Alex Honnold is one of the greatest and most inspirational free climbers of his generation. He ascended El Capitan in Yosemite Valley on the Freerider route without a rope or protection in June 2017. Climbing this 1,000-meter wall free solo earned him instant celebrity outside of the climbing community. His story has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers worldwide. He was born on January 4, 1987, in Bozeman, Montana. His mother, Tami, is an environmental scientist and his father, Tom, is a geologist. When he was nine years old, the family moved to Jamestown, New York where he began climbing at local rocks with his friends. He quickly became interested in free climbing and started practicing on cliffs around his home town. He also learned how to lead climb using protection when he was 10 years old. At age 11, he joined the National Youth Climbing Team (NYCT). He attended Jefferson County Community College for two years before dropping out to focus on his climbing career. He did work as a guide for other people's climbs but spent most of his time alone on mountains all over the world. In 2016, he freed himself from the top of the Great Roof of the Rock and Ice Museum in Lake Arrowhead, California. This feat made him the first climber to ever do this.