Free Climbers Make History Summiting Yosemite’s Dawn Wall

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson Summit the Dawn Wall
Credit: National Geographic

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson Summit the Dawn Wall Credit: National Geographic

Ryan Forbes, Staff Writer

One of climbing’s most difficult challenges was only a dream for Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson. But after nineteen days of climbing, they were able to summit the Dawn Wall of Yosemite national park.

At the summit, Caldwell and Jorgeson were met by family, friends, and a slew of reporters. The crowd toasted the duos’ accomplishment by enjoying some champagne, even before they officially reached the summit.

Tommy Caldwell was always seen as the adventurous type, and he began to explore the possibility of free climbing about seven years ago when he described it as a dream. During his journey, he used his cell phone, which was powered by portable solar energy.

He tweeted about his experience throughout his climb: “This is not an effort to conquer, it’s about realizing a dream.”

Climbers across the world have been keeping track of the progress that the two made throughout their two-and-a-half week climb. Every time they made it through more difficult parts of the wall, the audience grew even larger. People were intrigued with the idea that two men could climb a wall three thousand feet in height and cling on with only their hands and feet.

The sport of free-climbing is one of the most dangerous, yet exhilarating, sports in the world. According to ABCNews.com, free-climbing consists of using only hands and feet to support the body weight. However, free-climbers are entitled to a ropes to prevent falls.

According to National Geographic, the Dawn Wall is broken up into thirty two pitches, that climbers divide into one step at a time. Caldwell and Jorgeson’s goal was to summit the wall without falling, and if one of them were to fall during their climb, the both would go back to the bottom of that pitch and start over.

The climb began on December 27, 2014. They anticipated the climb would take about two weeks, according to NYTimes.com. The plan for the climb included which days the men aimed to complete each pitch. It also outlined how they would ration their supplies. The diet on the wall consisted of whole wheat bagels topped with cream cheese, peppers, and an array of different meats, in an effort to have as much protein as possible. Every few days, a separate climber would ascend to Caldwell and Jorgeson to deliver extra supplies, as it was impossible for Caldwell and Jorgeson to carry all the supplies with them.

Caldwell described his goals for the climb: “More than anything, I want to top out together,”

He also described how his disappointing results from past climbs accumulated into high hopes for this climb:  “More than anything, I want to top out together,”

After several attempts at the wall over the past two years, the two were able to finally summit. They used the strategy of quickly covering the first twelve pitches, which many describe as the most difficult part of the climb. The two are seen as pioneers in the climbing world and will persuade many to take up this terrifying climb.