This 20 - something American climber made the record - breaking ascent without ropes and with no safety net in place .
Free solo climber Alex Honnold competed Mexico 's 1,700 foot El Sendero Luminoso on January 15 , 2014 and the internet exploded .
This 20 - something American solo climber made the record - breaking ascent without ropes and with no safety net in place .
Free solo climber Alex Honnold competed Mexico 's 1,700 foot El Sendero Luminoso on January 15 , 2014 and the internet exploded .