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Staff In Action: Sam Green

14 May 2020
Staff In Action: Sam Green

Words: Sam Green

A rare shared day off with Jamie, running for the hills with our climbing racks, plenty of cheese and bread, looking forward to chatting nonsense all day... and maybe do some climbing. I still struggle to think of a better way to spend a day.

I’m Sam Green from Manchester Ellis Brigham, and I Live and Breathe climbing.

One of the main reasons I’m so passionate about climbing is the stories I can share; not all of them are good, but all mean something to me. Most of the stories I tell seem to involve using words like run out, sketchy and tiring.

Sam Green climbing in the Alps

Nonetheless, I wouldn't change a single thing. It's these experiences that make you who you are, and what you'll always remember, as you’ll always find yourself chewing someone's ear off with one story or another.

I had just completed one of my favourite alpine routes, Arête des Cosmiques. I was exhausted, feeling super-sick from the altitude and the exertion. We'd pretty much had to run the second half of the route to beat a storm home (that's a story for another time), and every part of my body hurt.

However, after a couple of recovery drinks of one sort or another, I realised it was one of the best climbing experiences I had ever had. The next day, I went back up for a different route full of psych. I’ve also had to back off routes many times, which is a different sort of good feeling. Sometimes pushing through isn't the right call, and it's a good moment when you realise that turning back is the sensible and safe option.

Sam Green climbing and smiling

Climbing has changed a lot for me over time. It's so diverse, whether indoors at the local wall, trad climbing at Stanage, or alpine ascents around Chamonix; I’ve learnt to love all of it. When I first put on a pair of rock shoes at my local bouldering wall I thought that it was just going to be a good way to keep fit, little did I know that one day I’d be putting on rock shoes at 3000m in the Alps.

Fortunately, climbing is also part of my work, whether it be instructing or kitting someone out for their next adventure... while of course, sharing stories with them.


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