Is Aid Climbing Not Actual Climbing?

With the recent youngest ascent of The Nose by Selah Schneiter (the ten year old girl who recently aided The Nose with her dad) showing up on climbing news outlets, I've seen a number of comments calling the ascent cheating because she was ascending fixed ropes rather than free climbing it. The people who are throwing shade seem like the type who are familiar with climbing terminology for what it's worth.

I'm also going up El Cap in August. Most non-climbers I've told are super excited, people who have already aided up El Cap are excited, but I've gotten some weird looks and comments from single pitch climbers when I tell them I'm going to be aid climbing. It just seems strange people are turned off by the idea of aid climbing a route that has seen what, five free ascents?

I realize everyone climbs their own climbs. I'm not doing it for attention, but I'm interested in the what does the MP community thinks? Does climbing The Nose only count if you free it?

Discuss.

Aid climbing is the 6th class of climbing. Class 1 is walking on easy, flat ground. Class 4 is scrambling with hands and feet. Class 5 is technical climbing. Following this same numerical progression standard, aid climbing is the most advanced and hardest form of climbing.

Climb it in whatever style you want, as long as you’re honest about it to yourself and others. F*ck all that noise - most of those folks throwing shade on a 10 yo girl don’t even know how to use a jumar.

Aid climbing is aid!!! Wait...

And the toilet goes swsshhhhhhhhh!!!

You do you.

Ian White wroteI'm also going up El Cap in August.

oof hot.

crag cat wrote:

oof hot.

Its a dry heat so its not that bad, right guys?!?! I'm already dreading the weight of all the extra water.

Ian White wrote:

Its a dry heat so its not that bad, right guys?!?! I'm already dreading the weight of all the extra water.

It can be pretty awful. It can be done tho. I would not climb in the heat of the day tho, just morning, evening and night.

Most people are giving Selah shit because she didn't lead much, not because there was aid involved. They can also fuck off.

Ian White wrote:I'm interested in the what does the MP community thinks? Does climbing The Nose only count if you free it?

Discuss.

Well, since I’m sitting in an airport and not out climbing on a beautiful day, I have time to share my thoughts. 

I think your ascent totally counts:You will be doing hard physical exercise in a vertical direction. The vertical aspect is key, it distinguishes this activity from hard physical exercise like gardening or housecleaning. 
You will be in constant danger of death from vertically plunging objects - massive rocks, dropped haulbags.  The vertical aspect of the danger is key, it distinguishes this activity from horizontally hurtling objects like other cars on the freeway or drive-by shootings. 
You may poop, but it won’t be in your comfy Kohler. It will be on a giant vertical wall. This distinguishes it from the kind of poops the homeless take, which is also not typically on a toilet and probably on a horizontal surface. 
Have a great time! (although I too think August on El Cap is insane.)

phylp wrote:
Well, since I’m sitting in an airport and not out climbing on a beautiful day, I have time to share my thoughts.

I think your ascent totally counts:You will be doing hard physical exercise in a vertical direction.

The vertical aspect is key, it distinguishes this activity from hard physical exercise like gardening or housecleaning.

You will be in constant danger of death from vertically plunging objects

 - massive rocks,

- dropped haulbags.  The vertical aspect of the danger is key,

 it distinguishes this activity from horizontally hurtling objects like other cars on the freeway or drive-by shootings.

You may poop, but it won’t be in your comfy Kohler.

It will be on a giant vertical wall. This distinguishes it from the kind of poops the homeless take,

 which is also not typically on a toilet and probably on a horizontal surface.

Have a great time! (although I too think August on El Cap is insane.)

Ian, One has to ask
From your 'take'  on climbing,
 are you paying  for this?

Have you heard that August is the wrong month to plan a 1st trip up the Big Stone

 Is this the only time of year that you have to climb ?

There is other great climbing in the valley but if you try to ride a frying pan in an oven

You might want to plan on a month to recuperate !

Are you paying someone for this attempt ?

PHYLP DID YOU SEE THIS? PASS IT UP THE CHAIN; BE SURE TO TELL "THA POLE-MOOSE DROOL"
YEAH,  DEFINITELY NOT  "REAL" CLIMBING ~ IT ONLY COUNTS IF YOUR NAME IS HANNOLD  & YOU FREE SOLO , 5.13

crag cat wrote:

It can be pretty awful. It can be done tho. I would not climb in the heat of the day tho, just morning, evening and night.

I don't usually take advice from felines, but this actually has me re-thinking our climbing strategy to include night climbing. Thank you Mr. Cat.

People who think aid climbing is not climbing have never climbed hard aid. By far the scariest and most mentally difficult climbing I've done has been aid. Also some of the most physically difficult climbing I've done is aid, since big wall climbing usually has a significant amount of aid involved and big walls are exhausting. I'd imagine most people who talk crap on aid climbing have never actually aided, and if they did they would lose their crap on anything harder than C1.

Hahaha the middle aged man who’s ego got butt hurt by a 10 y/o doing something he can’t is not who you should be listening to about your ascent.

 Best of luck, be safe and have fun. 

My two cents: el cap in august will be a sufferfest, as in go stretch out on hot asphalt on a 95 degree day and whip yourself with a bicycle chain.

Ice climbing is still climbing so I would say aid climbing is climbing. Different areas and conditions require different techniques or a different aproach. Have fun on el cap. If you do that what anybody else has to say doesnt really matter.

aid climbing is different than jumaring ropes

not saying the girl isnt a badass w that ^^

just that i think thats why people hate on it. 

Ian White wrote: With the recent youngest ascent of The Nose by Selah Schneiter (the ten year old girl who recently aided The Nose with her dad) showing up on climbing news outlets, I've seen a number of comments calling the ascent cheating because she was ascending fixed ropes rather than free climbing it. The people who are throwing shade seem like the type who are familiar with climbing terminology for what it's worth.

I'm also going up El Cap in August. Most non-climbers I've told are super excited, people who have already aided up El Cap are excited, but I've gotten some weird looks and comments from single pitch climbers when I tell them I'm going to be aid climbing. It just seems strange people are turned off by the idea of aid climbing a route that has seen what, five free ascents?

I realize everyone climbs their own climbs. I'm not doing it for attention, but I'm interested in the what does the MP community thinks? Does climbing The Nose only count if you free it?

Discuss.

Nope, she didn't "climb" it. Personally I feel that clipping one bolt or using gear to ascend or stop a fall invalidates an "ascent". 

Climbing is supposed to be in conjunction with nature and using anything permanent or pulling on gear is the complete opposite and any such activity should stay in a gym.

Ian White wrote:

Its a dry heat so its not that bad, right guys?!?! 

So is a 350 degree oven.