Alex Honnold leads Pitch 7 of Lurking Fear (VI 5.7 C2F or 5.13c, 2,000′) while Sean Leary jugs up a short-fixed rope below. The pair completed the climb as part of an El Capitan link-up of The Nose (VI 5.9 C2 or 5.14a, 2,900’), Salathe Wall (VI 5.9 C2 or 5.13b/c, 2,900′) and Lurking Fear in just under 24 hours. [Photo] Tom Evans
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Last week, Alex Honnold and Sean Leary linked three Grade VI routes on Yosemite’s El Capitan in a single day: The Nose, Salathe Wall and Lurking Fear. Honnold and Leary started up The Nose at 8 p.m. on June 30, topping out in 4 hours and 15 minutes. Next, the pair climbed the Salathe Wall in just over 6 hours before tackling Lurking Fear around noon on July 1. In just under 24 hours, the team climbed roughly 85 pitches and more than 8,000 vertical feet.
A week prior, Honnold made speedy solos of The Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome and The Nose in just over 11 hours. See the June 25, 2010 NewsWire for more information.