Rock climber Alex Honnold completes a 3,000-foot rope-free climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on June 3, 2017. The historic event was documented for an upcoming National Geographic feature film and magazine story. Photo credit: Jimmy Chin

National Geographic Secures Exclusive Access to the Historic Event

Reporting First from the Field for National Geographic.com and Filming the Full Story for an Upcoming National Geographic Documentary Film and National Geographic Magazine Story

June 4, 2017 - YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK— National Geographic reports renowned rock climber Alex Honnold on Saturday became the first person to scale the iconic 3,000-foot granite wall known as El Capitan without using ropes or other safety gear, completing what may be the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport. He ascended the peak in 3 hours, 56 minutes, taking the final moderate pitch at a near run. At 9:28 a.m. PDT, he pulled his body over the rocky lip of summit.

The historic event was first reported today by NationalGeographic.com and was captured for National Geographic Documentary Films’ upcoming feature film SOLO (working title), produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker E. Chai Vasarhelyi, critically acclaimed filmmaker and world-class climber in his own right Jimmy Chin, Shannon Dill, Evan Hayes, Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. The climb and preparation have also been documented for an upcoming National Geographic magazine feature.

Click here for the full story.
Source: National Geographic