Tommy Caldwell


Quick Info

Nationality: US
Date of birth: 11th August 1978
Hardest Sport (Worked): 9a+
Hardest Trad (Worked): E10
Notable Partnerships
Beth Rodden
Chris Sharma
Social Media

A legendary figure in American climbing. As a youth he established himself as one of the new wave while repeating many of America's hardest climbs alongside Chris Sharma.

He went on to establish many of his own hard routes, notably Flex Luthor which some now consider to be the first 9b in America.

He has also contributed an astounding number of hard free climbs to Yosemite. The pinnacle of these efforts is The Dawn Wall which opened up a new level of difficulty in big wall free climbing.

Other notable achievements include the Fitz Traverse, a full traverse of the FItzroy range in patagonia, completed with Alex Honnold in 2014. Tommy has at at various points held many speed records for Yosemite big walls.

In August of 2000 Tommy was on a trip to Kyrgyzstan with fellow climbers Beth Rodden, John Dickey and Jason 'Singer' Smith. They were kidnapped and held hostage for 6 days, only escaping when Tommy pushed one of their captors over a cliff, believing he had killed them (though it subsequently emerged that the captor had survived the fall).

Interestingly Tommy only has 3 fingers on his left hand, having lost the index finger "in a home remodelling accident" in 2001.

References

[1] http://www.niallgrimes.com/jam-crack-climbing-podcast/2016/1/5/tommy-caldwell-dawn-wall-yawn-wall

[2] AMA on reddit.com/r/iama, September 2018 https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9fkki7/we_are_tommy_caldwell_a_climber_who_spent_6_years/

Quick Info

Nationality: US
Date of birth: 11th August 1978
Hardest Sport (Worked): 9a+
Hardest Trad (Worked): E10
Notable Partnerships
Beth Rodden
Chris Sharma
Social Media

A legendary figure in American climbing. As a youth he established himself as one of the new wave while repeating many of America's hardest climbs alongside Chris Sharma.

He went on to establish many of his own hard routes, notably Flex Luthor which some now consider to be the first 9b in America.

He has also contributed an astounding number of hard free climbs to Yosemite. The pinnacle of these efforts is The Dawn Wall which opened up a new level of difficulty in big wall free climbing.

Other notable achievements include the Fitz Traverse, a full traverse of the FItzroy range in patagonia, completed with Alex Honnold in 2014. Tommy has at at various points held many speed records for Yosemite big walls.

In August of 2000 Tommy was on a trip to Kyrgyzstan with fellow climbers Beth Rodden, John Dickey and Jason 'Singer' Smith. They were kidnapped and held hostage for 6 days, only escaping when Tommy pushed one of their captors over a cliff, believing he had killed them (though it subsequently emerged that the captor had survived the fall).

Interestingly Tommy only has 3 fingers on his left hand, having lost the index finger "in a home remodelling accident" in 2001.

References

[1] http://www.niallgrimes.com/jam-crack-climbing-podcast/2016/1/5/tommy-caldwell-dawn-wall-yawn-wall

[2] AMA on reddit.com/r/iama, September 2018 https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9fkki7/we_are_tommy_caldwell_a_climber_who_spent_6_years/


Podcasts


Pics + Vids

Added at 18:12 on 19 December 2021
The Nose (8b+)
Added at 06:05 on 25 May 2021
Super Tweak (8c)
View this post on Instagram

Added at 10:09 on 08 September 2021

Ascents

12 recorded ascents.

Year Climb Grade FA Ascent Date
1997 Super Tweak 8c (Lead) 1997

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlPfctHBgZ/

1998 Necessary Evil 8c+ (Lead) 1998

Second ascent.

To Bolt or Not to Be 8b+ (Lead) April 1998
1999 Kryptonite 9a (Lead) 1999
2000 Lurking Fear 8a+ (Lead) June 2000

First free ascent.

2001
2002
2003 Flex Luthor 9a+ (Lead) 2003

The hardest route in the US at the time, then Chris Sharma established Jumbo Love to establish the first 9b in the US.

2004 Dihedral Wall 8b+ (Lead) May 2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012 Magic Mushroom E10 (Lead) 2012

First free ascent.

2013 The Path E9 (Lead) July 2013
2014 The Dawn Wall 9a (Lead) Between 27th Dec. 2014 and 14th Jan. 2015

https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/tommy-caldwell-and-kevin-jorgeson-free-climb-the-dawn-wall-on-el-capitan.html

2015
2016
2017
2018 The Nose 8b+ (Simul) 6th June 2018

A new speed record of 1:58:07.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdOzbM_7GMI

2019 Passage to Freedom 8b (Lead) Between 28th Oct. 2019 and 31st Oct. 2019
Climb Grade FA Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Flex Luthor 9a+ (Lead) 2003 9a+

The hardest route in the US at the time, then Chris Sharma established Jumbo Love to establish the first 9b in the US.

Kryptonite 9a (Lead) 1999
The Dawn Wall 9a (Lead) Between 27th Dec. 2014 and 14th Jan. 2015

https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/tommy-caldwell-and-kevin-jorgeson-free-climb-the-dawn-wall-on-el-capitan.html

Necessary Evil 8c+ (Lead) 1998

Second ascent.

Super Tweak 8c (Lead) 1997

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlPfctHBgZ/

Dihedral Wall 8b+ (Lead) May 2004
To Bolt or Not to Be 8b+ (Lead) April 1998
The Nose 8b+ (Simul) 6th June 2018

A new speed record of 1:58:07.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdOzbM_7GMI

Passage to Freedom 8b (Lead) Between 28th Oct. 2019 and 31st Oct. 2019
Lurking Fear 8a+ (Lead) June 2000

First free ascent.

Climb Grade FA Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Climb Grade FA Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Magic Mushroom E10 (Lead) 2012

First free ascent.

The Path E9 (Lead) July 2013
Climb Grade FA Ascent Date Suggested Grade