Yesterday, The New York Times wrote an article about Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson's ongoing attempt at free climbing the Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite. I read the article first and then made a rookie move: I started reading the comments section, which was littered with ignorant (unsurprising) and negative (surprising) responses by people who are clearly non-climbers.  I am no expert in rock climbing, especially big wall / multi-pitch logistics, but I know enough to feel that the Dawn Wall dream warrants a detailed and lengthy response directed specifically at those unfamiliar with the climbing world.  I am going to break this down as clearly and concisely as possible, to the point that many of these items may seem too tedious for my experienced climber friends.  Here goes:

What is Free Climbing?
This seems to be the most contentious item in the comments.  And I don't blame people because the article is very confusing.  The author doesn't clarify what free climbing is and a lot of non-climbers, and even some self-proclaimed climbers, erroneously think that Caldwell/Jorgeson are free soloing this route without ropes. They are not free soloing, they are free climbing.  Let's have a quick terminology lesson:

Leader / Lead Climber: The rope is attached to the lead climber, who ascends the route and brings the rope up as he or she climbs. The leader will clip the rope into points of protection, which can be either fixed or temporary, that are in the wall along the way. If the climber were to fall, the belayer would "catch" the climber with the rope.

Belayer: The rope is also attached to the belayer, who feeds slack in the rope to the leader as he or she moves up the wall.  Depending on the type of route or the location on a mult-pitch, the belayer could be belaying from either below the lead climber or above the climber who is following up the route. The belayer will "catch" the climber with the rope if he or she falls.

Free Climbing: *This is the type of climbing that Caldwell and Jorgeson are engaged in while ascending Dawn Wall.* The lead climber ascends the rock wall with only the use of his or her hands and feet.  The lead climber is connected to a rope and belayed by his or her climbing partner, but does not use the rope or any other forms of aid to ascend the wall.  If the climber falls, the belayer catches the climber using the rope. However, the rope in no way assists the climber in moving up the wall. Again, the rope is only there to catch and protect the climber in the event of a fall.  Here is a video of Chris Sharma and Adam Ondra free climbing on one of the hardest routes in the world.  Note that the rope catches them when they fall, but they don't use the rope to ascend.  Additionally, to confuse things even more, free climbing can be subdivided into traditional climbing and sport climbing. 

Free Solo Climbing / Soloing: The climber ascends the rock wall with only the use of his or her hands and feet. The climber is not connected to a rope and therefore is not belayed by a climbing partner.  There are no forms of aid or protection. If the climber falls, he or she will fall to the ground.  Most people are familiar with Alex Honnold for free soloing many routes, and was featured on 60 Minutes in 2011. 

Aid Climbing: The climber ascends the rock wall by moving up the rope with the direct help of aid devices, such as etriers, aiders, and ascenders. This video (skip to minute 1:00 or 1:20) shows some aspects of aid climbing, including "jugging" up the rope. The couple in the video is ascending The Nose on El Capitan.  Aid climbing is typically done when the rock wall is deemed too difficult to "free climb" (refer to above).  However, some multi-pitch routes use a mix of free climbing and aid climbing, depending on the difficulty in particular sections / pitches. Historically, Yosemite big wall routes were mostly climbed using aiders.


Why is this a big deal?
That leads me to the next question that I've seen pop up repeatedly: Why is The New York Times writing an article about two guys ascending a big wall in Yosemite, which has been done by so many others in the past 40 years?

Basically, people who say that are wrong. This particular route, The Dawn Wall, has never been climbed in the way that Caldwell and Jorgeson are doing it. 

It boils down to a terminology misunderstanding again. Like I mentioned above, historically, Yosemite routes have been aid climbed, not free climbed or free soloed. Caldwell and Jorgeson are climbing a big wall route that has never in history been free climbed.  So yes, to the commenters from the article, many people have climbed this route, but only with the use of aids. 

The Dawn Wall, located on the granite monolith El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park, is a 3,000 foot route that is broken down into about 30 different pitches, ranging in difficulty from 5.13 to 5.14+. Because of the sheer difficulty of the moves and the endurance required, this section of El Capitan has always been aid climbed. Here is a great breakdown of the logistics and various pitches of free climbing the Dawn Wall.


