If anyone else is in doubt whether the parent comment was congratulating or deriding the event, let me make it clear: this is an amazing achievement. Re: aid c

If anyone else is in doubt whether the parent comment was congratulating or deriding the event, let me make it clear: this is an amazing achievement. Re: aid climbing, yes, it's done on more dangerous routes, but with tons of gear to propel you. It's always a debate whether it's "real" climbing, and some people think that being proud of how dangerous your route is is a bit childish, but in any case everyone agrees that it's a different kind of climbing. A 5.10 toprope is moderately difficult to a fit person with little experience, but it gets more difficult when you do it outdoors, up high, on a two week trip. It's like a jog and a marathon run - I can run a 7 minute mile, but not 26 of them. Then there is the fact that ratings are subjective and Yosemite 5.9-10 is MUCH harder than what you'd get in a gym or really anywhere else. Also, the difference between getting from a 5.8 level to a 5.10 is two orders of magnitude smaller than getting from a 5.10 to a 5.14b-c. Climbing at that level, especially big wall, gives you this sense of "what the f*ck are they standing on": http://www.dpmclimbing.com/sites/default/files/uploads/images/nico_orbayu_201181584021.jpg http://www.dpmclimbing.com/sites/default/files/uploads/image... Imagine pulling yourself up with your hands and feet each on indentations less than a quarter inch. Oh yeah, and Tommy Caldwell did it without his left index finger. Amazing.