Bio
It’s no big deal for Mikey Schaefer to spend two weeks hand drilling a new 17-pitch (5.12 A0) route up Yosemite’s “Middle Cathedral” as he is accustomed to long days in the harness. Since he was 13, Mikey has had a passion for rock and a passion for light. Climbing long and climbing hard whether for the “send” or for the photo, Mikey is at home in the vertical world. Born and raised in Western Washington, his home crag of Index taught him to stand on imaginary foot holds while watching for those moments of light or human effort that create the perfect image.

With first ascents in Patagonia, Yosemite, Washington, and the Alaska Range, it’s Yosemite that Mikey calls home. Some of his all time favorite climbs are there: After Six (5.7) and the Dividing Line (5.13). Mikey should know Yosemite well. For 5 years he guided there teaching people how to recognize a foot hold, how to tie a figure 8, how to jumar, and how to have fun in the vertical playground. With this experience Mikey has both guided Half Dome and El Capitan numerous times and has also free climbed both features in rare ground up fashion.

Mikey has honed his rigging skills and perfected his systems by climbing over 25 routes up El Cap. He now moves up rock faces with insane efficiency. As a photographer, his climbing and rigging abilities enable him to stay ahead of his subjects-out and out of their way. Mikey prefers to photograph big climbs. The inspiring dawn bivy shot on Moonlight Buttress or the awesome traverse across the Northwest face of Half Dome showcase his abilities to capture both the effort of athletes and the stunning quality of light upon stone. Light or no light though, Mikey’s photos remind us all why we climb.

Photography, while at times a consuming passion, has not taken over Mikey’s life; he still prioritizes his climbing. After much hand drilling, and slabby dime edge pimping, Mikey put up The Night Shift IV (5.12+) and Retrospective IV (5.11+R) routes on The Fairview Dome in Touloumne Meadows. Back in his home crag of Index, Mikey free climbed City Park (5.13+) a classic vertical fingercrack test-piece. Mikey has also freed El Cap’s Free Rider VI (5.12+). As a freelance photographer and gifted climber, Mikey continues to seek out the natural lines, the great shots and the incredible rock of the world.