Most seven year olds celebrate birthdays with balloons, cakes and gifts. Joey Danger Evermore spent his birthday climbing one of the world’s most iconic granite walls. Hanging thousands of feet above the ground inside Yosemite National Park, Joey climbed El Capitan with his family, becoming the youngest known person to complete the climb. This feat stunned climbers around the world not only because of Joey’s age, but also because El Capitan is considered one of the most technically demanding and challenging big wall climbs in the world. However, to Joey, the intimidating granite face looked almost like a giant adventure playground hanging over Yosemite Valley.

How joy danger climbed el capitan

Joey began the climb at the age of six and completed the climb when he was seven, making the feat seem almost unreal even to experienced climbers following the story online.The climb reportedly lasted five days, during which Joey remained attached to ropes and aid-climbing systems while navigating nearly vertical granite wall sections. According to his father, Joe Evermore, the family faced harsh winds, exposure to the elements, exhaustion, and limited food and water supplies while spending nights high above Yosemite Valley.Unlike smaller recreational climbs, big wall climbs on El Capitan require climbers to remain on the mountain for several days straight. Climbers often sleep in hanging tents attached to the rock known as portaledges.Joe Evermore said that most climbs require Joey to manage ropes and movement techniques independently, while remaining safely connected to the system during the climb.

Why is El Capitan one of the greatest challenges to climb?

Although the summit of El Capitan is approximately 7,569 feet above sea level, the famous granite wall towers more than 3,000 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor, making it one of the most recognized big wall climbing destinations in the world.Its massive granite face remained open for decades because many early climbers believed the wall was impossible to climb. This changed in 1958 when climber Warren Harding and his team completed the first ascent after 45 days using ropes, pitons, and fixed climbing equipment.Since then, El Capitan has become a proving ground for elite climbers attempting difficult multi-day climbs, speed records, and free climbs using minimal artificial support.The mountain gained further worldwide prominence in 2017 when Alex Honnold completed the first rope-free free solo ascent of El Capitan, later documented in the Oscar-winning film Free Solo.Climbing in Yosemite National Park carries significant risks, with the National Park Service reporting more than 100 climbing accidents and between 15 and 25 climbing rescues annually throughout the park. Several reports over the years also state that more than 30 climbers are believed to have died on El Capitan since the early 1900s due to falls, rockfall accidents, and rock falls.

The Evermore Family’s Unusual Climbing Heritage

Joey’s accomplishment wasn’t the first historic foray inside the Evermore family.Before Joey, the youngest known climber to climb El Capitan was reportedly his older brother Sam Evermore, who completed the climb in 2022 at the age of eight.Before Sam’s climb, climber Sela Schneiter became internationally famous in 2019 after climbing El Capitan at the age of 10.Evermores, based in Colorado Springs, has built a reputation for adventurous outdoor living and involving its children on demanding wilderness expeditions from an early age.Joey completed the climb with his father, his brothers Sam and Sylvan Evermore, and a documentary crew that recorded the climb.

The video that took the internet by storm

Images and video of the climb spread quickly online due to the extraordinary contrast between Joey’s tiny frame and the massive granite wall surrounding him.In footage shared by the family, Joey is seen thousands of feet above Yosemite Valley wearing a bright blue jacket and a colorful climbing helmet decorated with a Mohawk-style crest.Instead of looking scared, the child often looked calm and playful as he gently bounced up the steep cliff attached to ropes.One particularly surreal moment reportedly showed Joey and his brothers playing chess on a narrow ledge during a break above the canyon floor.As Joey approached the summit, supporters gathered in Yosemite Valley below and reportedly sang “Happy Birthday” from the ground while he continued climbing.The combination of childhood innocence and extreme exposure helped turn the climb into a viral Internet story almost instantly.

Praise, Criticism and Parenting Debates

The development sparked fierce debate online about parenting, adventure sports and acceptable levels of risk for children.Many people described Joy’s achievement as inspiring and praised her confidence, discipline and courage.Others questioned whether children should be placed in such dangerous environments without any care for training or supervision.Critics argued that El Capitan is dangerous even for experienced adult climbers and accused parents of instilling too much risk in childhood.Joe Evermore defended climbing by arguing that children are often far more capable than adults when they are carefully trained, appropriately challenged and properly protected.Speaking about the experience he said:“Joey is achieving more than a record. He’s found a new identity. I can see his confidence growing.”The debate reflects broader cultural divides around parenting styles, external exposure and whether challenge or security benefits children more in the long term.

Joey’s last joke after the historic climb

After completing one of the world’s scariest climbs, Joey reportedly responded with humor rather than fear.According to his father, the young climber joked:“I reached the summit at six or seven o’clock.”The line refers to the fact that Joey started climbing at the age of six and completed the climb when he turned seven.For most children, turning seven involves birthday parties and gifts. For Joey Danger Evermore, this meant sleeping on a sheer cliff thousands of feet above the ground while climbing one of the world’s most famous granite walls with his family.