Climbing
Alex Honnold continues to push the boundaries of climbing, his latest accomplishment being a speedy free solo of three of Red Rocks, NV’s, most famous multi-pitch climbs.
- Related: VIDEO: ‘What if He Falls?’ | Behind the Scenes of Alex Honnold’s Free Solo El Capitan Climb
A social media post by Cedar Wright describes how Honnold, most famous for his Free Solo climb of El Capitan, soloed Levitation 29, 5.11+, Cloud Tower, 11+/12-, and Rainbow Wall, 5.12a in a ‘casual half day out!”
Congrats to this goofball @alexhonnold who just soloed three of Red Rock’s best multi-pitches, Levitation 29, 5.11+, Cloud Tower, 11+/12-, and Rainbow Wall, 5.12a, in a casual half day out! After our big moderate solo linkup, which honnold declared light-duty because the climbing was “too easy,” we climbed The Rainbow Wall together so he could refresh his memory a bit on the crux, and I could enjoy an onsight attempt on one of the best multi-pitches in America. I rode the simul-climbing rocket ship up the wall at rocket speed…And as I Deadpointed for edges and thrutched to my limit on the upper crux, barely hanging on to the chains, I knew that it would make a great solo! 🤢 @thenorthface#yolofreesolo
In October 2020, Alex smashed the speed record for climbing Epinephrine, a classic 13-pitch 5.9 in also in Red Rocks. It took him 34 minutes and 51 seconds, smashing the previous record of 38 minutes and 15 seconds, and was motivated by late climber Brad Gobright, who died in November 2019 and held the previous record.
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Clark County, Nevada, is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is about 15 miles (24 km) west of Las Vegas, and is easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip. More than three million people visit the area each year.
The conservation area showcases a set of large red rock formations: a set of sandstone peaks and walls which were formed by thrust faults including the Keystone Thrust. The walls are up to 3,000 feet (910 m) high, making them a popular hiking and rock climbing destination. The highest point is La Madre Mountain, at 8,154 feet (2,485 m).
