Tommy Caldwell Climbing Pitch 15 | The Dawn Wall

On January 14, 2015, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson made the first free ascent of The Dawn Wall on Yosemite s El Capitan. Watch Tommy climb pitch 15 (5.14c) in this first footage released by the film crew on the wall. “The crux holds of pitch 15 are some of the smallest and sharpest holds I have ever attempted to hold onto,” Tommy wrote on his Facebook page. Four unique camera angles reveal those minuscule holds and the 1,300 feet of exposure under Tommy’s precarious foot placements. While multiple pitches of extremely difficult climbing remained above, the completion of pitch 15 was considered the last major hurdle to the eventual success of this seven-year project. Note: Pitch 15 was originally rated 5.14d, but was downgraded slightly after the completion of the route.

Adam Ondra 9a first ascent

Black Diamond athlete Adam Ondra made the first ascent of Chaxi Raxi, a massive 9b line at Oliana, Spain in late April. This is likely one of the hardest sport climb in the world. We had Bernardo Gimenez on the scene to document Adam’s efforts and he was fortunate enough to be there for the redpoint. Below is the outstanding video Bernardo edited together, as well as brief recap from Adam. Stunning. Impressive. Inspiring. Absolutely bad ass. Congratulations, Adam.

Red Bull Avaatara Story Cut

It has been quite a while since I had been as motivated to sport climb as I was last spring. Even though I began climbing at crags, my focus has been directed towards mountaineering for several years now. But last spring, rock climbing projects at home, in the US and elsewhere got me psyched again. One of the more outstanding projects led me to the Baatara Gorge in Lebanon.