He made the first ascents of some of the hardest sport climbing routes in the U.S., including Kryptonite in at 5.14d(9a) in 1999, and Flex Luthor at 9a+(5.15a) in 2003, both at the Fortress of Solitude in Colorado. In January 2015, Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson over 19-days made the first free ascent of The Dawn Wall on El Capitan, which was the first-ever big wall free climb at 9a(5.14d) in history.[2]
Caldwell and three fellow climbers Beth Rodden, John Dickey, and Jason 'Singer' Smith were held hostage for six days by rebels in Kyrgyzstan in August 2000. Caldwell pushed one of the kidnappers off a cliff, and subsequently escaped to government soldiers.[7][8] A few weeks later they learned that the man had survived the fall.[9] A book about their ordeal, Over the Edge: The True Story of Four American Climbers' Kidnap and Escape in the Mountains of Central Asia was written by Greg Child.[10] A follow-up article, "Back from the Edge", was published in Outside magazine the following year.[11] Caldwell gave a filmed lecture "How Becoming a Hostage and Losing a Finger Made Him a Better Climber".[12]
Loss of a finger
Caldwell accidentally sawed off much of his left index finger with a table saw in 2001. Doctors were able to reattach the severed portion, but Caldwell decided he did not want the useless finger, which doctors said would never heal fully and he would never be able to use to climb with again, and the damaged part of the finger was later permanently removed.[13][14] After three surgeries, and two blood transfusion, Caldwell was told by the doctor "You better start thinking about what else you want to do with your life.” Facing the fear of never climbing again and losing something he loved so much, became Caldwell's greatest strength.[15]
He made the first ascents of some of the United States hardest sport routes including Flex Luthor in 2003 at the Fortress of Solitude, in Colorado, which remained unrepeated for 18 years, before getting its first repeat by Matty Hong in October 2021, who suggested a possible grade 5.15b (9b), but was regraded to 9a+(5.15a) by Jonathan Siegrist in 2022.[16]
In May 2004, he completed the first free ascent (FFA) of Dihedral Wall. In 2005, he and Beth Rodden—swapping leads—made the third and fourth free ascents of The Nose. Two days later, on October 16, Caldwell free-climbed The Nose in less than 12 hours. A few days later, Caldwell climbed The Nose in 11 hours, descended the East Ledges, and then climbed Freerider, topping out 12 hours later– the first ascent of two El Capitan free climbs in 24 hours. On El Capitan, Caldwell has also free-climbed: Lurking Fear, Muir Wall, West Buttress, Salathé, Zodiac, Magic Mushroom, The Dawn Wall, and New Dawn.[1]
In January 2015, Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson completed the first free climb of The Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, after six years of planning and preparation.[17][18] Their 19-day ascent of The Dawn Wall was the first-ever free climb of a big wall route at the grade of 9a(5.14d) in history.[2] The ascent captured global attention and earned a nod from President Barack Obama, who said: "You remind us that anything is possible", and which was made into the 2017 climbing film, The Dawn Wall.[19]
The following year Czech climber Adam Ondra free climbed the Dawn Wall in 8 days.[20] Ondra praised Caldwell and Jorgeson saying, "Tommy and Kevin put so much effort into the climb and faced so many question marks and logistical problems that I cannot really compare my effort to theirs. I had it prepared, had all the knowledge. I knew it was possible".[21]
Documentaries
Progression
Caldwell was one of the climbers featured in the 2009 film Progression.[22] The film discussed his quest to climb The Dawn Wall, and it was after seeing the film that Jorgeson contacted Caldwell to join him in the effort.
