Tommy Caldwell has free-climbed The Heart, one of the mythical routes on Yosemite’s El Capitan, together with young gun Connor Herson.
Caldwell attempted the feat with Alex Honnold last year, but he was still recovering from a torn ACL and admitted he didn’t send the route’s 31 pitches (Honnold did). Since then, Caldwell has felt that he had “some unfinished business” with that line.
For the task, the 46-year-old Caldwell paired up with 21-year-old Herson, “hoping to absorb some of that youthful energy,” as he said. They completed the 31 pitches of the 5.13b (8a) route in three days.
Herson had not tried the route before, so he set off without knowing what he would find. “Turns out to be a wild route, with some of the steepest climbing I’ve done on El Cap: a very thin slab, and even a 10’ down dyno,” he said.
The California-based Herson has already gained a reputation in the U.S. climbing community, including from elite veterans like Caldwell.
“I’ve never seen someone look so solid on El Cap. Keep an eye,” Caldwell wrote about his young partner. “I can’t wait to see where he takes Yosemite climbing in the years to come.”
Oldest, youngest to free El Cap
Caldwell is — he believes — the oldest climber to free-climb a route on El Capitan. Connor is the youngest, as he free-climbed the Nose at only 15. In doing so, he snatched the age record from Caldwell himself, who was 23 when he free-climbed El Cap’s West Buttress.
“It’s crazy to think that one piece of granite can stretch my imagination for 26 years —and I don’t plan on that ending any time soon,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell recently brought his son Fitz for a night on El Cap’s wall, and the kid seemed to enjoy it. Check Caldwell’s IG post.
The Caldwells, Tommy and Fitz, on their personal camping experience on El Cap. Photo: Tommy Caldwell
While not a first, free climbing the 5.13b-V10 (8a) route is still a major challenge wrapped in the aura of the legendary valley. Caldwell is clearly still in top shape at 46 and not yet done with Yosemite.
The Heart was opened by Chuck Kroger and Scott Davis in 1970, as Yosemite became a worldwide mecca for big wall climbing. It took 45 years for Mason Earle and Brad Gobright to first free-climb the entire route in 2015. It includes some spectacular moves, such as the V10 (7c+) dyno mentioned above. (A dyno is an explosive, dynamic move needed to grab a distant hold.)
Honnold’s 2023 free-ascent with Caldwell was just the third free-climb of the route.
