On Wednesday, December 21st, the Suvanto brothers made an impressive assault on the routes at Metal Mark. In just a few hours, the pair each climbed 150 routes 5.10a and harder, climbing over 6,000 feet of vertical terrain.
The Suvanto brothers arrived at the gym before sunlight. While they waited for MetalMark to open, they made oatmeal in the back of their Subaru. Spencer, a 16 year old attending Buchanan High School in Clovis, and Danny, a 20 year old who just began a job working the front desk at MetalMark, began climbing in the past year.
Danny began climbing after taking a climbing class at the California State University of Fresno. Danny enjoyed the class immensely and joined the old rock gym immediately.His brother soon joined him.
At 5:11 am, the pair started an El Cap challenge. They climbed 75 routes each, completing 150 routes between them, in 2 hours 37 minutes. After taking a break, showering, and resting, they did another El Cap Challenge, finishing their day at 1:10pm.
The pair were motivated for a couple of reasons. “I knew that my mom would do my lunch,” said Spencer. “And I knew that a fence had blown over in our yard and we would have to repair it if we weren’t doing anything that day.” They have the makings of solid dirtbag climbers.
They hope to keep their record for awhile. “There’s some guys nipping at the heels of our speed record so we might go back and do it again,” Danny said.
There have been numerous Fresno climbers getting after the El Cap challenge. Check out the MetalMark Facebook page for the latest highlights.
