Two Men Are Making History By Free-Climbing 3000ft Up The Hardest Route In The World

For the first time, two men, 30-year-old Kevin Jorgeson and 36-year-old Tommy Caldwell, will ascend one of the world’s most significant and most difficult cliff-climbing routes in the world using only their hands and feet.

They are climbing El Capitan, a 3,000-foot-tall granite monolith in Yosemite National Park in California. Although this monolith has been climbed many times before, they are ascending the Dawn Wall route, a sheer face of rock considered by many to be the longest and hardest free climb in the world.

Jorgeson and Caldwell climb with ropes that protect them from falls, not as climbing aids. The razor-sharp holds on the rock wall tend to cut their fingers, so they spend occasional rest days in their tents, suspending themselves hundreds of feet up as they let their fingers heal.

More info: Facebook (Tommy) | Facebook (Kevin) | elcapreport.com | (H/T: NYT, dailymail)

Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell are climbing a sheer 3,000-foot wall of granite on El Capitan in Yosemite.

They are already halfway up and sharing their journey through Twitter and Facebook.

It is considered by many to be the most challenging climb in the world.

In some places, they have only their fingertips to hold them.

They’ve had to tape and glue their fingers to help them heal from the wall’s razor-thin handholds.

They will be the first to ascend this legendary route by free-climbing.

They prefer climbing at dusk when it’s too cold for their palms to sweat.

The ropes these climbers use only serve as safety equipment – they do not help them climb.

A supporting team has dropped their provisions, and they use solar power for their devices.

They’ve been climbing for ten days and think they have about a week left. Be sure to follow their historic ascent on Facebook or Twitter!

Photos by Big UP Productions and Tom Evens

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