Honnold made history Saturday free soloing El Capitan (left). Terry Blanchard/Wikimedia Commons photo.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — Climbing history was made early Saturday morning when 31-year-old pro climber Alex Honnold completed the first free solo of Yosemite’s El Capitan, scaling over a half mile of vertical rock without a rope.
According to an exclusive report by National Geographic, Honnold began climbing Freerider (5.13a) at approximately 5:32 a.m. and topped out 3 hours and 56 minutes later at 9:28 a.m., all without the protection of rope or pre-placed gear.
In total, Honnold scaled roughly 3,000 vertical feet in just under four hours.
Widely acclaimed as the best and most daring free soloist on the planet, Honnold is no stranger to climbing without ropes or protection — but sending Freerider with nothing but climbing shoes and chalk represents a quantum leap forward in the climbing world, and is likely to go unmatched for years, maybe even decades.
Feeling fearful while I’m up there is not helping me...
In preparation for the climb, the 31-year-old trained for over a year in China, Morocco, Europe and the United States, and allegedly made an earlier attempt in November, but backed off due to unfavorable conditions. An intimate cohort of his most trusted climbing partners knew of the quest, but agreed to remain tight-lipped regarding the ongoing mission.
Honnold has openly acknowledged that there are many climbers in the game that are more talented than him, but it’s his uncanny ability to handle the psychological stress of exposure that separates him from the pack, and make historical feats like Saturday’s possible.
“With free-soloing, obviously I know that I’m in danger, but feeling fearful while I’m up there is not helping me in any way,” he told National Geographic. “It’s only hindering my performance, so I just set it aside and leave it be.”
About The Author
stash member Sam Morse
TGR Editor-at-Large. author of The Ski Town Fairytale and creative behind The Bumion. Lover of steep-and-deep lines, long trails—and hot springs waiting in the distance.
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February 5th, 2019
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