Tommy Caldwell is a world famous rock climber and father of toddler, Fitz. He is celebrated for being fearless, some would say insanely so, having completed ascents of some of the most difficult climbs in the world. Caldwell was nominated Adventurer of the Year twice by National Geographic; most recently for the death-defying feat of completing the first free ascent (climbing without equipment) of The Dawn Wall in Yosemite’s El Capitan.
Image: Peter Stevens
An adventurous nature runs in the Caldwell family, Tommy’s father was a mountain guide who took Tommy with him on long treks deep in the mountains from a very early age. On one occasion he recalls hunkering down in a snow cave during a blizzard with his father, at the tender age of 2 and a half no less.
Despite potential criticism of his father for putting Tommy through extreme situations, he contends that this was a great education in adventure with safety. He uses his experience to “analyse and manage the risks” he takes. He also takes this tack with approaching the learning experience of his son Fitz, telling Fatherly: “I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the fear side of it, but I do think about how can we make it safe?” He suggests teaching children to be adventurous is about teaching respect for boundaries and adapting or being responsive to the environment, rather than adapting the environment to make the child safe. “Prepare him for the path, not prepare the path for him.”
“I just want Fitz to think the world is an awesome freakin’ place,” he told Fatherly
Fitz was raging on the boulders in Tuolumne today!! Total crusher. Mama and daddy were quite proud! #woohoofitz A photo posted by Rebecca Caldwell (@beccajcaldwell) on Sep 27, 2015 at 3:01pm PDT
