El Cap doubled in size and a 7 year old just “climbed” it….

A 40-something year old man posting as his 12 year son to defend his own indefensible actions is one wild, wild gambit. 

Given all of the time Joe & co have spent on these routes, and the number of people who have posted in various threads witnessing these shitshows, has anyone captured any video of the kids melting down, &/or Joe’s aggro-parenting ‘style’?

Edit to below: That’s not really what I’m referring to…that footage is obviously staged for the camera. I’m talking more about witnessed video taken by someone who wasn’t in their party, watching the kid(s) completely unglued &/or Joe harshing them on? Something that obviously corroborates some of the reports several have made in varying threads…

apogeewrote:

Given all of the time Joe & co have spent on these routes, and the number of people who have posted in various threads witnessing these shitshows, has anyone captured any video of the kids melting down, &/or Joe’s aggro-parenting ‘style’?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afl8sMomvXI

The melt down starts around 14:00 minute in. At 15:10 others ask if they need help ...

Some really wholesome and quality content if you need to cleanse your palate after all this Joe spam. Basically the anti-Joe, insofar as you can be an anti-Joe and still post on social media/film yourself

Joe posted his "first" response to Sam's article. Here's the text copied from his FB page.

If you haven’t seen it yet, Climbing Magazine published an article about Joey Danger’s ascent of El Capitan, and it has turned into one of the most talked about climbing stories of the entire year. They keep reposting it every few hours. We’ve gotten hundreds of messages and questions, so I wanted to address a few things directly in writing.

First, there seems to be a lot of confusion about a man named Rocco who was mentioned in the article. In the article he went by Paul but I know him as Rocco.

Rocco met us at the base of the climb and offered to help carry gear. When you’re staring at giant haul bags and somebody offers to help move them up the wall, it’s an easy conversation. He was brought on as a porter. That’s it.

Porters are common in Yosemite. People hire them all the time to move gear. You can find discussions about it online, on Mountain Project, Facebook Marketplace, and just about anywhere climbers gather.

What surprised me was the suggestion that he was somehow guiding our climb. He wasn’t guiding me. He wasn’t guiding my kids. He was never responsible for any safety systems on the wall. That responsibility belonged to me.

When you’re climbing El Capitan with elementary school kids, everything has to be rigged so that I can be right there beside them every step of the way. This wasn’t an ascent where I was leading hundreds of feet above them and yelling instructions down. Every system was designed so I could supervise them directly.

We have an incredible team, and I’ll introduce many of those guys in future videos, but nobody on our team was hired as a guide.

Second, there seems to be a misunderstanding about what kind of ascent this was.

We’ve never claimed this was a free ascent. In fact, we’ve always said the exact opposite. This was a rope ascent, which is the safest and easiest way to climb El Capitan. The kids remained attached to the wall the entire climb.

Even though all three boys lead climb, we did not have them leading El Capitan pitches on this trip. The goal was safety, learning, adventure, and accomplishing something extraordinary together as a family.

Another claim made by Rocco that keeps coming up is that Joey cried constantly on the wall. His quote is that the kids cried on every pitch. 

That’s simply not true.

Joey and I are actually debating right now whether he cried four times or five times during the entire climb. I counted five. He counted four.

And honestly, even if it was five times, who cares?

He was six years old when he started. He spent nearly a week hanging thousands of feet above Yosemite Valley. Sometimes he got overwhelmed. Not much. Sometimes he got frustrated. Sometimes he got hurt.

One time he smashed a finger between jumars and needed a band aid. Another time he had an embarrassing accident on his pants while wizzing in the wind. I even got some in my mouth. Those are real moments that kids work through.

Crying doesn’t mean a child wants to quit. It doesn’t mean they want to go down. It doesn’t mean they’re being forced.

It means they’re working through something difficult.

The idea that you can force a six year old to climb El Capitan is honestly ridiculous. There isn’t enough force in this galaxy to make a kid spend six days on the side of a giant wall unless he wants to be there.

The truth is that Joey spent a year preparing for this climb. He trained constantly. He jugged ropes in our backyard over and over again. He learned the systems. He got stronger. He got ready.

Then he showed up and did the work.

This climb changed him.

