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| August 19, 2005
Rock Climber BY LIZ WICKHAM
For Chris McNamara, the “high” is literal—7,569 feet, to be exact—the height of Yosemite’s El Capitan, which Chris scales as often as he can. For many people, climbing El Capitan once would be enough; maybe even more than enough. But for Chris, a rock-climbing veteran at 26, there will probably never be enough times. To date he has completed 67 climbs. His affair with El Cap began when he first set eyes on it at age 14. A year later, he completed his first climb and was successful immediately. “I was lucky,” he says. “A lot of people fail their first attempt, but I started out with someone who knew what he was doing. That let me bypass the typical learning process—which is to start at your own level of ability and bail if the going gets too tough.” Consequently, at the end of that first climb, Chris thought to himself, “Hey, this isn’t too hard!” and he’s been climbing ever since. To those who question the sanity of scrambling up a sheer rock face on a regular basis, Chris says: “You can’t understand it until you’ve done it.” The real reward is “hanging out in that incredible setting with 2,000 feet of air under your feet and rock on either side that goes on forever—like a vertical ocean.” His descriptions, plus the warmth in his voice, do a lot to convey why he is completely happy climbing. It wasn’t always this way, of course. Chris describes himself as someone who has always wanted to try something new. “Before I started climbing, electric guitar was the greatest thing—for about 17 days. And then golf—for about five months.” But El Cap changed everything: Climbing it became the focal point of his life. If you were to ask his parents, they’d likely tell you that in the beginning it was a little too much of a focal point: Rock climbing, and El Cap, were the underlying theme of his entrance essay to Princeton University, but once he was admitted, he stayed only three weeks. “I couldn’t stand being so far away from El Cap!” he explains. Chris transferred to UC Berkeley, where he majored in geography and continued to climb. But if his parents were worried that his fascination with El Cap would turn their boy into the rock-climbing equivalent of a ski bum, they were wrong. He has followed his passion, and it has led him to create a uniquely rewarding life. In 1997, he founded the American Safe Climbing Association (ASCA), described on its Web site as a “bare bones nonprofit organization of dedicated climbers who replace unsafe anchors and reduce the visual and environmental impacts of climbing.” Volunteers replace deteriorating anchors with modern gear in Yosemite and elsewhere in the U.S. The site notes that bolts are not added to make climbs “safer” and reminds visitors that “climbing is inherently extremely dangerous.” To date, ASCA has replaced over 5,000 bolts. Two years later, he started SuperTopo™, publishing the most detailed, accurate and informative topographicals of climbing routes—or “super topos.” SuperTopos™ feature climbing route histories, stories about climbs, equipment details, strategies, retreat, storm information, and of course detailed approach and descent maps. “I like to think the books I write go a little deeper into the culture and history of climbing,” he says. Current publications include breathtaking climbs in California, Nevada and Utah. But these are just offshoots of the core activity—rock climbing. Chris emphasizes that while he’s into sampling just about everything, his main interest is quite specific. Everest, for example, has not made his “short list.” “Anytime you throw snow into the equation,” he says, “it gets really dangerous because you’re no longer in control. Rock is permanent, and the weather here is as good as it gets. You’re not dealing with storms and altitude.” Likewise, climbs such as Pakistan’s Great Trango Tower hold little appeal because of the ratio of hiking to climbing. “You’ll spend a lot of time just getting there, and then maybe you’ll lead 10 pitches.” A “pitch” is a way of breaking down the climb into manageable sections of roughly 100 feet per pitch. One person leads the pitch by climbing up first and bringing up the next person, who then leads the next pitch. “Places like Asia and Alaska are more about going to those cool places. Being here means being able to leave home and get to the base of the climb by evening.” Chris admits that his sport is one that appeals to a very small percentage of people. But that’s still a lot of people, and in the world of climbing, he is a standout. Not yet 30, he has climbed El Cap more often than serious climbers twice his age. He has founded companies that make a difference, and he has won awards. Outside Magazine has called him “one of the world’s finest aid climbers.” He’s one of those rare and enviable guys who means it when he says: “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.” For more information about ASCA, go to www.safeclimbing.org. Check out Chris’s guidebooks at www.supertopo.com. Photo by Corey Rich. Chris McNamara’s rock climbing achievements have been featured in Sports Illustrated and Outside Magazine. |
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Racecar Driver Highland Games Champ Cyclocross Racer Rock Climber Paintball Player Long-Distance Runner Big League Pitcher Swimming Competitor Rowing Champs |
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Imagine a pastime so perfect, so enjoyable, so all-encompassing, that you could keep doing it for years without losing interest. That you would do everything in your power to arrange your life around it. That the worst thing you can say is that you wonder if you could ever experience the exciting “high” of that first time. |
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