A Colorado dad says his 8-year-old is the youngest to scale El Capitan, but did they really climb it?

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The headlines screamed what anyone would consider a colossal feat: An 8-year-old boy climbed to the top of Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan on Saturday, becoming one of the youngest people to summit the world famous rock.

“I am so proud of my son!” Joe Baker posted on his Facebook page Wednesday. “He is now officially the youngest person to climb ElCapitan.”

But what had been a well-promoted achievement quickly turned into controversy, all centered on whether the boy’s climb actually involved climbing.

Baker promoted his son’s ascent on on their own website and appeared on local media outlets and on the ABC talk show “Live With Kelly and Ryan.” But within the tightknit community of climbers, Baker’s story about climbing one of the most daunting rock faces on the planet with his 8-year-old son has been called a “hoax-climb.” Others question the use of the money Baker has raised from online donations.

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