Three Times the Man (of Action)

In the summer of 2010, Alex Honnold scaled one of the world's most iconic rock formations in the world, not only once, but three times in 24 hours!

The 3,000 feet El Captain can be found in the Yosemite Valley, California. Alex and his climbing partner Shawn Leary summited El Captain three times, and tallied up a remarkable 8,000 vertical feet. 

El Captain, Yosemite Valley

But what goes up, must come down and the pair added another 9,000 feet of hiking down to the base again. 

'I didn't even know I could do something like that' explains Alex. 

'I really pushed some limits that time'

That he did. But this wasn't Alex's first time climbing in Yosemite Valley. Two years prior to this, he scaled Yosemite's Half Dome in an astonishing time of two hours and fifty minutes. Considering this climb usually takes between one or two days Alex proved himself to be a Man of Action at only 23 years old. 

'Climbing is a process that requires you to constantly make the move, to travel upwards'

In 2010, Alex had hoped to complete the 'Solo Linkup' which involves climbing the huge walls of El Captain and the Northwest Face of Half Dome. 

'The solo linkup I came up with spur of the moment, but the triple was monumental. Three times. Twenty-three hours. We were going speed route - actually moving continuously for a full 16 hours, which is kind of tiring, you know? That actually kind of pushed us. And having to hike down El Cap three times is sort of a lot of work'

But Alex maintains that his 'heart lies in Yosemite'. He is every inspired by its simplicity and beauty. 

We really liked reading about Alex's story. The Wild Geese were definitely Men of Action, but could not return to where their hearts lay - in Ireland. So it's really great to read about this adventurer who can immerse himself in the environment he loves so much - and achieve the extraordinary.