Ammon McNeely
Ammon McNeely was an American rock climber who specialized in big wall climbing and aid climbing, and who set many speed climbing records and made the first "one-day ascent" for many climbing routes on El Capitan in Yosemite. His other interests included BASE jumping and wingsuiting. McNeely was also a slackliner and pioneered many highlines throughout the US.
Climbing career
El Capitan ascents
McNeely completed many one-day big wall aid climbing routes on El Capitan including Eric Kohl's Plastic Surgery Disaster, Warren Harding's Wall of the Early Morning Light, John Middendorf's Atlantic Ocean Wall, and one of the hardest aid climbing routes on El Capitan, The Reticent Wall, along with Dean Potter & Ivo Ninov in 34 hours and 57 minutes.McNeely was considered to have completed some of the broadest range of aid and free climbing routes on El Capitan.
McNeely was the first to have climbed all three routes on The Streaked Wall in Zion National Park; he climbed all three routes as a "first one-day ascent".
In 2011, 29 years after the first ascent, McNeely with partner Kait Barber made the second ascent of the aid climbing route Wings of Steel, with the purpose of examining the controversial methods of the first ascent team; their climb was documented in the 2013 Jeff Vargen-directed film, ''Assault on El Capitan''
El Capitan speed records
Some of McNeely's other El Capitan speed climbing records include:- Lost World: 23:29 - with Ivo Ninov July 7, 2009
- Never Never Land: 16:00:02 - with Chris McNamara - August 4, 2004
- Horse Chute: 20:39 - with Chris McNamara - Oct 8, 2004
- Magic Mushroom: 55:15 - with Ivo Ninov & Kevin Jaramillo - July 4-6th, 2005
- The Reticent Wall: 34:57 - with Dean Potter & Ivo Ninov - July 12–13, 2006
- Wall of Early Morning Light: 23:43 - with Brian McCray - September 2004
- Pacific Ocean Wall: 33:02 - with Ivo Ninov - May, 2004
- New Jersey Turnpike: 14:00:02 - with Brian McCray - September, 2002
- Atlantic Ocean Wall: 23:38 - with Brian McCray - August 4, 2004
- Native Son: 23:53 - with Ivo Ninov - May 15, 2006
- Iron Hawk: 30:42 - with Cedar Wright - May, 2004
- Scorched Earth: 22:28 - with Skiy Detray & David Allfrey
- Tangerine Trip: 10:24 - with Cedar Wright - July, 2002
- Virginia: 17:24 - with Gabriel McNeely & Ivo Ninov - July 16, 2005
- Lost in America: 18:04 - with Brian McCray - August, 2004
- Zenyatta Mondatta: 22:56 - with Ivo Nivov & Kevin Jaramillo - June 27, 2005
- Plastic Surgery Disaster: 21:37 - with Brian McCray - June, 2001
- Lunar Eclipse: 19:58 - with Jose Pererya & Chongo - June, 2001
- Born Under a Bad Sign: 22:22 - with Chris Van Luevan & Eric Walden - October 2, 2001
- Eagle's Way: 9:08 - with Brian McCray - August, 2004
- On the Waterfront: 17:07 - with Skiy Detray & Ammon McNeely - July 15, 2009
- Pressure Cooker: 23:41 - with Ivo Ninov - September, 2004
- Get Whacked: 12:49 - with Brian McCray - June, 2001
BASE jumping activities
In October 2013, Ammon nearly lost his foot in a BASE accident in Moab that he described: "We were with one other jumper who was new, and I voted that Andy goes first, the two new guys go in the middle, and I go last. They had perfect exits, and great openings with no wind. I jumped, probably took a tad longer delay than I should have, being it was a new exit with new brake lines, and immediately had a 180-degree opening. I struck the cliff with my left foot and continued rag-dolling down the cliff where I finally came to rest on a sloping ledge. I knew I was banged up, but to my utter surprise my foot was flipped on its side looking very similar to a Nalgene bottle with just a sliver of skin keeping it on."In October 2017, Ammon lost his right leg below the knee in a BASE accident in Moab.