 3000 people, so there's not much to do. It is just like for my own soul and for my own heart. Just being there and remembering all my childhood moments, seeing my childhood friends, seeing the primary school that I went to and just that's where my heart is. 

Noah Charney: When you think of Janja, you probably picture her scaling competition walls with impossible grace, collecting Olympic Golds and World Championship titles as if they were souvenirs. But to understand Janja, it helps to know where she comes from. A small village in the green hills of Northern Slovenia called Šmartno pri Slovenj Gradcu. Her home turf is part of the Koroška region where mountain air is crisp and the forest seem to fold endlessly into each other. The nearest town Slovenj Gradec may be modest in size, but it's rich in history and culture. First mention in records from the 12th century Slovenj Gradec grew as a medieval market town, trading an iron, timber and handmade goods. Its name literally means Slovene Castle. A reminder of the fortified settlements that once stood here. Over the centuries, it became a crossroads for merchants and artists and today it remains a cultural capital of Koroška.

It's also linked historically to the Austrian city of Graz. Literally, this is one called the Slovenia Graz. Visitors arriving in Slovenj Gradec, its will find a charming old town centre lined with pastel facades and cobblestone streets. The main square is perfect for lingering over coffee at a sidewalk cafe.

You'll spot the Church of Saint Elizabeth, a fine example of gothic architecture whose soaring interior hides centuries old frescoes. Now, art lovers shouldn't miss the Koroška Gallery of Fine Arts, which curates bold exhibitions of Slovenia and international contemporary artists. The museum's sister institution, the Hugo Wolf Birth House celebrates the composer's legacy with intimate concerts and displays.

For a taste of the region's deeper past, the Corinthian Regional Museum offers artifacts from prehistoric settlements to World War II resistance stories. Step outside the town and you're in nature's playground, hiking trail snake into the Pohorje Mountains. Cycling roots follow the Mislinja River, and in winter, nearby slopes offer skiing without the crowds of larger Alpine Resorts. Slovenj Gradec also embraces its role as a UNESCO City of Peace. Hosting exhibitions and events dedicated to fostering dialogue and understanding across cultures values that resonate with Janja's own spirit of perseverance and connection. It's easy to imagine the young Janja training here, splitting her time between climbing walls and the open landscapes of her home region.

And when you visit, you might just see why this place shaped her determination. Slovenj Gradec is small. Yes, but like Janja herself, it punches far above its weight. So whether you come for the history, the art, the fresh mountain air, or the chance to follow in the footsteps of a world champion, Slovenj Gradec and its surrounding villages, welcome you with open arms.

Is there a sort of Janja’s trail that your fans could visit and you know, if they were gonna come to Slovenia and wanted to visit places that were special to you or to your career, where in Slovenia might they go? 

Janja Garnbret: Probably apart from my hometown, I would say the place where I train now. Because I've been training in Vrhnika for the past six years in Plezalni center Verd, so that's probably one place that I would say go there and visit and maybe climb for an hour. And the second place would be rock climbing, which is in Osp in Mišja peč. And I spend a lot of times there. It is a great climbing place. And I would definitely advise everybody to visit and go climbing for at least a day. 

Noah Charney: That may be an answer to my next question, but I was gonna say, you ever take climbing friends from abroad? On a Slovenia tour. And if you were to take friends from abroad, I'm not gonna say people who are at your professional level, but people who enjoy climbing while traveling. What are the places that you'd recommend they climb?

Janja Garnbret: Probably, I, I take them to Mišja Peč, to Osp. If they want to climb, I take them there. Cause I think it's the best. It's really beautiful and it's a great experience. So, Mišja Peč.

Noah Charney: Okay. If you were gonna design a perfect day in Slovenia to bring a foreign friend around and it had nothing to do with climbing, where might you like to take them from morning to evening? 

Janja Garnbret: That's a tough question because there's so, so many places to visit and so many things to do. But, my top three things would be Ljubljana City Center. That's definitely one thing to discover the place to, if you are there over the weekend, go to Open Kitchen. It's like really amazing. Or visit some good restaurants. And the second thing would be, actually just recently, just two days ago, I took my Japanese friend to Bled. He has never been there, but he was really enjoying the lake, the, the vibe there, the restaurants. We went to mini golf. So, it was really amazing experience for him. And then definitely visit Soča Valley. So that's my third thing. And again, really beautiful there. I wouldn't miss it for anything. And definitely Slovenian Coast. Go to Koper, Piran, Izola, Portorož, anywhere there again, really beautiful and that this is hard to fit in just one day. So, probably we would need more days for all that. 

