TOMMY CALDWELL

Climbing has been a part of Tommy's life since the age of 3 when his dad took him up Twin Owls on Lumpy Ridge in his hometown of Estes Park, CO to fly his kite from the summit. From there, summer vacations in Yosemite instilled a deep reverence for the huge granite walls. But it wasn’t until after delving into (and excelling) in competition climbing and sport climbing that Tommy found a love for big wall climbing. Tommy has put up a handful of big wall first ascents including two El Capitan free climbs in 24 hours. On January 14th 2015, after seven years of heroic effort and projecting, Tommy's dream became a reality as he and his climbing partner Kevin Jorgensen completed the first ascent of the Dawn Wall, heralded as the hardest free climb in the sport. When not pursuing his passion for big walls, Tommy's other passion is a 5'3" sandy blond beauty, his wife, Becca. She is his main road trip partner, occasional belayer, and favorite chef. These days you can often find them exploring Yosemite and sharing their love of climbing with their two young children.

Weirdest and Best Experiences:

Getting kidnapped in Kyrgystan and having to push our captor over a cliff to get free. On a lighter note, my best experience has definitely been marrying my wife, Becca, in 2010.