The Dawn Wall - Free Climb of El Capitan

[pueblo]

The Dawn Wall

Free Climb of El Capitan

Survive - A documentary on everyones favorite rock to climb El Capitan. This focused on the hardest of vertical ascents up the 3,000 foot face for 2 mountaineers, one struggling across a paticular steep area of crossing & the other refusing to leave him behind.

1h:40m

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=1xRMuMH1dtE

[Bill Ryan]

Wonderful, thanks.

Here's some great historical context. It's now called Dawn Wall, but it was originally christened The Wall of Early Morning Light. (I guess that was too long for many headlines!) Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson's climb, featured in the excellent documentary above, took place in Jan 2015, six years ago.

But it was first climbed in 1970, by Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell. It took them 27 (twenty-seven!) days. Unlike Caldwell and Jorgeson, they used bolts drilled into the rock to aid their ascent.

• https://planetmountain.com/en/news/c...l-capitan.html

Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell on the summit of El Capitan, Yosemite, after making the first ascent of Dawn Wall, aka The Wall of Early Morning Light, in 1970.

Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell and The Wall of Early Morning Light on El Capitan

19 January, 2015

Archive footage of Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell topping out on El Capitan, Yosemite, after the first ascent in 1970 of Dawn Wall, aka The Wall of Early Morning Light.

In the wake of the recent success on Dawn Wall at the hands of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, America’s CBS network has dug deep into its archives and unearthed some footage of the first ascent of the Dawn Wall, originally called The Wall of Early Morning Light by 47-year-old Warren Harding and 27-year-old Dean Caldwell who established the climb in late October and early November 1970.

Planning on just 12 days to ascend the route, the two actually spent 27 days forging the line, drilling 330 bolts and despite being low on rations, waiting out a four-day storm and famously refusing a rescue from the Park Service. In a note dropped in a tin can during the ascent, Harding wrote: "We must be the most miserable, wet, cold stinking wretches imaginable. But we’re alive, really alive, like people seldom are."

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=u-Fp_gpsULI

[Journeyman]

I was more scared watching this than the guys actually climbing the wall!

Since then Alex Honnold has made one about free climbing it (different route up though). I haven't steeled myself to watch it yet though

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=blfR33DUqsg

[pueblo]

Posted by Journeyman (here)
I was more scared watching this than the guys actually climbing the wall!

Since then Alex Honnold has made one about free climbing it (different route up though). I haven't steeled myself to watch it yet though

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=blfR33DUqsg

Watching free climbing gives me a deep down in the core, primal sick sort of feeling!

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Journeyman (here)
I was more scared watching this than the guys actually climbing the wall!

Since then Alex Honnold has made one about free climbing it (different route up though). I haven't steeled myself to watch it yet though

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=blfR33DUqsg

Yes, see this thread:

• Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

Caldwell and Jorgeson did what's called a 'free climb'. That means they didn't use bolts or anything else artificially anchored in the rock to pull themselves up with: just their feet and fingertips. But they did have a rope to protect them if either of them fell when trying to make a hard move.

Honnold did what's called a "free solo" (the title of the documentary about his climb) — when he did the same kind of thing, but all on his own and with no rope at all: one little slip and he would have fallen to his death in front of the cameras. That's an entirely different proposition, attempted by very few climbers, even the very best in the world.

[janette]

Posted by Journeyman (here)
I was more scared watching this than the guys actually climbing the wall!

Since then Alex Honnold has made one about free climbing it (different route up though). I haven't steeled myself to watch it yet though

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=blfR33DUqsg

How DOES he do that?.I was transfixed watching him. Amazing skill and bravery in abundance 😊

[Bill Ryan]

For anyone who's seen the Dawn Wall documentary (in post #1, recommended!), which was remarkably filmed over a very long time (with no idea if Caldwell and Jorgeson were ever going to succeed!), do watch this remarkable 9 minute video of how the film crew managed it all.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=yk9-HLJPm6w