How Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell Climbed the Nose in Less than 2 Hours

ALEX AND TOMMY set a sub-two-hour speed record climbing the Nose on El Cap today—they clocked in at 1:58:07. This is their third record in a week on the Nose. The first, on March 31, was 2:10:15. Then on June 4, they nabbed 2:01:50.

Sun (men, bold, vitality, strength) conjunct Mercury (agile, speedy) conjunct Asbolus (intrepid, courageous, motivated to reach the top, mountain climbing - specifically in the face of obvious danger) sextile Praamzius (timeliness, friends, good friend).

Today, June 6, they did what Alex always thought was possible, the sub-two-hour speed climb of the Nose—here is the announcement from Reel Rock. That’s “running” up 3,000 vertical feel in less than two hours..

On May 30, 2018, in Yosemite National Park, Alex Honnold, with climbing partner Tommy Caldwell, took back the speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan—climbing’s most coveted prize—in 2 hours 10 minutes and 15 seconds. They cut more than nine minutes off the previous record, set by Brad Gobright and Jim Reynolds in 2017. Before that, Honnold had held the record with speed climber Hans Florine in 2:23:46, a time that held for five years. Regular climbers typically spend three to five days ascending the 3,000-foot Nose route, which is rated a 5.14a/b. In speed climbing, the sports’ most elite pair up and do it as an all-out vertical sprint, moving as quickly up the wall as they possibly can, arguably sacrificing safety for speed. (See more on the Honnold Foundation in this Roam Report.)

On the morning of the most recent attempt, Florine (who had two broken ankles), Reynolds, and Gobright were all in attendance to cheer Honnold and Caldwell up the route, taking group photos together beforehand, and joking around like the respected friends and colleagues that they all were. It marked the first time in El Cap history that two pairs of prior record holders (Honnold is included) came to witness the torch being passed.

For those of us old enough to remember, the Race for the Nose wasn’t always so civilized. In the early aughts, Sports Illustrated called it the “El Capitan Climbing War,” as the record volleyed with increasing ferocity between some of the world’s top climbers, including Florine, Dean Potter, Timmy O’Neill, Yuji Hirayama, and the Huber brothers, Alex and Thomas. Back then, the vibe was
competitive to the point of foolhardy. What’s changed? ROAM checked in with all five climbers shortly after the new record was set, to find out. See the full story in a future film on the Reel Rock Tour.

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 Source: nationalgeographic.com