We celebrated his seventh birthday on the wall. That’s why he likes to joke that he summited at six seven. He started the climb at six years old and reached the top at seven.

We protected him every step of the way.

Yes, he dropped his helmet. That’s true. But anybody who has spent time on El Capitan knows things get dropped. I’ve seen carabiners fly past my head. I’ve seen sleeping bags dropped. I’ve heard stories of people dropping entire ropes.

The helmet wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t some unprecedented event.

At the end of the day, what I’m most excited about is not arguing with critics.

What excites me is the footage.

We had cameras rolling the entire climb. We had GoPros on our heads. We documented the preparation, the struggles, the setbacks, and the victories.

Over time, people will get to see what actually happened on that wall.

And I think when they do, they’ll see exactly what I saw:

A six year old boy who dreamed about climbing El Capitan, worked for it for a year, showed up prepared, and accomplished something extraordinary.

One thing that has surprised me while reading through the comments is how angry some people are that our boys have received media attention.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that.

I understand that some climbers are frustrated. I understand that not everyone agrees with what we’re doing. But I think some of the anger really comes down to attention.

The reality is that our boys have received a lot of media coverage.

But I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

The interviews help preserve the story. Someday the boys will be able to look back and remember what they accomplished. Their grandparents get to see it. Their friends get to see it. And honestly, I think that’s pretty cool.

I also think climbing deserves more attention than it gets.

If someone does a double NIAD, links together several of the hardest routes in Yosemite, or pulls off some incredible alpine objective, I think they should be on the evening news too.

The climbing world is full of unbelievable accomplishments that most people never hear about.

The truth is that the media isn’t calling because they understand the difference between aid climbing, free climbing, rope ascents, speed records, and every other nuance that climbers debate endlessly online.

They’re calling because they see a six year old kid on one of the most famous walls in the world.

That’s the story.

And I don’t think that takes anything away from the elite climbers doing extraordinary things.

Nobody in our family has ever claimed Joey’s ascent is comparable to someone free climbing El Capitan.

Not even close.

Watching someone like Connor Herson free climb The Nose is one of the most incredible athletic accomplishments I can imagine.

We have never compared Joey to climbers operating at that level.

Joey is a six year old kid.

He climbed El Capitan using ropes, ascenders, and a huge support team. We have always said that.

We have always described these ascents as rope ascents because that’s exactly what they are.

We’re not calling news agencies and telling them a six year old free climbed El Capitan.

We’re telling them the truth.

That a kindergartner spent a year training, showed up prepared, and climbed one of the biggest walls in the world in the safest way we knew how.

I think that’s still a pretty incredible story.

For me personally, I’ve never pretended to be some elite climber.

The hardest thing I’ve ever led is around 5.11. I have a desk job. I pull on gear when I need to. I am not out there free climbing El Cap.

My claim has never been that we’re the best climbers in the world.

My claim is that stories matter.

Adventure matters.

Family matters.

And one of the biggest things that got missed in the Climbing Magazine article is why this particular climb meant so much to our family.

Back in 2021, Ann and I lost our daughter Ember shortly after she was born.

It changed everything.

To this day our boys still talk about their sister almost every day.

Her life was short, but her impact on our family was enormous.

In many ways, everything that happened after that loss changed because of her.

It changed how we parent.

It changed what we value.

It changed the stories we wanted to live.

It even led to our family becoming the Evermores.

And so when Joey was hanging on the side of El Capitan this spring, the moment he was most excited about wasn’t the summit.

It wasn’t the record.

It wasn’t the attention.

It was the gender reveal.

Thousands of feet above Yosemite Valley, Ann unveiled a giant sign from the meadow below and we discovered that the baby we’re expecting is a girl.

After everything our family has walked through, that moment was overwhelming.

The boys were ecstatic.

Joey was ecstatic.

I was ecstatic.

It felt like one chapter of our story coming full circle.

That’s what I’ll remember most about this climb.

Not the arguments.

Not the comments.

Not the controversy.

I’ll remember hanging on the side of El Capitan with my family and finding out we’re having a daughter.

After reading all of this, I challenge you to read the hateful comments coming from people on the page, ask yourself what would make a group of people become so angry and judgmental. 

