Tommy Caldwell

Tommy Caldwell (born August 11, 1978) is an American rock climber who has set records in sport climbing, traditional climbing, and in big-wall climbing. Caldwell made the first free ascents of several major routes on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He made the first ascents of some of the hardest sport climbing routes in the U.S., including Kryptonite with grade of 5.14c/d, and the world's first route, Flex Luthor, at the Fortress of Solitude, Colorado in 2003. In January 2015, Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson completed the first free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan. At the time, their 19-day ascent was considered one of the hardest big wall free ascents in history. In 2015, National Geographic called Caldwell "arguably the best all-around rock climber on the planet", and he is an important figure in the history of the sport. Early life and education Caldwell grew up in Loveland, Colorado. His father is Mike Caldwell, a former teacher, professional body builder, mountain guide and rock climber, who introduced Tommy to rock climbing at a young age. His mother, Terry, was also a mountain guide. The family, including Tommy's sister, went on annual trips to Yosemite National Park where Tommy's love for the park and rock climbing flourished.