Expert climbers Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold have claimed some of the most astounding records on Yosemite National Park’s biggest walls. In 2015, Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson made the first free ascent up the 3,000-foot Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park. And last year, Honnold became the first to do a free solo ascent of El Capitan.
The two climbers are known for pushing the limits, and on June 6, they broke the speed record up El Capitan—climbing the famous granite slab in 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 7 seconds.
This feat wasn’t the first for the duo—or even the first in one week. On May 30, they first made history with a record-breaking 2 hour, 10-minute climb up the Nose, the same famous route they returned to two days later.
In the climbing world, breaking the two-hour barrier on El Cap is comparable to breaking the four-minute mile in running. “It was slightly emotional when we finished it,” Honnold told the Associated Press. “I had a wave of, ‘Oh wow.’ I’m pretty proud we saw it through.”
Yosemite is a rock climbing mecca, both for experts like Caldwell and Honnold and first-timers looking to learn. If you’re not into climbing, you can see some of the most famous rock faces via hiking or one of Yosemite’s many tour options.
