Patagonia climbing ambassador Tommy Caldwell and partner Kevin Jorgeson make history, summiting after 19 days on the wall
PATAGONIA // Patagonia congratulates ambassador Tommy Caldwell and partner Kevin Jorgeson on the first successful free climb of the Dawn Wall, the hardest route up El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. Caldwell first conceived the idea of the climb in 2007 and has been working towards it ever since. Today marks the successful end to Caldwell’s seven-year-long relationship with the Dawn Wall.
The Dawn Wall, considered to be one of the hardest climbs in the world due to its extremely blank face, has never been climbed without pulling on gear to aid in the ascent. Caldwell and Jorgeson successfully climbed each pitch using only the natural features of the rock and their own physical strength and endurance, with a rope to catch them in case of a fall. 
“When we first climbed the North American Wall on El Cap in 1964, we thought, ‘Well, that proves that any big wall in the world can be climbed.’ We never dreamed they could be climbed all free!” notes Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s founder and owner. “Sending the Dawn Wall leaves Pope Francis with no choice but to admit our closest relative is the chimpanzee.”
Caldwell, 36, has been part of the Patagonia family since 2008. He climbed his first route in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park at the age of 3. Today he is recognized as one of the best all-around climbers of his time and is currently one of National Geographic’s 2015 Adventurers of the Year. In February 2014, with partner Alex Honnold, Caldwell also completed the first ascent of the Fitz Traverse in Patagonia’s Fitz Roy massif – an iconic alpine objective encompassing seven major summits in one five-day push.
Check out these exclusive photos courtesy Patagonia from their final top out:
[…] Paradox Sports is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that improves people’s lives by creating physical adaptive sport communities built to inspire. Learn more here. Clif Bar is well known for its commitment to community service, environmental sustainability and employee benefits. Learn more here. Read about Tommy Caldwell’s free ascent of the Dawn Wall with partner Kevin Jorgeson here. […]