An 8 Year Old Ascends The Treacherous 3,000 Ft Yosemite El Capitan, Making Him The Youngest Climber To Scale The Rock Face

According to a post made by the kid’s father on Facebook, an eight-year-old boy has broken the record for being the youngest person to scale the treacherous rock face of El Capitan in Yosemite national park in the United States.

Since Tuesday, Sam Adventure Baker has been accompanying his father on their ascents of the enormous rock. The two individuals are members of a four-person team, and as part of that team, one person will climb ahead of the others and place the ropes for the others to follow. On the vertical face of the rock, sleep is taken at night.

“I’m so proud of Sam. He completed the youngest rope ascent of El Cap! In a few years he might be be back breaking more records,” Joe Baker wrote.

Ann Baker, Sam’s mother, said to CNN that the family has always been supportive of Sam’s endeavors. She remarked that it seemed like he was genuinely glad to be there and that his spirits were high.

Even for the most experienced climbers, scaling El Capitan, a rock structure that is situated 3,000 feet above Yosemite valley, is a challenging endeavor. Many members of the climbing community throughout the world hold the ascent of El Capitan in high regard.

In 2019, Selah Schneiter, age 10, ascended the enormous ascent, becoming the youngest person to ever accomplish this feat and creating a new record in the process.

However, the accomplishments of youngsters of this age group are not without their share of debate. Some climbers argue that the technique they often use, which is known as “jugging” or a rope ascent, is not genuine climbing since it involves the climber using the rope to go higher rather than engaging with the rock face in any significant way.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a long-time climber in Yosemite who watches persons attempting ascents of El Capitan was quoted as saying: “This is a publicity hoax.”

“The guides do everything that I’ve seen… That’s why this is not a climb,” Tom Evans told the newspaper.

Nevertheless, it’s still cool seeing this youngster doing this with his father. This is probably the beginning of a fruitful life of climbing.