by Mick Ryan – UKClimbing.com Alex Honnold, 23, the extremely talented American climber, just doesn´t let up. After an amazing trip to the UK he returned to the US and got stuck in. In early December, first was an ascent of the Huber´s 1998 route on El Cap, El Nino (VI 5.13c, 29 pitches) over five days, then it was straight down to Sonora and the blocky basalt crag of Jailhouse Rock for an ascent of Burning Down the House, an 8c/5.14b sport climb established by Justen Sjong. Honnold has much experience free climbing big walls: ascents include a one-day free ascent of Freerider (VI 5.12d, 37 pitches), a free ascent of Salathe Wall (VI 5.13b/c, ca. 3,200´) and he has soloed both Astroman (5.11c, 300m) and the Regular North Face of the Rostrum in a day. Honnold has also soloed Moonlight Buttress (V 5.12d, 9 pitches, 1,200´) in Zion National Park, Utah and the Regular Northwest Face (VI 5.12a, 23 pitches, 2,000´) on Half Dome in Yosemite. In the alpine arena he has done long and involved traverses high in California´s Sierra Nevada. He is equally good at sport climbs and single pitch trad, from gnarly off-widths in Indian Creek, to overhanging sport climbs. Alex´s grit ticks include: The Promise, Parthian Shot, New Statesman, Meshuga (solo), Gaia (on sight-ish), Knocking on Heaven´s Door Variation, Death Watch, End of the Affair, Master´s Edge (on sight-ish), and London Wall (solo onsight). Alex Honnold is sponsored by Maxim, The North Face, Black Diamond and La Sportiva.
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