Lots more is coming from me and our exceptional team.

Without social media this would barely be a blip on the radar. I feel more sorry for the kids growing up thinking that social media is a major part of their life every day now. It really seems that without social media Joe might not be such a horrible person, yet in his social media twisted mind he thinks he is giving the best life to the kids. 

I see some pro climbers sharing political beliefs,  supporting action to help save wilderness,  even calling out social injustice and racism on social media and I think maybe SM can help the world.

Then I see a pro climber constantly posing in a bathing suit for the creepers on SM or even the ones pushing diabetes in a can and I change my mind on SM quickly.

I guess it boils down to intentions and how the results of certain actions affect others?

So he's publicly outed his pirate guide... I wonder if that's the same person who Michael Vaill said was receiving hate from the climbing community and worried about being "prosecuted in some way"

Maybe this could be a lesson to others in Yosemite to not be involved in assisting the Bakers/Evermores in their future Yosemite ambitions. I do expect there will be more in the future, because he still has even younger kids...

apogeewrote:

Given all of the time Joe & co have spent on these routes, and the number of people who have posted in various threads witnessing these shitshows, has anyone captured any video of the kids melting down, &/or Joe’s aggro-parenting ‘style’?

Edit to below: That’s not really what I’m referring to…that footage is obviously staged for the camera. I’m talking more about witnessed video taken by someone who wasn’t in their party, watching the kid(s) completely unglued &/or Joe harshing them on? Something that obviously corroborates some of the reports several have made in varying threads…

While I get what you're asking for, it's also kind of bad form to record people, especially children, in vulnerable moments like that for your own agenda. So I'd hope there is likely little video evidence.

Larry Morganwrote:

While I get what you're asking for, it's also kind of bad form to record people, especially children, in vulnerable moments like that for your own agenda. So I'd hope there is likely little video evidence.

By that line of thought, all of that video captured of the Alex Pretti and Nicole Good shootings are inappropriate as well. That just isn't the way things work these days in a cellular society like this one.

What’s up with climbers and climbing? Why are the climbers who led this debacle being covered for? Why is Paul/Rocco being treated like a victim and being covered for? How does Climbing magazine publish an article called  The True Story Behind the 7-Year Old “El Cap Kindergartner” Ascent, when names are redacted and the climbers who led the entire route not  discussed? What a joke. It’s like sappy National Enquirer level spew dramatized for clicks. Until climbers take some responsibility and gain the courage to tell the actual truth, bullshit like this and the much worse shit that has taken place will never end. Once again Joe is reaping what he has sown and the “community” covers for the facilitators. Pathetic. 

You ever get to that point where you hate someone so much that just the sound of their breathing is annoying? I think we might be getting there with Joe.

I agree that he is a disgusting publicity ho. I think he really needs to learn how to adjust his kid’s climbing helmet; it was already way out of place in the Bastille/El Cap picture above. And losing a helmet while on a wall is not like dropping a biner. But I don’t think it’s fair to say he should never get to jug anything. It sounds like he’s hell-bent on outing his pirate guides, and they’ll face what punishment that entails. But I don’t really hate his guides. I think his kids did nothing wrong. As for crying, our three year old threw more of a wobbler this weekend about not being allowed to knock over the ruins than Sam did in the video above. Kids cry; sometimes adults cry. Emotional regulation is hard. Doesn’t mean anyone is getting scarred.

I understand the desire to hate everything and everyone around this guy. But I think it’s valuable to not paint with too broad a brush and stay focused on the actual problems. Helps the rest of us learn something from a bad situation.

apogeewrote:

By that line of thought, all of that video captured of the Alex Pretti and Nicole Good shootings are inappropriate as well. That just isn't the way things work these days in a cellular society like this one.

Not sure I agree someone capturing evidence of a murder in broad daylight is the same as videoing a kid who is in a vulnerable state who can't consent for your own purposes is the same... but okay I guess?

Unless youre capturing verifiable evidence of child abuse, which I'd argue isn't for your own agenda either. It would be for the child's wellbeing. 

Sep Mwrote:

You ever get to that point where you hate someone so much that just the sound of their breathing is annoying? I think we might be getting there with Joe.

