EP 301: Matt Samet
June 8, 2026
Matt Samet is the former editor-in-chief of Climbing Magazine, a writer and author, and a sport-climbing pioneer. We talked about his decade-plus battle with benzo addiction, his advice for people who experience anxiety or depression, what Rifle was like in the early ‘90s, how Chris Sharma broke the paradigm, embracing training to send his hardest routes, his new role with the American Alpine Club, and the inaugural American Climbing Journal coming later this year. You can learn more at americanalpineclub.org
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Show Notes:
Matt’s Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:27 – Teasing topics
00:05:34 – Panic attacks
00:10:19 – Benzos addiction
00:26:45 – Setback & self-care
00:36:32 – Matt’s biggest lesson
00:43:48 – Matt’s advice for anxiety & depression
00:48:36 – Rifle in the early '90s
01:08:07 – Sharma broke the paradigm
01:14:10 – Embracing the Moonboard
01:21:46 – Training results
01:30:24 – Matt’s climbing now
01:32:28 – Moonboard math
01:36:52 – An alternative to 4x4s
01:39:15 – Matt’s route projects
01:45:49 – Loving climbing more than ever
01:50:59 – The American Climbing Journal
02:04:59 – Adam Ondra appreciation riff
02:08:14 – Wrap up