News link: On July 30, Alex Honnold added a Squamish enchainment to his impressive résumé of link-ups. Waking at 4 a.m., Honnold and partner Will Stanhope freeclimbed four routes on the Chief, starting with The Free Grand (5.13b, 10 pitches), which normally gets climbed at 5.11a A0 due to two bolt ladders.
Next was University Wall (5.12a, 8 pitches), followed by Northern Lights (5.12a, 12 pitches). Last, the pair climbed Freeway (5.11c, 11 pitches) in the hot afternoon sun. The climbers made it back to the van at 6:30 p.m., having climbed more than 40 pitches in 13.5 hours.
There have been several other enchainments Squamish in recent years. In August 2007, Matt Maddaloni and Paul Cordy climbed University Wall, Northern Lights, and Freeway in 16.5 hours, which they called the Triple Crown. A year before, Matt Segal and Sonnie Trotter completed an even harder link-up, climbing The Grand Wall, The Shadow (5.13b), and Black Dyke (5.13b). In 2004, Tommy Caldwell and Trotter completed what they called the Grand Slam, linking The Grand Wall, The Shadow, and Freeway.
To read more and see photos, visit Stanhope's blog: willstanhope.blogspot.com.
Dates of ascents: July 30, 2010
