Las Vegas resident Alex Honnold is perhaps the most famous rock climber in the world.
In 2017, he scaled El Capitan, a 3,000-foot granite wall in Yosemite National Park. The climb was documented in the Oscar-winning film, "Free Solo."
Lesser known — but in some ways equally remarkable — are the feats of Honnold’s mother, Dierdre Wolownick.
The 73-year-old, who recently also moved to Las Vegas, speaks seven languages. She plays multiple instruments and founded an orchestra in Sacramento. She’s started a publishing company and has written scores of books on a wide range of topics.
But perhaps most remarkable, at 66, she became the oldest woman to summit El Capitan, led by her son Alex. She broke her own record on her 70th birthday.
She chronicled the journey in her 2019 memoir, The Sharp End of Life. A documentary film based on the book, Climbing Into Life, came out last year and is currently showing at festivals. In mid-February of this year, Wolownick released her latest book, Success in Seven Steps.