What are the legitimate risks?
All climbing is inherently dangerous. But so is driving or cycling or playing football.  Rock climbing, when done safely and correctly, can be no more or less risky than other activities we engage in on a daily basis. Back in May, I wrote a post that touches on the aspects of minimizing risk while climbing. 

However, let's look at what Caldwell and Jorgeson are doing specifically.  The biggest misconception and concern from non-climbers is that they think if Caldwell or Jorgeson fall, then they will fall to the ground. I apologize for beating a dead horse here, but it is necessary to reiterate that if one climber falls while ascending, they will be caught by the other climber (the "belayer") with the rope.  In fact, both Caldwell and Jorgeson are falling quite a lot. The routes they are free climbing are extremely difficult, so falling can be more aptly described as an inevitability. When the climber falls, then he is forced to try that section of the route all over again. As you can imagine, finishing a section of the route can take a long time if climbers are falling often. Because the wall is so flat, which is the same reason that makes the climb so difficult, most falls are probably clean and void of hazards. Also, this means that there is less risk of the rope rubbing against sharp areas of rock.

What are some other potential risks? Well, gear could pop out of the wall or ropes or harness could break. However, this is incredibly unlikely.  Knowledgeable, professional climbers like Caldwell and Jorgeson are fully aware of how to maintain their equipment and when it's time to "retire" a rope, harness, etc. The vast majority of injuries or deaths from climbing are due to human error.  Not always, but very often, this is due to inexperienced and untrained novices attempting to climb outside.  Here is a great resource on safety while big wall climbing in Yosemite.

And for all those folks who are reprimanding Caldwell for climbing this route and taking these risks while he has a 20-month-old and a wife at home:

- One commentor said it best, "Climbing requires an intense focus on where you are and who you are with, and it teaches this focus better than anything I have done in my long life. It taught me trust, thoroughness, problem solving skills, how to read character in others and in myself, and it gave me a chance to understand how big the world is beyond my small problems... To give a child the knowledge of how to climb well, and to do it safely (yes, it is very, very safe when done right) is one of the best things a parent can do."

- His wife, Becca Caldwell, married this man knowing exactly who he is. Her Facebook page seems to indicate that she is very supportive of this endeavor.


What are the environmental and economical impacts?
Three of the most popular questions (although often these questions are listed as accusations) that I have seen over and over again are:

1. Where does the poop go? In short: a poop tube. Pretty self explanatory. Not sure you need or want more information. However, in case you do, Yosemite has very clear guidelines about what you are supposed to do with human waste and trash. My favorite line is the first one: "It is illegal to throw anything off a cliff in Yosemite." That includes, well, you know...

2. How does this negatively effect the rock / El Capitan? In short: not very much. Most of the protection that Caldwell and Jorgeson are using are temporary. However, many readers and non-climbers seem concerned that Caldwell and Jorgeson are permanently damaging the rock. My first thought when reading this is, even if they are using fixed/permanent protection such as bolts that have been drilled into the rock, no one can actually see these tiny bolts when they are standing on the ground. Maybe I could spot a bolt that is 100 feet up if the sunlight hits it just right. But 1000 feet up? No way in hell. 

Caldwell and Jorgeson are likely using spring-loaded cams that are placed in cracks and can be easily removed after the climb is complete. They are also likely using permanent bolts that have been placed by previous climbers. 

But this whole issue begs the question: Why do we have National Parks in the first place? What is this land here for, if not to enjoy it? One commentor expressed that people who climb El Capitan are making better use of the National Park than those who drive through it and give it a cursory glance and a snap of their camera and then move on. I agree. Climbers experience the rock and embrace the power that is El Capitan, or any rock formation in the world. They touch it with their fingers and love it with their desire to be a part of nature. In return, the rock challenges them and helps them grow as humans. The damage done to the rock itself is minimal, especially in comparison to the amount of exhaust and litter that millions of people bring into Yosemite each year.

3. Who pays for rescue operations if they get hurt? In short: Yosemite Search and Rescue. However, it's slightly more complicated than that, given that some funds come from the federal account that supports the National Parks and some funds come from a nonprofit organization called Friends of YOSAR.  In fact, most rescue missions aren't due to climbers.  According to Friends of YOSAR, "roughly 60% of YOSAR rescue missions have involved hikers, either one who have become lost in the wilderness or are injured on the trails."

