Tommy and Beth free climb Corazon and Golden Gate on El Cap

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Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member

Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 9, 2007 - 06:07pm PT

Last week Tommy Caldwell and Beth Rodden free climbed Corazon on El Capitan. (A huber route that is 5.13ish.) The pair did the route in a 7 day ground up push. They swapped leads to Gray Ledges and then Tommy led most of the pitches to the top.

After resting for a few days. Tommy climbed Golden Gate in 20 hours with Beth Rodden belaying and jumaring. (Golden Gate is another 5.13ish Huber route that shares a bunch of pitches with Corazon). This was probably the first one day ascent of the route and was especially impressive considering that Caldwell onsighted all but one of the pitches that were not shared with Golden Gate. (he fell on his first try on a 5.13 pitch).

Tommy has now free climbed every hard El Cap free route except for El Nino.

HighDesertDJ

Trad climber

Arid-zona

Jun 9, 2007 - 07:02pm PT

Such a stud muffin. Those two are an impressive climbing duo! Thanks for helping to keep the dream alive for we Americans you two!!!

P.s.- You know what was tastelessly funny? I accidentally just typed "stub muffin" compeltely by accident. Little Freudian typing...

bob

climber

Jun 9, 2007 - 09:38pm PT

Its great to know that when I need inspiration, there's so many people out there like these two who are handing it out like candy! So cool.
Thanks and congrats!
Bob J.

Jaybro

Social climber

The West

Jun 9, 2007 - 09:45pm PT

Good on that couple! Crazier stuff than most of us will every know!

Good question,walleye, word on the street is that 12d wide is at the least, demanding.

WBraun

climber

Jun 9, 2007 - 09:52pm PT

Such a stud muffin?

hahaha never heard that expression before.

Awesome Tommy and Beth. Congratulations.

K. Fosburg

Sport climber

park city, ut

Jun 9, 2007 - 10:29pm PT

Probably not so hard Wall-eye, though a great name for a pitch. As we've discussed, Huber must have thought it was hard because he did it right(wrong) side in (I seem to recall a photo). Cosgrove floated it when we did SOH.

10b4me

Trad climber

Hell A

Jun 10, 2007 - 12:57am PT

good on ya mates

matty

Big Wall climber

Valencia, CA

Jun 10, 2007 - 04:38am PT

"Tommy has now free climbed every hard El Cap free route except for El Nino."

Has he not climbed the easy ones? I would have started with them first.

jerr

climber

Jun 10, 2007 - 12:28pm PT

Awesome . Freakin Incredible.
7 days ground up.
Can some one enlighten me on how those two super human climbers haul.
7 days on the wall would generally require a considerable bit of luggage. I just dont see how Tommy and Beth can climb that hard and haul to.
I really want to try a ground up ascent of a free route .
Need advice.

N0_ONE

Social climber

Utah

Jun 10, 2007 - 02:04pm PT

Matty said.. "Has he not climbed the easy ones? I would have started with them first.

LMAO, yeah me too!

Great job guys!

I love the inspiration I get from people like that!

Tom

Big Wall climber

San Luis Obispo CA

Jun 10, 2007 - 02:46pm PT

I want to know what TC thinks the off-width pitches on Son of Heart should be rated, namely the Kierkegaard Chimney. Huber called it 12d?

I think that refers to the traverse under the roof, a pitch or two above the Nietzche chimney.

The Kierkagaard starts wide, and tapers down to a hand crack. McTopo lists it as 5.10. It has a potential ledge fall until you exit the slot and get out onto the face. When I did SOH, it was C2-scary, even with the correct cams.

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Jun 10, 2007 - 02:51pm PT

I haven't climbed the route myself and could be mistaken, but I think that the Supertopo rating may reflect the McTopographer's partner's opinion of the difficulty of those pitches.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Jun 10, 2007 - 03:14pm PT

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Jun 10, 2007 - 03:25pm PT

Very inspiring Tommy and Beth. Way to keep raising the standards and elevating the sport here at home. Big time accomplishments aplenty, great job.

Raydog

Trad climber

Boulder Colorado

Jun 10, 2007 - 04:25pm PT

it must have been incredibly fun, those cracks up there, all those pitches - dream climbing gone to the moon - amazing

tradcragrat

Trad climber

Jun 10, 2007 - 06:59pm PT

Wow. Great stuff. There is a nice video of Alex Huber freeing Golden Gate. Some of those .13 pitches seemed scary and poorly protected. Pulling runout 5.13 moves 2000 feet of the deck is beyond the scope of my imagination. Even more so given that he was onsighted many of the pitches. What can one say to such a bold statement of excellence?