The way this guy free-climbed El Capitan is completely blowing us away
Alex Honnold achieved a lifelong dream last Saturday. In what Alpinist magazine calls “… indisputably the greatest free-solo of all time,” Alex climbed Yosemite’s El Capitan, one of the world’s largest monoliths, with little more than a bag of chalk. (Er… No rope? No safety gear? We’re guessing that means no room for mistakes, huh?) This 31-year-old took 3 hours and 56 minutes to scale the 3,000-foot granite wall. (A feat which most guides suggest allowing 4 days to complete.) To give you a point of reference, Men’s Journal described El Capitan as such:
If New York City’s Chrysler Building and Empire State Building were stacked vertically and placed next to El Cap, Freerider [the route Alex free-climbed] would rise above them for another 500 feet.
Alex took a task that was by all accounts incomprehensible, and he slayed it.
In case you’re wondering, Alex is the dude on the right with the shy smile and the beat-up pants. We think he might still be in shock (or, at least, in an euphoric afterglow) in this photo. The elated/relieved man on the left is Jimmy Chin, the National Geographic photographer and filmmaker who spent two years filming a feature documentary on him.
So, how does one prepare for a monumental climb like this?
Alex told The New York Times he had spent a year or two physically and mentally preparing. He climbed El Capitan as early as 2008 or 2009 without falling, so he’s been physically capable of doing a free-solo for the past 8 or 9 years. However, it’s taken him much longer to feel safe about doing it.
When asked if he had any doubts, Alex said:
A couple years ago when I looked at the wall it was more fear than anything. I’d look at it and be like, “Oh my God that seems daunting. But because of all the preparation and all the time I’ve spent visualizing and imagining, by yesterday I was like, “This is going to be awesome.
We salute you, Alex. Your mind-bending physicality and superhuman drive proves that nothing is impossible. Thanks for breaking the mold and showing us how it’s done!