Noah Charney: Is there a, a Slovenian food that you miss most? Maybe something that you're not supposed to have when you're training, because I'm not sure how many traditional Slovenian foods are on nutritionist recommended fitness diets, but is there anything that's a favorite treat for you?

Janja Garnbret: So, my coach allows me to eat anything. So, my diet consists of basically everything, but like the most Slovenian food that I like is probably cheese dumplings. I really, I really like them. I like it. Sweet or savoury, so I can't really decide. It depends what I'm in the mood for. 

Noah Charney: You got a great coach. I think Luka Dončić would be jealous that your coach let you eat anything.

Janja Garnbret: Yeah, probably. Probably. 

Noah Charney: What's a surprising or little known fact about you that has nothing to do with climbing that your fans might be curious to learn? 

Janja Garnbret: Yes, I have one prepared. 'cause people always ask me that question, what is like one fun fact or one interesting fact about me not related to climbing? And that is I've never had a headache in my life. 

Noah Charney: That's amazing. That's one interesting thing that you can attribute this to. 

Janja Garnbret: I don't know. I would say good genes. And I was talking to my grandmother. She also doesn't know what a headache is, so I guess I inherited that from her. 

Noah Charney: Scientists should study you, not only for climbing, but this sounds great.

But before you book your tickets to visit Jana's home region, we've got a lightning round of questions to share. For instance, does she collect anything during her travels?

Janja Garnbret: I don't really collect anything from my travels, but I do collect all my accreditations from competitions and starting numbers. That's what I always keep if it's in a good shape still. So that's what I keep. And if I weren't a climber, I would definitely be in some other sport. I would be an athlete and probably in maybe gymnastics or tennis or just something else other than climbing. And I keep all my trophies in medals.I keep all of them, of course, like since I was seven years old and I have from my very first trophy I got in 2008 – to the last one. And of course, all the Olympic medals, both of them. And I keep them in one like trophy cabinet. And, yes, I keep them all in. Now it's, anyway, too small already, so I need to buy a bigger one, but I keep them all in one place. 

Now, quick fire: 

Favourite Slovenian dish? Štruklji. Savoury or sweet, doesn't matter. 

Mountains or the sea? Obviously the sea, because I'm like always seeing mountains. So, whenever I'm not climbing, I definitely go to the beach. 

Training indoors or outdoors? I would go for training indoors, it's what I have grown up with. But I also enjoy climbing on rocks. Now, this year I've been doing a lot of outdoor climbing, so, I can't really decide, but still: training indoors. 

Favourite Slovenian word to teach your foreign friends? It’s definitely not a nice word, cause usually we teach them curse words.  That's a good question. Usually it's climbing related. We teach them colours because my coach usually shows the holds and is calling out colours. So, first we teach them colors. 

First climbing wall you ever tried? First climbing wall I ever tried was, or let's say first artificial wall that I tried was in my hometown in 2006. There was a promotion wall in my hometown in Slovenj Gradec. And, as a child who liked to try new things, I of course tried and everybody was really impressed with me because I climbed to the top on my first go and they advised my parents to, to enroll me in the local club. And that's how I fell in love with climbing.

Favourite Slovenian holiday or tradition? That's a tough one. Or let's say my favourite, Slovenian tradition is also my birthday. It's the 12th of March and we say that it's Slovenian Valentine's Day. So, I really like that day. 

Noah Charney: If you're visiting Slovenian, itching to try your hand or even your chalk covered fingers at climbing, you are in for a treat. This little country is packed with world-class roots from sunlit limestone crags to state-of-the-art indoor walls. Two of Janja's personal favourites are Mišja Peč and Osp tucked into the sun warmed Karst region near the coast. Mišja Peč is a dramatic horseshoe shaped cliff, famed for its overhanging roots and pocketed limestone perfect for climbers looking to test their endurance and technique. Just next door, the village of Osp offers both history – it's one of the oldest still inhabited villages in Slovenia – and a towering wall of rock that's become a mecca for sport climbers from around the world. If the weather turns or you're just getting started, head to climbing center Vrhnika, where Janja herself often trains. This modern indoor facility offers roots for all levels from beginners learning the basics to advanced climbers pushing their limits. It's also a great place to meet the local climbing community and pick up tips on the hidden outdoor gems.

From coastal cliffs to mountain crags. Slovenia is a vertical paradise, and who knows: the route you try might just be one that Janja has conquered herself. Hvala, and thank you for listening to Feel Slovenia, the podcast. This podcast is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board and was written and presented by Dr. Noah Charney. Please subscribe to get each new episode and tell all of your friends interested in travel and all things Slovenia.

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