A dad who takes his sons on climbing adventures says “the mountain is the classroom,” but critics on social media think he’s mainly trying to create content and get more engagement. Earlier this year, the dad, Joe Evermore, made headlines when his sons Sylvan, 9, and Joey, 7, joined him as he climbed El Capitan. When Joey completed the climb, he became the youngest person to do so.
Per People, the journey took five days. Joey started the climb when he was just six years old and celebrated his birthday on the mountain. The dad faced criticism at the time, and a recent video he shared of his sons Sylvan and Joey has sparked a new wave of backlash.
The video shows the kids jumping during the expedition.
And while some people online see no issue with getting young children interested in exploring the outdoors, they were concerned that this particular dad took it too far with this one. In the caption on his Instagram post, the dad reflected on Joey’s achievement.
“Joey Danger climbed El Capitan on his seventh birthday,” he wrote. “Here he is with his 9-year-old brother, Sylvan Lightyear, who completed his second ascent of El Capitan. This was their version of a victory dance at our final camp, nearly a mile above the Yosemite Valley floor.”
In the caption, he also explained that “years of training and preparation” go into these kinds of expeditions. “El Cap has become something of a rite of passage in our home,” he said. “So far, three of our four boys have safely completed this mission. There are years of training and preparation before they ever touch the wall. Then come six days of fear, exhaustion, patience, responsibility, and learning to keep moving when quitting would be easier.”
On Reddit, some critics took issue with the “years of training” claim, given that the children are only seven and nine years old.
They were also bothered by a comment the dad made about crying.
“Joey cried about once a day, but he never once asked to go down,” the dad continued in the caption. “He had an absolute blast up there. And since coming home, we’ve watched him stand a little straighter. That’s the part I care about most. The mountain is the classroom. Formation is the destination.”
On Reddit, one critic wrote, “Crying daily?!” People called the video “horrifying” and “irresponsible.” Another commenter wrote, “Raise kids in the outdoors sure, but age appropriate activities man.”
The dad addressed some of the criticism in an interview with Gripped. “Joey cried about once a day,” he told the publication. “His nine year old brother Sylvan, who was on his second El Cap ascent, cried only once when dirt got in his eye. Seven year olds cry. Grown men cry on El Cap. Crying is not a big deal, the boys are allowed to cry.”
He added, “Joey also laughed, played, slept soundly, joked with his brother and me, and kept asking about the next pitch. He never once cried because he wanted to abandon his mission.”
But some critics are worried the dad could be doing this for attention.
During the same interview, the dad said that there are adventures that are simply “too risky” for his children. “We’ve turned back many times,” he explained. “There is no summit in the world worth one of my sons. That’s one of the most important lessons mountains teach: courage isn’t always continuing upward. Sometimes it takes more courage to turn around, especially when everyone is cheering for you to keep going.”
But on Reddit, critics accused the dad of doing all of this for “likes and attention.”
“I understand not being a helicopter parent and raising them in the outdoors but this seems like intentionally placing your children in dangerous situations for clicks??” one person wrote in response.
“This is just reckless and insane,” another commenter added. “My stomach drops when my 2 year old gets too close to the ledge on a playground. This makes me sick.”
And someone else said, “Of all the things I’ve seen influencers do this might actually be the one that shocks me the most.”
And even if the dad really is committed to teaching his kids important lessons through these journeys, people are clearly skeptical of the way he’s going about it. “There are safer ways to build confidence in children,” one commenter concluded.
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