Tommy Caldwell wants to return to 46a at 9 | Bet with Honnold and Trotter

Together with Alex Honnold and Sonnie Trotter, Tommy Caldwell has set himself the goal of climbing another 9a. To follow Trotter's success on Spirit Quest (9a) last year, Caldwell now has his sights set on Empath (9a) in California.

Tommy Caldwell Thanks to successes such as the liberation of the Dawn Wall or the speed record at the Nose on El Capitan, he achieved undisputed legendary status in the sport of climbing. In addition to visionary big wall ascents, the now 46-year-old also has sport climbing routes up to 9a+ and bouldering routes up to grade 8B.

At the same time, things have been quiet for a long time around the family man from Colorado, who now lives in California and most recently completely tore off his Achilles heel in a fall in Yosemite in 2022. To relive the old times, Caldwell started on an Alaska trip with Sonnie Trotter and Alex Honnold a “Gentlemen’s Race to 9a”.

Honnold, Trotter, Caldwell: Three family fathers want to give it another go

The premise of the friendly bet: The first to repeat a 9a sport climbing route wins. Both Honnold, Trotter, and Caldwell are now fathers, and Honnold, at 39, is the youngest of the three.

Last summer, Sonnie Trotter won the race with his ascent of Spirit Quest (9a) in Squamish – but that doesn’t mean the bet is canceled.

Motivated by Trotter’s success, Tommy Caldwell has now sought a project on his doorstep in California: Empath (9a) in Tahoe is a line of Carlo Traversi from 2020 and was written by, among others, Daniel Woods, Jimmy Webb and Ethan Pringle .

A new YouTube series with Edelrid provides amazingly personal insights into Tommy Caldwell's journey back to French Grade 9. The first episode of the multi-part documentary is now available.

That might interest you

• Adam Ondra and Tommy Caldwell in conversation about The Dawn Wall
• Interview: Tommy Caldwell on sustainability and his role as an ambassador

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Credits cover photo: Edelrid