Kevin Jorgeson
 Jorgeson at the 2015 Toyota/Save Mart 350 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 7, 1984 Santa Rosa, California |
| Occupation | Rock climber |
| Website | kevinjorgeson |
| Climbing career | |
| Type of climber | Big wall climbing |
Kevin Jorgeson (born October 7, 1984) is an American rock climber.
Jorgeson was born to Eric and Gaelena Jorgeson. His father was an employee of the Santa Rosa Parks and Recreation Department, and helped to instill Kevin and his younger brother Matt with a love of the outdoors, and encouraged an 11-year-old Kevin to pursue climbing when an indoor climbing facility opened in the city.[1] He began competing in international climbing contests at 16.[1] Jorgeson is known for being able to free climb, using no equipment outside of gear to protect from falling, and is well known for being able to high ball large boulders.[1]
Jorgeson and his climbing partner Tommy Caldwell were the first two climbers to successfully complete a free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, completing the 3,000 ft climb between December 28, 2014, and January 14, 2015. The Dawn Wall is one of the most difficult big-wall climbs in the world, with multiple pitches rated 5.14 in the Yosemite Decimal System.[2] The climb had been planned since shortly after the release of the documentary film Progression in 2009, in which Caldwell, who had previously free climbed other, easier routes on El Capitan, surveyed the Dawn Wall to consider if it was possible to free climb. Jorgeson wrote to Caldwell after seeing the film, and the two men began to plan out the ascent.[3][4]
References
- ^ a b c Branch, John (January 12, 2015). "Climber Yearns for the Summit, and a Shower". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ Beaumont, Peter (January 15, 2015). "El Capitan: How did the climbers do it?". The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ Bisharat, Andrew (January 14, 2015). "Duo Completes First Free Climb of Yosemite's Dawn Wall, Making History". National Geographic. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ Barber, Phil (December 21, 2014). "Santa Rosa man, partner readying for incredible Yosemite National Park climb". The Press Democrat.