The Dawn Wall, a documentary following Caldwell and Jorgeson on their free climb of The Dawn Wall, was released on September 19, 2018. The documentary was directed by Josh Lowell and Peter Mortimer.[23]
Free Solo
Caldwell appeared in the documentary Free Solo, released on September 28, 2018, about Alex Honnold's free solo ascent of Freerider on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. In the documentary, Caldwell is seen working with Honnold to prepare for the climb and is interviewed about Honnold and rock climbing.[24]
Notable ascents
2001: The Honeymoon is Over V 5.13 Longs Peak, Colorado. FA with Beth Rodden belaying.[25]
2003: Flex Luthor (9a+ 5.15a), Fortress of Solitude, Colorado[26][16]
2003: West Buttress (FFA) VI 5.13c, El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California[27]
2004: Dihedral Wall (FFA) VI 5.14a, El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California[28]
2005: The Nose VI 5.14a/b, 3rd/4th Free Ascent (with Beth Rodden), El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California[29]
2006: Linea di Eleganza VI 5.11b A3 90 degrees M7 Fitz Roy, Argentine Patagonia. FFA with Topher Donahue and Erik Roed.[30]
2008: Magic Mushroom (FFA) VI 5.14a with Justen Sjong, May 12–17, 2008, El Capitan, Yosemite, California[31]
2012: Yosemite Triple Crown 5.13a, 1st All Free Ascent with Alex Honnold[32]
2013: Dunn-Westbay 5.14a, 1st Free Ascent with Joe Mills, Longs Peak, Colorado [33]
2014: Fitz Traverse VI 5.11d C1 65 degrees, First Ascent with Alex Honnold[34]
2015: The Dawn Wall (FFA) 5.14d with Kevin Jorgeson, December 27, 2014 – January 14, 2015, El Capitan, Yosemite, California[35]
Caldwell and Beth Rodden married in 2003, and subsequently divorced in 2010.[37] In 2010[3] he met photographer Rebecca Pietsch. They married in 2012. The couple have a son, Fitz, and a daughter, Ingrid Wilde,[38][39] and live in Estes Park, Colorado.[40][2]
Publications
Caldwell, Tommy (2017). The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk and Going Beyond Limits. London: Michael Joseph. ISBN9780718183394.
Caldwell, Tommy (2018). The Push: A Climber's Search for the Path. Penguin Books. ISBN9780399562716.
A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, or rock/ice-covered obstacle. The details of a climbing route are recorded in a climbing guidebook and/or in an online climbing route database, and will include elements such as the type of climbing route, the difficulty grade of the route–and beta on its crux(es)–and any risk or commitment grade, the length and number of pitches of the route, and the climbing equipment needed to complete the route.
In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent, is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers were focused on reaching the tops of iconic mountains and climbing routes by whatever means possible, often using considerable amounts of aid climbing, and/or with large expedition style support teams that laid "siege" to the climb.
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about 3,000 feet (914 m) from base to summit along its tallest face and is a world-famous location for big wall climbing, including the disciplines of aid climbing, free climbing, and more recently for free solo climbing.
Alexander Huber, is a German rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of rock climbing. Huber came to prominence in the early-1990s as the world's strongest sport climber after the passing of Wolfgang Güllich; he was the second-ever person to redpoint a 9a (5.14d) graded route with his 1992 ascent of Om, and has latterly come to be known as the first-ever person to redpoint a 9a+ (5.15a) graded route with this 1996 ascent of Open Air.
Multi-pitch climbing is a type of climbing that typically takes place on routes that are more than a single rope length in height, and thus where the lead climber cannot complete the climb as a single pitch. Where the number of pitches exceeds 6–10, it can become big wall climbing, or where the pitches are in a mixed rock and ice mountain environment, it can become alpine climbing. Multi-pitch rock climbs can come in traditional, sport, and aid formats. Some have free soloed multi-pitch routes.
The Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome was the first Grade VI big wall climbing route in the United States. It was first climbed in 1957 by a team consisting of Royal Robbins, Mike Sherrick, and Jerry Gallwas. Its current aid climbing rating is VI 5.9 A1 or 5.12 for the free climbing variation. It is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world.