What is the greater purpose?
Many people are asking questions such as: What's the point? Why climb this wall? Don't give me the age old response "Because it's there." That's not good enough this time. How is this endeavor more important than climbing Everest, going to the Moon, helping solve world hunger, etc? Isn't this just a publicity stunt?

Caldwell has been working on this route, attempting parts of it and working out logistics, for about 8 years. This is not a publicity stunt. Caldwell and Jorgeson are sponsored, professional climbers who have made their lives and careers about rock climbing. The cameras that are following them are not solicited by Caldwell and Jorgeson, but are following the ascent because it is newsworthy.

What's the point? Why climb this wall? Okay... Why do we do anything? As one commenter said, why paint the Mona Lisa? I don't believe that you can fully grasp the rewards of rock climbing unless you have tried it yourself. It's a challenge to your mind and body simultaneously.  Every muscle is working to move up the wall, and at the same time, you are battling your fears and your doubts. Each climb is a puzzle that needs to be solved. 

This puzzle, free climbing the Dawn Wall, is just the next step for climbers. Climbing Everest, landing on the moon, solving world hunger - these are all valid puzzles in themselves. Climbers ask the question: How far and how high and how hard can I go? If we don't ask these questions and attempt to overcome them, the human race will never improve.

More importantly, why do some people feel the need to put down or judge other people's dreams? We are all driven by different forces and it's unfair to say one is better than the other. 

That's all I got.

Good luck Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson!

You may have noticed (or not) that it's been pretty quiet on my blog for the past month. Well, after the 30x30x30 birthday challenge, I was feeling a little burnt out on the posts.  Don't get me wrong, it was a phenomenally rewarding project, but I was simply exhausted! Additionally, I just experienced the busiest and most important month of my career. I was in charge of running my company's inaugural conference in NY.  Picture: 400 people, 23 speakers/companies, multiple tracks, over two days.  It turned out really well and the partners of my company thanked me with a very generous bonus.

Anyway, point is, I was busy and tired but now I'm not.

So I want to talk about climbing again. I know, it's been TOO LONG.  Art, photography, and the birthday challenge have dominated the blog for most of 2014.  But let's not forget my #1 passion, which is still climbing.

On Saturday, Mollie and I went out to Malibu Creek State Park to learn top rope anchor building.  This has been on my to-do list for a very long time. I have been climbing for 3.5 years, so I'm embarrassed to admit that it took this long.  In the past I always felt more comfortable having someone else take care of the technicalities.  However it got to the point where I simply wasn't climbing outside anymore and felt myself trusting others less and less. It was time to learn the systems myself.

It was not the best morning to go climbing.  Mollie and I were both tired and possibly a little hungover from the previous night's wine tasting with friends.  We met Steve at the climbing gym at 6:00am and headed to Malibu Creek.  Not only was it cloudy and very early, but there was a fine, misty drizzle in the park. The only positive was that this weather kept most other climbers at bay; when we arrived at Planet of the Apes wall (aptly named because it was host to the 1968 film with the same name), there was only one guy there getting set up for a class later in the day.

We wound our way up the left side of the wall (see image below) and then up to the top of the cliff.  It's a very easy approach from the car (20-30 minutes with only a couple short, steep hills) and then a quick 2 minute hike to the top of the wall from the base.  It is an ideal location to learn anchor building. There are 6-8 sets of bolts for anchors, each one slightly different.  We spent about 1.5 hours going over how to safely tie in with our personal anchor system, how to tie the correct knots, where to put carabiners, and general "dos and don'ts" of anchor building.  I started off feeling very nervous at the prospect of our safety being in my hands (and in Mollie's hands).  Luckily we had a good teacher who made sure we really understood the system. And we did understand it. And ultimately I felt empowered by the class.

When it came time to climb, and luckily we did have time for that, I realized I never felt so secure as I did climbing on my own anchors.  The picture on the right is me on "Planet of the Apes" line, the same route that the guy in the picture above is climbing. Steve climbed it first, so he had the opportunity to really test out my anchors, but then I jumped on.  I climbed on my own anchor and didn't die! The fate of my life was in the quality of my own anchor system.  Yes, I had a belayer that I trusted. And yes, it's possible that equipment could fail.  But usually when people are injured while climbing it is because of human error.

