Sam Laird

Quite likely the only idiot currently hauling a 70-meter rope and four pairs of climbing shoes around the world. Sam lives for backpacking, adventure, and of course, climbing. If he's not exploring crags and getting shut down on new projects, you can find him sharing his passion for climbing in publications such as Climbing Shoe Review, Climbing.com, Gear Junkie, and UK Climbing.

Yosemite’s Thank God Ledge

Just eight kilometers down the road from El Capitan stands another imposing landmark that is hard to miss - Half Dome. Half Dome is about...

Kilter Board vs MoonBoard

The Moonboard originated in the famous “school room” in Sheffield, UK, the training hub for the UK’s strongest climbers back in the ’90s, including some...

What Is a Crux in Climbing?

The crux delves into the intricate and potentially taxing sequence of moves that, despite its relatively small size, can dramatically shift a route or boulder's...

What Is Beta in Climbing?

As a climber, you join an exclusive club of adventurers who communicate in a cryptic code of their own. This unique dialect is a mix...

The Hard 100: The Hardest Sport Climbs in the World (2023 Edition)

We are living through a truly interesting era in climbing evolution. The rate of progression within the world of free climbing has never been this...

The Complete Guide to 9c Climbing

If there’s one topic that’s guaranteed to get the climbing community hot and bothered, it’s the number 9 followed by the letter C. Even in...