5 Climbs That'll Blow Your Mind
The sport of rock climbing has recently captured America's imagination. When Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson free climbed the Dawn Wall of El Capitan earlier this year, it seemed every news program in the country followed their weeks-long journey. While that might be because the images from the Yosemite valley were breathtaking, there was also the drama surrounding the climb's historic difficulty. To free climb the entire 3,000-foot face is to do 32 lengths of extremely difficult climbing, day after day, fingers bleeding, living out of a tent on the side of a granite monolith. Many thought it was impossible.
But while we admire the climbers for their courage and determination, there's also great pleasure to be had in watching their work. They don't stick to the rock like Spider-Man, moving up as though on a series of invisible ladder rungs. Instead, they figure out and master a precise series of movements that allow them to cling to the rock with all their weight on their fingertips and toes. Watching the careful movements play out is not too unlike watching a dancer, except that every move the climber makes has an exact and necessary purpose. The sport is a perfect synthesis of style and function.
Yet that doesn't mean the climbs don't look insane. Below are some of the craziest climbs you'll ever see, performed by some of the best climbers on the planet. If you can watch these climbs without your hands sweating, be proud.
Tommy Caldwell Climbs Pitch 15 On The Dawn Wall
This happened in January, as part of the historic climb mentioned above. The pitch is rated 5.14c in the Yosemite rating system, which currently tops out at 5.15.
Just look at how small these holds are. The footholds aren't even really visible to the camera. Also notice how Caldwell is missing the top of his left index finger. He lost it when working with a table saw. Remarkably, it didn't stop him from accomplishing greatness in climbing.
The rope here is only used to catch him from a fall. The intricate footwork employed in this route shows the incredible balance top climbers need to have to negotiate tough climbs.
-----
Alex Honnold Free Solos El Sendero Luminoso
This type of climbing, known as free soloing, is one must climbers do not attempt. There are no ropes, no protection from falling. All the climber has are his rubber climbing shoes and his bag of chalk.
Alex Honnold is today's poster boy of free soloing. What he does is amazing because he seems to do it effortlessly, and in the face of certain death. Make no mistake: If he ever screws up in these climbs, or if a hold breaks off, he most likely dies. That threat is apparent when you watch this video, shot in El Portrero Chico, Mexico, where he climbs up a 2,500-foot rock face.
If you were to do this route with a rope, it'd be 15 pitches. Several of them are rated 5.12. That's about the highest you'd find at the local climbing gym.
-----
Alexander Megos Climbs Wheel Of Life
This kind of climbing is called bouldering. The route doesn't go up a steep mountainside, instead the "problem" is a short but extremely difficult series of moves. Like free soloing, there are no ropes involved.
Often, this kind of climbing is done on large boulders, hence the name. But it can also be done in caves, as in this climb. This particular route is found in Australia's Grampians National Park. By bouldering standards, it's a long problem, and its difficulty comes in that it's almost entirely overhung.
This problem is called "Wheel Of Life," and it is rated V15 on a scale that goes from V0-V16. Watch how the climber, a young German professional named Alexander Megos, uses his feet to hang on the cave ceiling. Just imagine the endurance and core strength required to perform such a feat.
Alexander Megos Wheel of Life from Powerhouse on Vimeo.
-----
Adam Ondra Crushes Two V16s
In the video above, the climber was doing an upside-down V15 problem. The two problems in this video are both V16s -- the very top of the boulder scale -- but they're of a very different variety.
These problems are super crimpy, meaning the holds are very small, and climbers hold onto them with just the tips of their fingers. Czech pro Adam Ondra is able to get his fingers in holds as thin as razors. You can tell it's painful, particularly on the second problem, as there's lots of screaming.
-----
Ashima Shiraishi Climbs Possible 5.15
This girl from New York turns 14 this month and she just may be the youngest person to ever climb a route rated 5.15.
Last month, she completed a route in northeastern Spain that may now be that grade. Previously, it was a 5.14d, but a hold broke off, which might now make the route a solid 5.15.
In the video below, you can watch the young climber crush some 5.14s in the Red River Gorge area. Note that this video is now two years old, meaning that Shiraishi wasn't even a teenager when she climbed these.
Return to the Red (Full Movie)- Featuring Ashima Shiraishi Climbing Lucifer and Southern Smoke from DPM CLIMBING on Vimeo.
-----