In the history of rock climbing, the three main sub-disciplines—bouldering, single-pitch climbing, and big wall climbing—can trace their origins to late 19th-century Europe. Bouldering started in Fontainebleau, and was advanced by Pierre Allain in the 1930s, and John Gill in the 1950s. Big wall climbing started in the Dolomites, and was spread across the Alps in the 1930s by climbers such as Emilio Comici and Riccardo Cassin, and in the 1950s by Walter Bonatti, before reaching Yosemite where it was led in the 1950s to 1970s by climbers such as Royal Robbins. Single-pitch climbing started pre-1900 in both the Lake District and in Saxony, and by the late-1970s had spread widely with climbers such as Ron Fawcett (Britain), Bernd Arnold (Germany), Patrick Berhault (France), Ron Kauk and John Bachar (USA).
Beth Rodden is an American rock climber known for her ascents of hard single-pitch traditional climbing routes. She was the youngest woman to climb 5.14a (8b+) and is one of the only women in the world to have redpointed a 5.14c (8c+) traditional climbing graded climb. Rodden and fellow climber Tommy Caldwell were partners from 2000 to 2010, during which time they completed the second free ascent of The Nose. In 2008, Rodden made the first ascent of Meltdown, one of the hardest traditional climbs in the world and the first time in history that a female climber matched the peak of the highest climbing grades.
Dean Spaulding Potter was an American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, and highliner. He completed many hard first ascents, free solo ascents, speed ascents, and enchainments in Yosemite National Park and Patagonia. In 2015, he died in a wingsuit flying accident in Yosemite National Park.
Adam Ondra is a Czech professional rock climber, specializing in lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing. In 2013, Rock & Ice described Ondra as a prodigy and the leading climber of his generation. Ondra is the only male athlete to have won World Championship titles in both disciplines in the same year (2014) and is also the only male athlete to have won the World Cup series in both disciplines.
Big wall climbing is a form of rock climbing that takes place on long multi-pitch routes that normally require a full day, if not several days, to ascend. Big wall routes are typically sustained and exposed, where the climbers remain suspended from the rock face, even sleeping hanging from the face, with limited options to sit down or escape unless they abseil back down the whole route. It is therefore a physically and mentally demanding form of climbing.
The Nose is a big wall climbing route up El Capitan. Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big wall climbing. It is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world.
Separate Reality is a 66-foot (20 m) traditional climbing route in Yosemite National Park in California. The route is known for its exposed and dramatic crux that consists of a 20-foot (6.1 m) long crack in its horizontal roof. When it was first free-climbed by Ron Kauk in 1978, it was one of the first climbs in the world to have a grade of 7a+ (5.12a). In 1986, German climber Wolfgang Güllich free soloed the route, and the photographs by Austrian Heinz Zak become iconic in rock climbing history.
Alex Honnold is an American rock climber best known for his free solo ascents of big walls. Honnold rose to worldwide fame in June 2017 when he became the first person to free solo a route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a climb described in the New York Times as "one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever." Honnold also holds the record for the fastest ascent of the "Yosemite Triple Crown", an 18-hour, 50-minute link-up of Mount Watkins, The Nose, and the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome. In 2015, he won a Piolet d'Or in alpine climbing with Tommy Caldwell for their completion of the enchainment of the Cerro Chaltén Group in Patagonia over 5 days.
Sender Films is an American film production company based in Boulder, Colorado. Productions include outdoor adventure films, television shows, and commercials.
La Sportiva is a footwear brand founded in 1928 by Narciso Delladio in Italy. He started his business by manufacturing boots and clogs for farmers and lumberjacks. In World War II, he helped to provide Italy's soldiers with custom mountaineering boots. In the 1950s, he began to make ski boots and first introduced the brand name of La Sportiva.
Kevin Jorgeson is an American rock climber. In 2015, with Tommy Caldwell, he successfully completed the first-ever free climb of The Dawn Wall on the southeast face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
Brad Gobright was an American rock climber known for free solo climbing.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
