Gimp Monkeys, The

Fitz Cahall | 2012 | 9 min.

2013 Official Selection

What has four legs, five arms and three heads? The Gimp Monkeys. Craig DeMartino lost his leg after a 100-foot climbing fall. Pete Davis with born without an arm. Bone cancer claimed Jarem Frye’s left leg at the age of 14. While the three are linked by what they are missing, it is their shared passion for climbing that pushed them towards an improbable goal – the first all-disabled ascent of Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan. There was no cause. No call for awareness. No fundraising. “We are climbers first, disabled second,” says DeMartino. “If you’re a climber, you want to climb El Cap.” The Gimp Monkeys follows their successful ascent of Zodiac, a 1,800-foot route on the Southeast Face of El Capitan.