Writer & climber · every guide on this site
Hi, I’m Stephan. I’ve been climbing since 2021 and I’m a sport climber almost to a fault — 249 routes in the logbook and only a handful of them on a crash pad. Give me a long, technical limestone pitch over a short powerful one any day.
Most of that has happened in Asia. Thailand is where I’ve spent the most rope time by a distance, then South Korea, then Yangshuo in China and the towers at Thakhek in Laos. I operate somewhere around 6c to 7b, I care more about onsighting than projecting, and I have a soft spot for the unglamorous crag down the road that everyone skips for the famous one.
Every guide here was written after climbing the place — the photos are mine, the prices are what I paid, and the approach notes are the ones I wished I’d had. That includes the unflattering parts: the polished classic that is not worth queuing for, the rusty bolt, the crag that quietly closed. The grade charts that started this whole site are compiled from published comparison tables and re-checked every year.
If you have been somewhere I have written about and it has changed, or you think I have a grade wrong, please tell me. That is genuinely the best part of running this.
Corrections to a guide, a conversion that looks wrong, or a question about a crag — all of it reaches me directly.
Nothing here is stitched together from other people’s blogs. If a crag is written up, I went, tied in, and paid for the day — and if I backed off something, that is in there too.
Every image is one I took at the crag, usually one-handed from a belay. Nothing is stock, nothing is borrowed, and the approach photos are the ones I wished someone had shown me.
Both the sport and bouldering conversion charts are compiled from published comparison tables and reviewed every year, so the numbers in the guides match the converter.
9 first-hand climbing guides, newest first.
Sport climbing in Yangshuo, China: the karst crags of White Mountain, Wine Bottle, Boxing Ring in the Sky, Swiss Wall, Spearhead and Bamboo Cave, grades, seasons, e-scooters, SIM cards and VPN, and where to stay.
Outdoor bouldering in Da Nang, Vietnam: the Son Tra, Ba Na Hills, Hai Van Pass and Marble Mountains boulders, the crowdsourced topo map, crash pads, gyms, seasons and transport.
Where to climb around Bangkok, the best gyms for lead and bouldering, and where to buy gear.
A curated guide to the 13 best rock climbing hostels and bouldering hostels worldwide for 2026, covering sport climbing, lead climbing, and trad climbing destinations.
A comprehensive guide to sports climbing in the southern regions of South Korea, exploring popular climbing spots, tips, and more.
A comprehensive guide for travelers looking to climb in Thakhek, Green Climbers Home, Laos. This guide includes information on climbing areas, seasons, finding partners, transportation, gear, local climbing guides, and more.
Rock Climbing in Chiang Mai: The Ultimate Guide for Climbing in Chiang Mai 2026. Everything you need to know.
A guide on how and where to resole rock climbing shoes in Thailand.
A comprehensive Tonsai bouldering guide for 2026. Tonsai Temple Boulder Cave in Tonsai, Krabi, Thailand.