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Tommy Caldwell        

Climber, Best Known for Being the First to Free Climb to the Summit of Yosemite's El Capitan & Subject of "The Dawn Wall"

Tommy Caldwell is a father, husband, professional rock climber and environmental activist from Estes Park, Colorado. Caldwell is widely recognized for his cutting-edge and record-breaking ascents on the seemingly impossible granite walls of Yosemite Valley.

In 2015, for 19 days Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson climbed 3,000 feet up the Dawn Wall, a blank face on Yosemite’s monolithic El Capitan and the hardest big-wall rock climb in the world. Their story was covered by every major news outlet, including The New York Times, National Geographic, TIME, ABC, CNN and ESPN.

A 2018 award-winning film, The Dawn Wall, was based on their accomplishment, and the feat even caught the attention of President Barack Obama, who remarked, “You remind us that anything is possible.” Caldwell has also established the most free climbing routes on El Capitan.

Most recently, Caldwell and climbing partner Alex Honnold broke the two-hour speed barrier on the 3,000-foot Nose route of El Capitan.

From his childhood in the mountains of Colorado to a professional life spent climbing in wild places around the world, Caldwell’s connection to nature has always been deeply personal and offered him an up-close and unique view of the threats facing our wild places.

He has been published in multiple media outlets, and his memoir, "The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits," is a New York Times best seller.

He is currently a Global Sport Activist® ambassador for the outdoor clothing company Patagonia, inspiring climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts to fight to protect the one and only planet we call home.

News


Yosemite Climbers Find Themselves On Top of the World
Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson talk about their historic Yosemite climb, ... remember a time when he wasn't climbing on something, he tells Newsweek.
Free-Climbing Yosemite's El Capitan Takes A Team - And Time : NPR
Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson are midway through the adventure of a lifetime. The professional climbing partners have spent the last 10 days making ...

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