In Memory of John Laing

We are saddened to announce the passing of longtime New Mexico Mountain Club member John Laing. John was a valued part of our community for many years, and his warmth, generosity, and willingness to help others left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him.

John served as Climb Section Chair in 2003, led many NMMC climbing trips, and quietly made a lasting impact on the climbing community. For many, he was a familiar presence at Stone Age Climbing Gym, where he was always ready to lend a hand, offer encouragement, or help someone take practice falls. His kindness, generosity, and genuine happiness made him a friend to climbers of every experience level. Although he spent less time climbing outdoors in recent years, he remained dedicated to the sport, working with a trainer each week to build strength and continue pursuing the activity he loved.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to John's family.

John’s family is planning to host a memorial for his Albuquerque friends in September and we’ll share those details when we have them.

If you have photos or stories of John that you’d like to share, please email nmmtclub@gmail.com with your contributions.

John was such a great guy always ready to help get you motivated to climb better solving problems. He will be missed dearly 

~ Greg Graef

“I first met John at Sandia Labs in 1995 when I started there. He was the Albuquerque site representative tech for the MTS Corporation. MTS manufactured mechanical test frame systems that many of the lab departments used to perform various life expectancy tests. He was a gifted technician, much appreciated by all of our departments. He eventually succumbed to Sandia’s temptations and started working for us as a contractor and finally as a full employee in my department taking over my position after my retirement in 2016.

He recruited me into NMMC and nudged me to become the Climb Chair in 2008. John was 2003 Climb Chair and we co-lead many Mountain Club and private climbing events over the years. I'm certain he and I swung leads on several hundreds pitches of climbing over the years.

John’s passing is a crushing loss of a great friend, climbing mentor, co-worker and fantastic human being. We will all miss his upbeat and supportive nature.”

~ Mark Grazier