Alex Honnold free solos El Cap
The 31-year old pro climber makes history by climbing the difficult route with no protection.
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Alex Honnold put one in the record books Saturday, after nailing the first ever free solo of El Cap, the iconic, 3,000 foot granite wall in Yosemite National Park. According to a National Geographic report, Honnold started his climb at dawn, and pulled himself up over the final ledge just under 4 hours later.
Honnold had apparently been training for and planning the climb for over a year, and those close to him had taken a vow of secrecy. Jimmy Chin, his longtime climbing partner, was part of a team that documented the ascent for an upcoming National Geographic documentary film.
Honnold, known for his poise in difficult situations, told Nat Geo “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 said. “It’s only hindering my performance, so I just set it aside and leave it be.”