I agree that he is a disgusting publicity ho. I think he really needs to learn how to adjust his kid’s climbing helmet; it’s already way out of place in the Bastile/El Cap picture above. And losing a helmet while on a wall is not like dropping a biner. But I don’t think it’s fair to say he should never get to jug anything. It sounds like he’s hell-bent to out his pirate guides, and they’ll face what punishment that entails. But I don’t really hate his guides. I think his kids did nothing wrong. And as for crying, our three year old threw more of a wobbler this weekend about not being allowed to knock over the ruins than Sam did in the video above. Kids cry; sometimes adults cry. Emotional regulation is hard. Doesn’t mean anyone is getting scarred.

I understand the desire to hate everything and everyone around this guy. But I think it’s valuable to not paint with too broad a brush and stay focused on the actual problems. Helps the rest of us learn something from a bad situation.

I don’t hate anyone involved. I love climbing and honesty and believe that humility and admitting mistakes candidly is the path to redemption and improving how climbers interact with each other and our environment. 

For what it's worth, I think we can and should all get behind hating this guy. As much as I altruistically want a world that is "hate free" or some mumbo jumbo, what we really don't have in, "good or bad" or "hate and love" type deductions, is wrong or right a lot of the time. His obfuscations and conflations are dangerous and diluded. If we aim to lessen the blow to save some face, some will miss the lesson entirely. 

Dave Clarkwrote:

For what it's worth, I think we can and should all get behind hating this guy. As much as I altruistically want a world that is "hate free" or some mumbo jumbo, what we really don't have in, "good or bad" or "hate and love" type deductions, is wrong or right a lot of the time. His obfuscations and conflations are dangerous and diluded. If we aim to lessen the blow to save some face, some will miss the lesson entirely. 

Are you proposing that the solution to avoiding dangerous and deluded obfuscations and conflations is to rally a mob to engage in hate even if said mob doesn’t understand the reason for their hate? To me that sounds exactly like dangerous and deluded obfuscations and conflations. I hoped that history has given enough lessons of how your idea works out. 

My solution involves dissecting every nuanced action and each participant‘s role in the event to arrive at a factual explanation that can illustrate the faults of this behavior. 

Ps. Your solution was employed exactly as you suggest in every critique of Joe’s behavior, as evidenced by the three previous spectacles and the ensuing threads discussing them. It seems that the only solution to preventing further incidents is to remove the facilitators from the equation. Joe has even admitted that without his guides, none of this would be possible. 

Dave Clarkwrote:

For what it's worth, I think we can and should all get behind hating this guy ...

Specifically what should people be hating? 

To date there is only one incident that I think the climbing community can and should all get behind shunning Joe Baker/Evermore for. That is the rock trundling incident on Castleton Tower where he 1) place a bread loaf sized rock near the edge of the formation 2) had Sam trundle it off. The video of this incident filmed by Joe is out there but gets deleted regularly. For that action, he should be shunned by the climbing community. I have sent that video to mfg, distributors, and retailers who have given gear or otherwise highlighted them along with additional thoughts asking them discontinue their support. I just recently did that again this week. Doing the above is no different than I have done when other similar negative incidents have occurred within the climbing community.

Low Road Shivley... Goin after dirtbags before scumbags? F that, karma will prevail, have no fear.

M Mwrote:

Low Road Shivley... Goin after dirtbags before scumbags? F that, karma will prevail, have no fear.

Hardly, Joe gets all of the criticism that he has earned. Michael Vaill has alluded that the main protagonist of the “rope tagging team” is an older and “more experienced”  climber and not a “dirtbag” as you suggest. I doubt karma or anything positive will ultimately prevail as long as climbers like you choose turn a blind eye to the big picture instead of focusing on a single part of the story. 

It’s insane that after three similar incidents and Joe admitting that without the guides he’s too incompetent as a climber to get up even the most pedestrian wall, the “community” refuses to acknowledge that it’s actually climbers that make this all possible. I don’t want these climbers punished in any way outside of public scrutiny and having  it made known that their actions are unacceptable. Brushing all of this off just empowers the next team that will facilitate Joe and his antics. 

I honestly don’t understand why this concept is so controversial or hard to comprehend.