Coming up on "Get the Funk Out!" - KUCI 88.9fm
Tommy Caldwell
Stayed tuned for details! But you can meet him
May 23 in Santa Monica!
May 23 in Santa Monica!
Legendary rock climber who was first to free climb the Dawn Wall of Yosemite’s El Capitan shares his inspiring story
On January 14, 2015, legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell, along with his partner Kevin Jorgeson, summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history -- Yosemite’s nearly vertical 3,000-foot Dawn Wall. The New York Times describes the infamous 3,000-foot slab of granite as “smooth as alabaster, as steep as a bedroom wall, more than half a mile tall.” After an arduous nineteen-day ascent, Caldwell and Jorgeson were the first to summit it without the assistance of ropes, other than to catch their falls. Caldwell’s odds-defying feat was the culmination of an entire lifetime of pushing himself to his limits as an athlete. In his new memoir THE PUSH, he shares his remarkable story.
Caldwell will discuss:
- Growing up with a fanatical mountain-guide father who was determined to instill toughness in his son
- His affinity for adventure that led him to the vertigo-inducing and little understood world of big wall free climbing
- Challenges along the way, including being held hostage in his early twenties by militants in a harrowing ordeal in Kyrgyzstan; losing an index finger in an accident; and his breakup with his wife and main climbing partner
- His decision to climb the Dawn Wall, an epic assault that took more than seven years (during which, he redefined the sport, found love again, and became a father)
- Becoming an overnight celebrity as major media outlets worldwide tracked his story.
THE PUSH is an arresting account of navigating challenges, testing limits, and following your passion—and a powerful reminder of the extraordinary potential we all hold within us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tommy Caldwell grew up in Colorado. He has made dozens of notable ascents, and many consider him the best all-around rock climber in the world. In 2014 he was chosen as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year, and in 2015 the American Alpine Club awarded him Lifetime Honorary Membership, its highest honor. Caldwell, a frequent contributor to Alpinist, Climbing, and Rock and Ice magazines, lives in the town where he first learned to climb, Estes Park, Colorado, with his wife and their son and daughter.