After we climbed on my anchors, we moved the rope over to Mollie's anchors and climbed on that line. I actually made it to the top of that route and when I got to the anchors, I experienced a very interesting feeling. Previously when I would get to the top of a climb, I would view the anchors with unease and distrust, mainly because I had NO idea what I was looking at. I couldn't tell if they were set up correctly, and that is very unnerving.  On Saturday, I experienced a feeling of trust in the system, and it really made climbing that much more fun. 

I've talked before about safety in climbing, and even wrote a lengthy post on Tito and Thoughts on Un-Safety. But what does "safe" even mean when you are engaging in a sport that is "inherently dangerous?" This is a term you will see on any climbing gym waiver, or on climbing brand website disclaimers (see Metolius's website), or through any outdoor guiding company's waiver. They aren't embellishing the danger or trying to scare you into acting safe.... climbing is NOT SAFE. But what can we do, as people who love the sport, about that? How can we knowingly engage in an activity where we are constantly putting our health and life at risk? 

I found an interesting article online called 5 Ways to Die Climbing.  The great thing about this article is that it starts off by saying "most climbing accidents and fatalities are preventable and most can be directly attributed to human error." I agree with this wholeheartedly.  Then the article goes on to list the top 5 ways to die as: Leader Falls, Loose Rock/Rockfall, Climbing Unroped (Soloing), Rappelling, and Weather/Hypothermia.  In addition to the fact that the article doesn't cite any studies or reports to support these claims, my main problem with the article is that is immediately undermines it's previous statement by placing implying that these are "uncontrollable" situations.    

I prefer to focus on the statement that touts accidents can usually be accounted back to human error, bcause doing so generates saftey-conscious climbers.  Error doesn't make us bad people, but as humans we are flawed and we do make mistakes.  Let's look at these 5 ways to die with a more critical eye. 

• Falling can be done with minimal risk, especially if you: A) practice falling often and in a somewhat controlled environment; B) learn when it is appropriate to risk a fall; and, C) learn to recognize when to lower from a climb if the risk of falling is too dangerous.  Arno Ilgner teaches classes on safe falling techniques.
• Next up is Solo climbing, which is a conscious decision made by the climber. They are knowingly putting themselves in a situation where if they fall, injury or death is probable. Therefore it is 100% controllable in the sense that you have a choice not to engage in this activity at all.  I know Alex Honnold looks really cool, but take time to evaluate the risk/reward ratio for YOU.
• Injury or death from rappelling is almost always due to human error. If you would like more information, this is an excellent and comprehensive article on What Can Go Wrong While Rappelling.
• Weather/hypothermia... well, I think this depends on the situation. If you see the clouds coming in and decide you want to get in a quickie on the wall, then you should expect to have to deal with the consequences.  Weather can be extremely spontaneous though, so I feel I should give this item some leeway.  
• Loose Rock/rockfall is another one that I think gets some leeway because your level of control is limited.  However, this article claims that there are preventative steps you can take as the climber.
  

So, I ask again: How can we knowingly engage in an activity where we are constantly putting our health and life at risk? 

• Take the classes so you are informed and knowledgeable.  Your local climbing gym can teach you to top rope belay, lead belay, and learn proper climbing techniques. REI and other outdoor guiding schools can teach you anchor building and other outdoor safety requirements.   
  
• Find a mentor who can guide you and answer questions when they come up (and they should come up often if you are really trying to learn).
  
• After you've learned the correct safety requirements, practice setting up your anchors over and over again until you could do it "with your eyes closed in the dark", as my guide on Saturday recommended.
  
• Check all your equipment before climbing and replace it when the time comes: either as recommended by the manufacturer or prior to that if you see wear and tear.  Your harness, rope, carabiners, trad gear (etc.) are not built to last forever.
  
• Tell someone where you are going to climb that day (ahem, let's all learn from 127 Hours).  
  
• Be alert and aware of your surroundings. That includes weather and loose rock! 
  
• Don't climb on someone else's anchors, unless you have had a chance to check it out and feel that it is a "safe" setup (and even then, you don't know how well-maintained their equipment is).
  
• Always, always, always safety-check yourself and your partner. Once that's done, do it again. And there is no shame at looking down at your harness mid-climb to make sure you are still double-backed (yes, I do that often).  Verbally acknowledge your safety check with your partner. Don't assume they checked you. 

There are many more steps you can take to be safe on a regular basis, but these are the big ones... and ultimately you should have fun too.  Prepare as much as possible, and then allow yourself to enjoy the sport. I think most people, not applicable to adrenaline junkies, will feel more free to enjoy climbing when they have done as much as possible to create a safe environment.

