Derek Franz

Barbara Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher recently made the third free ascent of Zodiac (VI 5.13d) on El Capitan after a 13-year period in which no one succeeded since the first and second free ascents were made in 2003.

Adam Ondra sets a new precedent on the second free ascent of El Capitan’s Dawn Wall (VI 5.14d) by blazing up the route in fewer than eight days and leading every pitch.

Pete Whittaker rope solos El Capitan’s Freerider (VI 5.12d) all free in 20 hours, 6 minutes, becoming the first person to do it in a day.

Junko Tabei was more than the first woman to summit the highest peak on Earth, she was a trailblazer for women in the mountains, a leader for the environment and a person who actively invested in her community all the way up until her death from cancer on October 20.