#gimp monkeys

Gimp Monkeys from ARC’TERYX on Vimeo. ‘We are climbers first, disabled second,’ says Arc’teryx athlete Craig DeMartino. ‘If you’re a climber, you want to climb El Cap.’ Gimp Monkeys follows DeMartino, Jarem Frye and Pete Davis’ successful ascent of Zodiac, a 1,800-foot route on the Southeast Face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

"What has four legs, five arms and three heads? The Gimp Monkeys." 

Any of my climbing friends will surely have dreamed about tackling one of the classic big walls in Yosemite. Here we have the Gimp Monkeys, a group of three disabled climbers, attempting and succeeding in climbing Zodiac, the first all disabled ascent of a route on El Capitan.

I've actually had the pleasure of climbing with Pete Davis, aka One Arm Pete, when we both lived and went to college in Durango, CO. Great guy, and amazing to watch climb. His footwork was impeccable and he could often climb what others couldn't, using no prosthetic at all. I remember seeing Pete in a climbing magazine a few years ago, and I'm happy to see his success continue in this piece by Arc'teryx.

GIMP MONKEYS