Now, just for fun, I want to share some pictures I took of an unsafe anchor system that was setup next to us at Planet of the Apes wall.  Can you see all the errors?  

It's the final countdown until my birthday and until my 30x30x30 Birthday Challenge is complete.  So far, I have completed all my goals, some with more passion than others (see: #11 and #25 specifically). I admit that I am looking forward to having a bit more time on my hands again.  The birthday challenge was very demanding of my time and money.  But overall I am very happy with the my birthday challenge and feel really good about starting this new decade with some bucket list items crossed off the master list. I feel that I am going to start 30 with a renewed appreciation for life.  Anyway, without further ado, the last five items on my list:

It took me all day, but I finally found a Kickstarter I was excited about: Pedal South.  Here is there goal/mission/project:

In the summer of 2014 we five Students of the World alumni will set out on an 18,000 mile self-supported cycling journey down the Pan-American Highway, from Alaska to Argentina. Each in our creative roles–three filmmakers, a photographer, and a writer–we will produce a feature length film documenting our journey and the unique cultures and landscapes we encounter along the way. Our goal is to celebrate, connect, and inspire the people of the Americas through the storytelling process.

Sounds really cool right? And totally something that I would love to do myself, if I actually owned a bike and knew how to use it well. They are teaming up with the fitness oriented fundraising non-profit, Charity Miles. The app allows any athlete in the world to raise money for a charity of their choice just by logging their exercise miles! So each and every one of their individual miles pedaled will send real funds to major non-profits such as Stand Up to Cancer or Habitat for Humanity.

Finally, as part of my $35 donation, I will receive a handwritten postcard from the team, sent from a random location on their roadtrip. SO. COOL.  And I really hope they reach their goal so this gets fully funded. So if you find this interesting too, please donate!

Challenge #26, check!

There are quite a few museums in the Los Angeles area, and I've only been to a handful of them. The ones that I have had the good fortune of visiting are the Getty Center, Getty Villa Malibu, Griffith Observatory, LACMA-La Brea Tar Pits, Skirball Cultural Center, and the Natural History Museum.  Both Getty's will always have a special spot in my heart because they are so beautiful and were the first ones that I visited in Los Angeles. However, I think the Natural History Museum might be my favorite. It's so fun seeing all the animals!

The choice was easy for this challenge. I have never been to the Hammer museum, which not only is just a couple miles away, but recently recieved a large grant that allows for FREE ADMISSION indefinitely. And on top of it, parking is only $3 for 3 hours with validation.  That's what I'm talking about!!!

While it's not a huge museum, it did end up being the perfect "after-work-quick-cultural-experience" setup that I was hoping it would be. There were four main galleries, the first was "Tea & Morphine" exhibit, the second was the permanent classic art exhibit, and the last two were filled with an extensive modern art exhibit.  If you are interested in a creepy video that I experienced at the museum, and yes I watched the entire 17 minutes, click here for a review. I couldn't find the video itself online, which is a shame because it was really fascinating to watch and I STILL don't know how I feel about it after watching.

I spent about an hour in the museum and really enjoyed myself. Challenge #27, check!

YOU GUYS. I WON!!!!!!!!!!! $10 that is... and I spent $3... but that's a profit gosh darnit. 

So each one of these tickets to the left was $1, two of them are scratch offs and then of course the one on the left is an actual lottery ticket.  I picked my numbers randomly and it spit out the ticket. 

But like I said, I'm already a winner and made $7 yesterday.  Mega Millions numbers will be posted tonight, so we will see!

Challenge #28, check!

*Update* - the only number I guessed correctly was the Mega Number (09). So, technically I won my $1 back!

I baaaaarely finished this challenge. I was signing my letter at 11:59pm this night.  But I did it! Not a whole lot to say regarding this challenge, as it is very personal... however, I am excited to re-read it in one decade!

Challenge #29, check!

What a fun day, and amazing way to cap off the last few hours of my 20s! I loved that this was the last challenge, given that it's the happiest place on earth!

I did discover that my inner ear is getting progressively worse.  Some of the rides definitely made my stomach turn... but it was still SUCH FUN.  I will let the pictures do the talking.

Challenge #30, check! 

Thank you so much for following along with me these last 30 days!